Motivating The Unmotivated

1. Motivating The Unmotivated Practical Strategies for Teaching the Hard-to-Reach Student By Chick Moorman

2. 3 focus areas • Power • Models • Connectiveness

3. Mental Models • One must be able to refer to adequate examples in order to establish meaningful values, ideals, and personal standards. • These strategies are for students lacking in mental models. • See page 52-54

4. You see a student running down the hall and you want that behavior to stop, so you yell… • “Don’t run in the hall!” • “Stop! Next time, please walk down the hall.” • “Hey, get back here! Don’t let me catch you running again. Now go back and walk.”

5. Mental Model Strategy #1 Page 55 • NEXT TIME, please … • Using next time helps students understand how to change their behavior to meet your expectations. • When you say “Don’t run” they only hear “Run” • Using this strategy will plant a positive mental picture in their head

6. You want your students to stay seated when you are teaching a lesson to the whole class. • Yell, “Sit down while I am talking!” whenever a student gets up. • Stop and stare down any student who dares to get up while you are talking. • Make a poster showing all students seated and listening while a teacher is talking .

7. Mental Model Strategy #2 Page 55-56 • “If you want a behavior you have to teach a behavior.” • Teach how to do things in class. • Invest time in training students to work effectively in the classroom. • Focus “how to” on different learning styles • This fits in with Fred Jones’ Tools for Teaching chapter 7 Visual Instructional Plan (VIP) see page 77 moving chair

8. If you expect a quality piece of work to be turned in… • Tell students what you want • Have them read directions for what you want • Show them an example of a quality piece of work so they can see it and touch it • All of the above

9. Mental Model Strategy #3 Page 56 • Make expectations clear and simple. • Let students know what you expect of them. • Make standards of performance clear. • Let them know what “quality” work looks like and sounds like in terms of productivity, behavior, relationships, and self-responsibility.

10. Can you change a behavior in one minute? • Yes • No

11. Mental Model Strategy #4 Page 57-59 One Minute Behavior Modifier • Prepare: choose one behavior and name it. Examples: whining, backtalk, put downs, name calling, side conversations • Identify the offending person and behavior • Say why you don’t like it and give a reason • Teach the new appropriate replacement behavior • You have to persist longer then they resist • Practice so it flows naturally.

12. Do you feel your students should know why they need to learn what you are teaching them? • Yes • No

13. Mental Model Strategy #5 Page 62 • “Because…” • Students become more motivated when they understand why it will help them. • Teach the “why” of a lesson as well as the “how to.”

14. You are giving directions and you notice some of your students are not paying attention. • You move the offending students • Take the distraction away from the students • Model how to listen during oral directions

15. Mental Model Strategy #6 Page 62 • Give constructive examples of how students can improve. • Students need specific, descriptive feedback. • Refrain from making evaluative comments; instead, tell them what needs to be done academically and behaviorally. • Model how you want something done.

16. Teaching a concept helps students understand it better. • True • False

17. Mental Model Strategy # 7 Page 63 • See one, do one, teach one. • Students need to see the model, then they need to perform the skill, then they need to teach it. • Teaching a skill makes it stick in long-term memory. • This is true for all students, not just the high achievers.

18. Which would you rather run? • 10 feet • 100 feet • 1000 feet

19. Mental Model Strategy # 8 Page 63 • Divide and limit information • Divide information into small bits. • Presenting smaller units of information increases the number of closure points. • This allows students to stop, check, and take stock. • Closure happens sooner, which motivates them to keep going.

20. When exercising, when should you drink water? • When you are finished working out. • Before you work out. • Early and often.

21. Mental Model Strategy # 9 • When students are exercising their brains, we must check on them early and often. • If you identify the students who are lacking mental models, you can get to them early and often. • Sometimes they don’t even know what they do not understand.

22. When you walk into a bank, what does the teller usually ask you? • “May I have all of your money?” • “How may I help you today?” • “Would you like to see a menu?”

23. Mental Model Strategy #10 • We know how the structure of a bank works so we feel comfortable walking in and doing what we need to. By making our classroom structured we make students feel comfortable to come in and do what they need to. • Structure reduces ambiguity. • Reducing ambiguity lowers anxiety. • Lowering anxiety increases learning.

24. How many ways did Thomas Edison successfully discover ways to NOT make a light bulb? • 1000 • 100 • 473

25. Mental Model Strategy #11 • Try, try, try again. You have to try different ways to reach students who are low in mental models. • Use different learning styles with these students • They usually respond to adult or peer tutoring (crave and need the one on one) • They derive pleasure from completion of simple tasks.

26. Who is currently 14th in line for the presidency of the United States of America? • Secretary of Labor – Hilda Solis • Secretary of Health and Human Services – Kathleen Sebelius • Secretary of Transportation- Ray LaHood

27. Mental Model Strategy #12 • Just like our country has an organization to it, students need to be organized. They need to know what to do and where to go. • Student Planners • Checklists • Checkpoints on long-term projects • Keeping records of completed assignments.

28. 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, What is the next number in the sequence? • 31 • 50 • 36

29. Mental Model Strategy #13 • Just like numbers have patterns, students need patterns to feel comfortable. • Patterns are very important to low model students. • Their creativity suffers, due to their need for structure. • Need heavy use of graphic organizers to help them develop mental models.

30. My goal is to lose 10 pounds. To do this I will… • Sit back and wait for it to happen • Walk one mile a night • Get a new scale

31. Mental Model Strategy #14 • I can’t do nothing and lose ten pounds. I can however, do activities that will help me lose weight. • Teach students they cannot “do” a goal. • They can only “do” activities that will help them move closer to their goal.

32. When picking a good role model from history I should choose…. • Joseph Stalin • Mother Teresa • Adolf Hitler

33. Mental Model Strategy #15 • Students need good role models. Not Hitler. • Bring positive role models to your classroom. • Read about people with good character in textbooks and magazines. • Bring in community leaders such as police officers, doctors, and other respected members of the community for interviews.

34. Because I touched the very hot tea kettle I… • Win the big prize • Get to have cookies with my tea • Have a burnt hand

35. Mental Model Strategy #16 • Cause and effect happens. • Students need to have cause and effect for their behavior. • If they do something wrong in class they need to understand there will be a consequence for this. • You must follow through on this.

36. Johnny and Bobby both are chewing gum. You gave Johnny an warning and told him to spit his gum out. What will you do with Bobby? • Ask him for a piece of his gum. • Give him a warning and tell him to spit his gum out. • Office referral

37. Mental Model Strategy #17 • Be consistent • Students need disciplined discipline. • Say what you will do, and then do what you say.

38. What are you visualizing right now? • New Zealand • A kitten • Going home • Working in the classroom • World Series • Winning Lottery • Implementing these strategies in my classroom

39. Mental Model Strategy #18 • Use visualization • Visualization is an incredibly powerful learning tool. • If you can see it in your mind, you have a better chance of accomplishing it • What children can imagine, hold in their minds and see themselves doing they can achieve.

40. Connectiveness Strategies: • Student to student interaction time • Ask 3 before me • Use pronouns Us, We, Our • Create an “Our Classroom” feeling • Create an “Our School” feeling • Reach out • I noticed… (page 93) • Use students names

41. Apply these strategies to your classroom • You have the book to refer back to • Being aware of these students who need these mental models, and connectivness will help you motivate them • Practice the teacher talk until it sounds natural