“Motivating the Reluctant Learner”

1. “Motivating theReluctant Learner” Brooks P. Moore Educator

2. Mission and Vision Mission:Dorchester School District Two leading the way, every student, every day through relationships, rigor and relevance. Vision:Dorchester School District Two desires to be recognized as a “World Class” school district, expecting each student to achieve at his/her optimum level in all areas, and providing all members of our district family with an environment that permits them to do their personal best.

3. MOTIVATION • If you had a choice, would you want to be doing the things you ask your students to do?

4. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Students are more motivated to learn in a safe, secure, comfortable environment. • Motivation without compassion is manipulation. • Motivation is constant and needs to be maintained. • All people are motivated. • What works today may not work tomorrow.

5. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Motivation is a responsibility to be shared by everyone concerned with a student's achievement. • Understanding what motivates me and other people is the key to understanding motivation in the classroom.

6. MOTIVATION Reasons why students are not motivated: • Desire for attention • Emotional distress • Low expectations • Expression of anger • Lack of essential skills • Lack of confidence

7. MOTIVATION Reasons why students are not motivated: • Lack of relevance • Fear of failure • Peer concern • Learning problems • Lack of challenge • Poor teaching/administration

8. MOTIVATION • You have the power to establish an environment and atmosphere to develop the internal motivation of your students. • Unfortunately, you also have the power to negatively affect a student's motivation, so choose your words and actions carefully.

9. MOTIVATION • “You can choose to learn” • As your teacher what can I do to go the extra mile for you?” • Your best is good enough for me. • We are in this together. This is our challenge and together we can reach our goal. • I will not allow you not to give me your best effort. • I want you to be the very best you can be and I am with you all the way.

10. MOTIVATION • What are some motivating words you use to help motivate your students or others? • Task- Develop a situation in which a student’s lack of motivation is hindering his/her grades. Share some techniques on how you would motivate the student.

11. MOTIVATION Helping the unmotivated student... • Challenge students • Make learning fun • Teach in small doses • Allow advanced students to skip topics they have mastered • Allow students some control over what and how they learn

12. MOTIVATION Helping the unmotivated student... • Use peer tutoring or learning buddies • Use cooperative groups • Use independent learning • Maximize technology

13. MOTIVATION Helping the unmotivated student... • Talk with students privately • Review progress • Orchestrate student success • Create opportunities for success • Highlight students' talents • Little steps build confidence • Vary your teaching styles • Creative problem solving • Relate instruction to the students' interests

14. MOTIVATION Helping the unmotivated student... • Relate instruction to the students' interests • Praise students in ways big and small • Spread excitement like a virus • Hand over some control

15. MOTIVATION Students must be actively engaged • Make it fun and learning happens • Build routines and procedures and everyone knows what to expect • Keep students involved and they stay out of trouble • Make it real and students are interested • Work together and everyone accomplishes more

16. MOTIVATION Students must be actively engaged • Allow them to create their success • Stack the deck • Maximize technology • Pair and share

17. MOTIVATIONFACTS ABOUT MOTIVATIONby Robert Tomsich GOLDEN KEY TO MOTIVATION Others will give you what you want to the degree you give them what they want. Others will give you what they need to the degree you give them what they need.

18. MOTIVATIONFACTS ABOUT MOTIVATIONby Robert Tomsich FACTORS AFFECTING MOTIVATION Learned factors: • need to Belong • need for Control and Power • need to be Someone special • need for Knowledge • need for Identity and Status • need for Achievement

19. MOTIVATIONCLASSROOM IDEAS TO PROMOTEPOSITIVE MOTIVATION 1. Believe motivation is a top priority of teaching and that many students require "special motivation." 2. Teachers can structure and plan lessons by focusing on creating an experience to involve and interest students in relevant lessons. 3. Teachers use student feedback to assess their effectiveness as a presenter, communicator, motivator, etc.

20. MOTIVATIONCLASSROOM IDEAS TO PROMOTEPOSITIVE MOTIVATION (continued) 4. Teachers can avoid boredom and routine, and be aware of students' learning styles, by planning for motivation and adjusting lessons for student involvement. 5. Teachers can project a caring, personal, accepting interest in every child and avoid roadblocks when encouraging students. 6. Work with support staff and parents to advise and assist students. (Help them identify and resolve problems that interfere with learning and their own personal goals.)

21. MOTIVATIONCLASSROOM IDEAS TO PROMOTEPOSITIVE MOTIVATION (continued) 7. Identify problem students with motivational or attitude difficulties and use a variety of methods to interrupt an unsuccessful pattern. (These methods must be tailor-made to the needs and particular problems of each child) 8. Involve students in improvement plans through contracts, goal planning, and monitoring. 9. Use peers as positive role models in helping others. 10. Plan interesting and challenging assignments and homework.

22. MOTIVATIONCLASSROOM IDEAS TO PROMOTEPOSITIVE MOTIVATION (continued) 11. Teachers’ enthusiasm, caring, concern, and interest in each student as a person is important. Be a coach, mentor, and a facilitator. Be patient, friendly, tolerant, and understanding of student frustration. Be an ombudsman-clear the pathway to success by removing interfering obstacles. 12. Pre-assess before designing lesson plans in order to challenge students and keep their interest and involvement. 13. Accept no "write-off' students in your class. Communicate high expectations for achievement and positive student attitudes. 14. Provide opportunities to use and apply daily lessons.

23. MOTIVATION • All students are motivated -you just have to figure out what causes them to react. Get to know their background and interests. • True motivation isn't accomplished by short-term rewards or punishments.

24. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • People are motivated by THEIR reasons, not necessarily yours. • To motivate yourself, try to understand what motivates others. • To motivate others, try to understand what motivates you.

25. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Motivation consists of wants and needs. If you want to motivate others, find out what they want or need and give it to them. 1. If somebody wants independence, help him become disciplined so he can handle it. • If someone wants status, give him the honors he commands. • If students need recognition, help them reach the fulfillment they desire.

26. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES 4. The most basic of human cravings is the need for appreciation. 5. Kids will give you what you need to the degree you give them what they need.

27. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Motivation is an inside job. It is the internal power to take action. Action is the critical element. • Encourage students by providing appropriate, deserved praise and encouragement. • Motivation by reward is more powerful than motivation by fear. Motivation by fear is more motivating than apathy. • Avoid using threats and fear to motivate. They're not worth the potential problem they can cause.

28. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Before teaching the content, we MUST address the physiological and psychological needs of students. • If the fundamental needs are not satisfied, a student CANNOT fully attend to the learning of the content. • The more teachers can help students satisfy their deficiency needs, the more effective they will be in increasing a student's motivation to learn. • Trust students FIRST, and they'll learn to trust you.

29. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Avoid criticism. Remember: Kids flourish with praise and crumble with criticism. • Sarcasm and criticism are in conflict with learning. Never, never, never criticize. Work towards eliminating criticism and sarcasm from your behaviors. • Making others feel important is the foundation of recognition. • Help students feel important by letting them impress you. Don't try to impress them.

30. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Recognize students for their efforts. Praise them for their achievement. • Students must perceive they have "control" of their lives to some extent. • Involve students in making decisions that affect them. It promotes a sense of importance. • Student involvement in their own learning is mandatory for motivation to take place.

31. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES • Change is stimulating. Avoid becoming overly predictable. Variety is the "spice" of teaching. Provide options in learning. Vary your goal structures from individual to competitive to cooperative types. • Increase students' motivation by making the learning relevant to their lives. • Teaching by example ignites the desire to imitate, which is the highest form of flattery.

32. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES Motivation Guidelines • Motivation is a continuous process. (For a teacher, it can be the key to providing a successful instructional program) PRAISE P-Personally Meaningful R-Respectful to the Individual A-Authentic I-Immediate S-Specific E-Encouraging

33. MOTIVATION GUIDELINES Ways to help the unmotivated student • • Talk with students privately • • Orchestrate student success • • Highlight students' talents • • Vary your teaching styles • • Relate instruction to the students' interest • • Challenge students • • Make learning fun • • Teach in small doses • • Allow advanced students to skip topics they have mastered • • Allow students some control over what and how they learn

34. MOTIVATIONFACTS ABOUT MOTIVATIONby Robert Tomsich 1. Understanding what motivates ourselves is the key to understanding what motivates others. 2. Motivation without compassion is manipulation. 3. Motivation is constant and needs to be maintained. 4. All people are motivated. 5. People are motivated by THEIR reasons, not necessarily by yours.

35. MOTIVATIONFACTS ABOUT MOTIVATIONby Robert Tomsich 6. Motivation consists of wants and needs. If you want to motivate others, find out what they want or need and give it to them. 7. Motivation is an inside job. It is the internal power to take action. Action is the critical element.

36. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn. Source – Words that Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What people Hear – 2007 by Dr. Frank Luntz

37. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication I. Simplicity: use small words. The more simply and plainly an idea is presented the more understandable it is – and therefore the more credible it will be. Examples: “M’M’ M’M’ Good!” “Snap; Crackle; Pop” “KFC”

38. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication II. Brevity: use short sentences. Examples: Calvin Coolidge “Silent Cal” “I like Ike” Sometimes two or three words are worth more than a thousand. “Got Milk? “Just do it”

39. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication III. Credibility is as important as philosophy. If your words lack sincerity, if they contradict accepted facts circumstances, or perceptions, they will lack impact. * In a simple sentence say what you mean and mean what you say.

40. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication IV. ConsistencyMatters Examples: “It’s the real thing” The most memorable coke tagline was actually created back in 1943. “The breakfast of champions” 1935 “Say it with flowers” 1917

41. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication V. Novelty: offer something new. In plain English words that work often involve a new definition of an old idea. There’s a simple test to determine whether or not your message has met this rule. If it generates an “I didn’t know that” response you have succeeded.

42. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication VI. Sound and texture matter The phrase “Snap, Crackle, and Pop” immediately conjures up images not just of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies but the actual sound of the cereal itself.

43. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication VII. Speak With Aspiration People will forget what you say but they will never forget how you made them feel. *Martin Luther King, Jr. uttered the words “I have a dream”

44. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication VIII. Visualize Paint a vivid picture: “Melts in your mouth not in your hand”

45. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication IX. Ask a Question “Can you hear me now?” “Got Milk?”

46. The Ten Rules of Successful Communication X. Provide Context and Explain Relevance Without context you cannot establish a message’s value, its impact or most importantly, its relevance. Example: “Have it your way” If it doesn’t matter to the intended audience, it won’t be heard.

47. Ten Rules of Effective Communication, Summarized in a Single Word • Simplicity • Brevity • Credibility • Consistency • Novelty • Sound • Aspiration • Visualization • Questioning • Context

48. Session EvaluationParticipants are asked to complete a session evaluation for each session attended. Credit will added following evaluation completion. For each question, use 1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=agree, 4=strongly agree. Your responses will assist us in planning future professional development in Dorchester School District Two. • The instructor was well prepared for the workshop. • The materials for the workshop were appropriate. • The concepts presented were appropriate to my job. • I will benefit from attending this session. • I would recommend this training to others.

49. Contact Information Brooks P. Moore Educator bmoore@dorchester2.k12.sc.us bpmooreconsult@aol.com 843 509-6214