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How do you motivate kids when the parents themselves aren't motivated? Had a whole classful of those this year... Needless to say, it wasn't a stellar year!
by In Teachers.Net Gazette - May 2011
Jun 13, 2011
"Thanks!" to John P. Wood from LearningLaffs.com for the following.
by In Teachers.Net Gazette
Jun 13, 2011
Every child wants to succeed. I know this is true. If you want to be successful at motivating the reluctant learner, you will need to believe this as well. In my experience working with students from many different backgrounds, up-bringing, family situations and home lives, every student thrives when he or she feels a sense of accomplishment.
<...See MoreEvery child wants to succeed. I know this is true. If you want to be successful at motivating the reluctant learner, you will need to believe this as well. In my experience working with students from many different backgrounds, up-bringing, family situations and home lives, every student thrives when he or she feels a sense of accomplishment.
Sure, sometimes this sense of accomplishment comes from getting the teacher to lose her temper or hitting a friend in the head with a well-aimed spitball. Our jobs, then, become refocusing that student’s goal away from those negative accomplishments towards the positive accomplishments – those that equate to success in school and, ideally, in life.
Sounds easy, right? You and I both know, though, that bad habits are hard to break, and students with a habit of looking for success in ways that undermine what we’re doing as teachers can often have the hardest time changing their habits.
When I start a school year...
by Kathy Morlan
Jun 19, 2011
One year I had Johnny in 11th grade American Lit. Johnny was great at sliding by! He was fantastic at slumping in his chair, throwing paper balls, and drawing race cars. When I handed out the results of the Crucible test, I mentioned to Johnny that if he had written any of the answers on his study guides, he would probably have raised his grade by ...See MoreOne year I had Johnny in 11th grade American Lit. Johnny was great at sliding by! He was fantastic at slumping in his chair, throwing paper balls, and drawing race cars. When I handed out the results of the Crucible test, I mentioned to Johnny that if he had written any of the answers on his study guides, he would probably have raised his grade by 3 points and would have gotten a "C" and possibly have earned a "B". He looked at me as if I were crazy for thinking this.
The next week I caught him putting some answers down on the study guides. He earned a B. This seemed to scare him and I stepped back. The next unit was a repeat of the Crucible - almost a C. For the next unit, I'd casually remark that it would be nice to see some better answers on his classwork, that I knew he had more to say about what Patrick Henry had to say than what Johnny wrote. He earned another B.
As I returned the tests, I mentioned he was 2 points shy of an A. That year, Johnny fluctuated: he'd get an A, then drop to a C. by the third quarter, he had confided that teachers had told him that English just wasn't his subject.
I had Johnny the following year for English 12. He was an A/B student. Johnny was doing well in his other classes also.
My point? Encourage, and don't be disheartened when they slide back. Those "fantastic" kids need time to adjust to a new vision of themselves.
This motivational cartoon is inspiring students around the world. [link removed]
I teach general level American history. The majority of my students are happy making a D- and moving on. I can tell them until I'm blue in the face that the better they do in class the better they'll do on their state testing or that they can do much better than they are doing. I try to encourage them when they do well, but nothing seems to work.
<...See MoreI teach general level American history. The majority of my students are happy making a D- and moving on. I can tell them until I'm blue in the face that the better they do in class the better they'll do on their state testing or that they can do much better than they are doing. I try to encourage them when they do well, but nothing seems to work.
I have to follow a pretty strict comprehensive curriculum and pacing guide, so there's not a lot of wiggle room to do projects and things not specified by the state. It's not like I can spend time discussing the history of basketball, reality TV, or violent movies.
I get very little parental support. I can't tell you the number of times parents never returned my call or calling a number that's no longer working.
I feel like a failure. I see Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers, and Dangerous Minds and ask "why can't I do that?"
Why can't I get my students to want to acheive and do their best?
My students learn, and I do prepare them for the state tests, but I'm not motivating them!
I often feel more of a prison guard and test prep facilitator than an educator. I feel someone with a GEE, a copy of the state curriculum and pacing guide and the teacher's manual could do my job and all my education in history (21 hours of grad level history) is going to waste.
Try these songs to motivate Spanish classes.
[link removed]
by Erin Hunt
Jan 20, 2012
Can integrating new technology, such as a SmartBoard or iPad, into lesson plans help to motivate students more?
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Teacher Chatboards
On 6/15/11, Terry wrote: > VET, > > That is a great suggestion and a procedure that I also use with my > seventh graders but something is different with these children...See More