One of my favorite things about Facebook is that it allows me to connect with my former students. However, I was surprised when one student in particular鈥擡ddie Scofield鈥攆riended me three years ago.
Eddie and I had a fairly contentious relationship when he was my student in senior English class in 2008. There were 35 students in that class, most of whom had a mix of behavioral and academic issues. Eddie distinguished himself almost immediately as the troublemaking ringleader. On any given day he could be argumentative, sarcastic, oppositional, sometimes lazy, and definitely mischievous.
After the first couple of weeks with Eddie, I was pulling my hair out. I was thinking of ways to get him switched out of my class. But a couple of effective strategies changed our relationship鈥攁nd I didn鈥檛 realize it until Eddie and I got in touch for a recent project.
Reflecting on the Past
Recently, I invited Eddie to stop by my high school. I was preparing a workshop for our district called 鈥淢otivating the Reluctant Learner,鈥� and I thought he might be able to provide some valuable insight into the topic.
He ended up telling his personal story at the workshop, and I learned so much about him that I didn鈥檛 know while he was my student. For example, I hadn鈥檛 known that he was briefly homeless during high school, that his stepfather had been deployed after 9/11, or that his mother was a drug user. I also didn鈥檛 realize that I had had an enormous impact on Eddie鈥攁nd that my class had changed his life.
By the time Eddie finished speaking that day, I had learned a great deal about my former student. But that wasn鈥檛 even the best part: At the end of the presentation, he gave 10 tips for motivating reluctant learners. I hope you鈥檒l find them as valuable as my colleagues and I did.
Eddie鈥檚 10 Tips for Motivating Reluctant Learners
1. Be enthusiastic about your work. Students can鈥檛 get excited about learning if the teacher is clearly disinterested. Students can tell immediately if you鈥檙e bored or 鈥減honing it in.鈥�
2. Don鈥檛 assume. A student may look like trouble or have a reputation at school. You may even have had a run-in with the student or know his/her hellion of a sibling. However, the truth is that you never know how a student is going to act or perform in your class. It鈥檚 best to start with a clean slate鈥攁nd assume he or she is ready and willing to work hard.
3. Reluctance and ignorance are not always mutually inclusive. Eddie emphasized that reluctant learners are not necessarily incapable learners. If you make those assumptions about a student, you can be sure he or she will most definitely become reluctant.
Eddie reminded me of one incident when he was supposed to write an essay but didn鈥檛 want to do the assignment. Eddie had spent most of the class period stalling, swearing he could write an A+ essay in the last 20 minutes of class. So, I accepted his challenge. Sure enough, Eddie wrote a brilliant essay in that period of time鈥攎ainly because he appreciated the fact that I gave him autonomy to use his time effectively.
4. Communicate with other educators. Back when I was pulling my hair out over Eddie, I went to speak with his former English teacher. I was surprised when she raved about him. She told me that he had a difficult home life and that I needed to give him a chance. So, I listened and changed my approach. Eddie said that he appreciated his former teacher taking the time to defend him and provide insight into his situation鈥攑lus the fact that I had cared enough to give him a second chance.
5. Ask questions and care. Eddie said that when he was in high school, he often wished that a teacher or administrator would ask him what was wrong. He said he probably wouldn鈥檛 have given an answer, but he would have felt a great deal better if someone had shown that they cared enough to ask.
6. Use class time for more than lectures. It鈥檚 hard to believe that there are still teachers who lecture non-stop, but it does happen. Nowadays, there are few reasons for not varying instruction and getting students more involved in their learning.
7. Challenge students respectfully. We all know when a student is being a deliberate troublemaker who is looking to push our buttons. But it鈥檚 important to be respectful when challenging students鈥攄on鈥檛 embarrass, humiliate, or make fun of them. Instead, encourage them and meet privately to discuss your concerns. Find out what鈥檚 behind their bad behavior or unwillingness to do work.
Eddie told me that one of the things that 鈥渉ooked鈥� him in my class was my sense of humor and the fact that I could match him point for point in sarcasm鈥攏ot mean, personal attacks, but witty, playful sarcasm. That helped him to build a connection with me as a teacher.
8. Be fair and vigilant in support of established class rules. Don鈥檛 grant a privilege to one student and refuse it to another. Students are hyperaware of these dynamics and know exactly what goes on in the classroom.
9. Immediately discipline major infractions. Eddie made it clear that teachers must use immediate discipline for behavior that is completely out of line. But he suggested that minor infractions be dealt with in a non-confrontational way鈥攑erhaps after class or in a private conversation so as not to humiliate or embarrass students. For example, Eddie never forgave the teacher who called his mother in front of the whole class.
10. Make personal connections. Establishing strong relationships with your students, and creating a setting in which you and the student are working toward a common goal, is probably the single most powerful thing you can do to motivate a reluctant learner. Ask a hockey player if he watched the Bruins game last night. Make a comment about an interesting t-shirt a student is wearing. Acknowledge a student鈥檚 success on the sports field or in a school play. Paying attention to reluctant learners goes a long way in motivating them.
Eddie鈥檚 tips are simple and intuitive. But even as a 19-year veteran of teaching, I felt refreshed after reviewing them. I think we can all benefit from stepping back and re-evaluating the ways we deal with our reluctant learners.
So you might be wondering鈥攚hat鈥檚 Eddie up to today? I was absolutely delighted to hear that he鈥檚 a junior at Salem State University. But I was shocked when he revealed his major and career choice: He plans to be a high school English teacher. He鈥檚 even doing his student teaching with me in the fall! As his former teacher鈥攁nd future colleague鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 be prouder.
