Motivating Students Who Don't Care

Allen N. Mendler, of Discipline with Dignity fame, went on to present workshops. I ran across a book which I believe would have been given out at such a program, Motivating Students who Don't Care. This challenge has certainly been around for over thirty years- I remember peers in school who fell into this category. I remember a college professor asking us to contemplate how small children came to kindergarten excited to learn and curious about everything became 6th graders going through the motions. Over the past couple of decades that I have taught, the number of disengaged students has increased.

This book sums up the reason students are unmotivated:

• values: Our culture values possessions over personality. This has led to incredible rates of bankruptcy, people who cannot afford to retire or pay an unexpected expense and keeping up with the Jones's mentality. Our kids see themselves as equivalent the version of the iPhone they have or the sneakers they wear. Parents, guilty over their divorce or having to work or desperate to provide for their kids all the things they wanted as a child, give material things to their children without attaching expectations. (Yes, I know that this is a gross overgeneralization.) Mendler suggests changing the culture is hard, so this aspect is one to leave alone.
• avoiding looking stupid- This is classic. As kids grow toward adolescence, they become increasingly motivated by their peers. They do not want to be seen as dumb. It is better to fail because you did not try than to fail because you're dumb.
• power and control- Many kids exert their independence through control. They need to be in charge of their destiny.
• depression- Kids with mental illness have huge uphill battles before them. Currently we have seen giant rises in anxiety among students. Unfortunately many of these kids are undiagnosed. Many parents do not believe their child could have such a disorder, that disorders are weaknesses or reflections of bad parenting; they refuse to acknowledge what they see. Kids do not receive appropriate treatment until their disease has progressed to the stage they are completely unable to function. Drugs  combined with CBT treatment can be very successful in addressing these concerns. If we could provide access to quality mental health care, we could improve the lives of our kids tremendously.

Competence and autonomy are the two areas that teachers can intervene most effectively.

The author goes on to explain teachers need to be motivated by some principles. This includes that all students can learn, given the proper tools for success, learning is risk-taking so the class must be psychologically safe, and basic needs of belonging, competence, and control motivate learning. My favorite one, however is this: "High self-esteem should not be a goal, but rather a result that comes with the mastery of challenging tasks" (7). (When I went to college self-esteem was a huge topic that focused on the flip side of this idea- self esteem is necessary to master any skill.)

So how do we provide competence and autonomy? He offers five suggestions:

• emphasize effort- Carol Dweck's idea of a growth mindset. Build on mistakes. Allow redos and revisions. Grade achievement separate from effort. Encourage and recognize small growth (daily learning targets). Show courtesy. Reframe unmotivated behavior, successive approximations, or glass half full thinking: You did three problems. What did you learn that would help you accomplish the other seven? Make small asks first. Write down goals- contracts. Give a reason- even if it is not a good one. Celebrate markers and endings.
• create hope- Show how achievement benefits their lives- in high school this is the next month. Make connections with their lives. Ensure adequacy of basic skills- if they can't read, provide supports to develop the skill. Create challenges that can be mastered. Acknowledge your mistakes. Help students develop goals. Help students get and stay organized. Collect supplies, communal supplies- no one need feel embarrassment over not having something to write with or write on. Show proof that mastery matters- again make a connection to their lives. Focus on success; celebrate accomplishment. Focus on the learning process- you don't know it yet, but you have learned the first three steps; what can I do to help you learn? Give before you get- marketing idea of giving kids something to get their attention. Demand more than you expect- start tougher then ease up. Make homework a bonus- too many kids don't do it because they do not have the tools and resources to do it- provide points that can be traded in for something desirable. Encourage and support positive affirmations.
• respecting power- Challenge refusals respectfully- "I know I hassle you about doing your work, it is because I respect and care about you too much to accept less than your best." Involve students in developing the rules, procedures and consequences. Defer to student power: "We both know you have the power to use appropriate language. Thanks for using it." Ask for (and respect) an opinion. Teach a lesson- directly give them the power to prepare and teach something, with acknowledgement that if they fail to step up you will be ready to do so. Give responsibility to direct and enforce- in groups allow a student to be the leader of the group, or in class a student to give the directions. Privacy, eye-contact, proximity for corrections. Call home to problem solve, with the student. Show students they already have what it takes- catch 'em being good. Use short term gains- behavior management to get over the hump and then move forward. Offer real choices.
• building relationships- Emphasize and affirm the student: "You'll have to leave the room if that doesn't stop. I hope you make the choice to stay because you are an important member of this class." Be open to student feedback. Send notes to students. Use humor. Offer genuine compliments. Two minute intervention- talk with the student, not about school, for two minutes a day for 10 consecutive days. Host lunch to ask for change. Host a five minute focus group- what is not working and how can we fix it? Build a kindness train. Show yourself at their age (maybe that you have a life today with pictures of you then and now). Share stories from when you were their age.
• expressing enthusiasm- Dave Burgess is who I think of with this. His teach like a pirate book embodies this idea. Love what you do. Let the kids know that you love being their teacher. Share your love of your subject. Be a life long learner and lighthearted. Arouse interest early- hook them with interest. Judy Willis talks about the brain and its need for novelty and emotion. If we can get them at the beginning, we have a chance to keep them for the period. Encourage drama as a way to express understanding. Be what you are teaching- costumes, props, and dramatic approaches capture interest. Use music, natural disasters and sports- whatever the kids are interested in. Teach through food- harder now with the wellness plans and rules about what you can bring in and serve, but it can be done. Have special theme days- PJ day, silly hair day, mismatched sock day all bring novelty and connections into the setting. Brains eat this up.

We may need to do more of them or do them with more intensity. We know these things lead to great teaching. We just need to do them more.

A great little book- easy to read, full of practical advice. My favorite anecdote is from a teacher whose student asked the all too common, When are we going to use this question. Her answer was write down everything you will do in the future and I will check off the times when you will use this. A little tongue in cheek, but it is an answer that might work once or twice for a group. Promoting that idea of learning for the sake of learning is always a good idea.