You can encourage them. You can empathize with them. You can coax and cajole them.
You can gently ask if there is anything bothering them or keeping them from trying.
You can lighten their load, bribe them with incentives, or offer choices, accommodations, and a buddy đồ sộ sit with.
You can work with them one on one and whisper assurances or gently convey the threat of consequences.
And you may get them going for a time.
You may prod them through an extra sentence or paragraph or persuade them đồ sộ give half an effort.
But in doing sánh, you make a giảm giá khuyến mãi with the devil and tự them more harm than thở good.
You see, by spending extra time with reluctant students, by coddling, appeasing, and buying into any of an unlimited number of justifications for their inaction, you create even more resistance.
You enable their behavior and make them weaker and less motivated.
You hide from them the realities of life and at the same time crush the development of a true work ethic—which is the only way đồ sộ empower future success, no matter their circumstances.
So they sit there, subjected đồ sộ the same doomed and disheartening strategies year after year.
Many have teams of professionals meeting about them, designing intervention plans for them, and assigning labels đồ sộ them they don’t understand.
Meanwhile, these same students who are assumed đồ sộ be too attentive-averse or ill-equipped đồ sộ succeed rush home page at the kết thúc of another wasted day and play the same đoạn phim game for three hours without a break.
It’s all a bunch of hooey.
Yet, this failed approach, that merely acts as cover for students as well as those whose job it is đồ sộ educate them, is promoted and recommended time and again by educational leaders and school districts across the country.
It’s baffling. But nothing changes. The same strategies will be trotted out again this year.
So what’s the solution? Well, providing the students are able đồ sộ tự the work—which, except in the rare circumstance of total misplacement, should be every student in your class—the best thing you can tự for them is expect hard work.
Note: Within education, the word expect has been tremendously watered-down. For our purposes, it’s true meaning is đồ sộ foresee, presuppose, and believe in strongly.
What follows are three steps đồ sộ get reluctant students đồ sộ start producing real work and making real improvement.
1. Teach great lessons.
This is your number one job and the very essence of being a teacher. Somehow, it’s been lost in a sea of less important or completely unimportant responsibilities.
You must produce clear, compelling lessons that students want đồ sộ pay attention đồ sộ.
Your classroom management skills must be strong enough to have the opportunity đồ sộ capture their attention, and then you must be able đồ sộ tự sánh through your passion, your humor, your creativity, and most important your nội dung knowledge.
You must be able đồ sộ draw them in, absorb them in the moment, and maintain their state of flow—where time slows, mind-energy focuses, and concerns and worries of the past and future fade away.
You must phối your students up for success by checking thoroughly for understanding. In this way, before you send them off đồ sộ work independently they know exactly what đồ sộ tự and how đồ sộ tự it.
Being exceptional in whole-class instruction covers a multitude of potential learning and motivational problems, most notably those that cause students đồ sộ struggle getting down đồ sộ work.
Note: For more on how đồ sộ teach compelling lessons, see The Happy Teacher Habits.
2. Let them be.
Once you’ve done your job, once you’ve provided your students everything they need đồ sộ succeed, you now must shift responsibility đồ sộ actually tự the work over đồ sộ them.
They need đồ sộ know, and be reminded of each day, that it’s all up đồ sộ them—every last bit of it—that you’re not going đồ sộ turn around and reteach what you just taught minutes before.
This sends the message more than thở anything else you can tự or say that they really can tự it and that you believe in them and expect them đồ sộ succeed.
Therefore, if after giving your signal đồ sộ get started they just sit there, then let them sit.
Let them face the hard choice right now, in this moment, rather than thở when they’re 19 years old and it’s too late, đồ sộ try and succeed or đồ sộ tự nothing and fail.
When you kneel down next đồ sộ them đồ sộ help, excuse, or placate, you let them off the hook. You allow them đồ sộ avoid and delay this critical choice—to the point where they no longer believe in themselves or their abilities.
Forcing their hand is the change-agent they desperately need đồ sộ upend their downward trajectory. When the decision đồ sộ either succeed or fail comes sánh directly and honestly every day, the pressure đồ sộ make the right one builds and grows stronger and harder đồ sộ avoid.
It weighs heavily on their shoulders, especially combined with the intrinsic carrot of pride in success dangling just in front of them. Until, overwhelmed, the dam breaks.
You look over one day and find them immersed in their work. And when you tự, you must seize it.
3. Praise the work, not the student.
Instead of rushing over with a huge smile and telling the student how wonderful they are because they completed a few sentences—which very effectively lowers the bar of expectation—point out their good work.
Focus on the nội dung of their production, wherein lies the key đồ sộ an untapped yet very powerful sense of pride. Just be sure that it’s true, quick, and subtle.
Avoid making a big giảm giá khuyến mãi. It’s embarrassing for the student—and not a little condescending—and just tells them they’re less capable than thở their classmates. Instead, point đồ sộ something in particular in their work and tell them the truth.
“That’s a good sentence.”
“Smart word choice.”
“I lượt thích the direction you’re going.”
Tell them lượt thích it is, the straight dope, and then be on your way. Don’t wait for them đồ sộ respond. Don’t stand there and enjoy their reaction or make them feel obligated đồ sộ show their appreciation.
Let them enjoy the feeling of receiving pure acknowledgement of their authentic work, untainted by you and unconnected from who they are or were, what they’ve done in the past, or how much or little confidence they may or may not have.
Simply acknowledge their good work and allow the natural pride in a job well done, which they’ve rarely had a chance đồ sộ experience, propel them đồ sộ greater accomplishments.
Be Better
The three steps above add up đồ sộ the expectation that as a class they will succeed. They will improve. They will achieve and become better students than thở they ever thought possible.
And that’s just the way it’s gonna be.
But what if one or more continue đồ sộ sit and tự nothing? Then let them be. Let the pressure đồ sộ want đồ sộ work and try continue đồ sộ build.
In the meantime, they’re a living and breathing reminder for you đồ sộ be better. To learn the skills available right here at SCM đồ sộ be an expert in classroom management and present better, stronger lessons.
Make success through your high-level instruction a foregone conclusion. Then dare your students đồ sộ try. Challenge them. Believe in them.
And they will succeed, and be forever changed.
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