Teaching Underachievers and Reluctant Learners

1. Teaching Underachievers and Reluctant Learners Ashley Flesner

2. What is a reluctant learner? • Reluctant learners are simply children who “avoid challenges, don’t complete tasks, and are satisfied to just get by” when educational tasks are at hand. (Protheroe, 2004) • These particular children have the ability to excel in school but often do not have the self-efficacy needed to do so.

3. Why do students become reluctant to learn? • A common reason for students becoming reluctant to learn is likely at one point in their educational career they have felt frustrated, confused or inadequate at a task they were required to complete. • “Students beliefs about their capabilities to accomplish meaningful tasks – known as self efficacy – directly affect their motivation to learn.” (Protheroe, 2004)

4. How do educators build self-efficacy? • “Self-efficacy starts with students believing that what they are working on is meaningful…they need to know why what they are learning is important.” (Protheroe, 2004) • Involving students in choices for work, helping students set goals and making learning relevant are a few ways to build self efficacy in children who are reluctant learners.

5. Building Self-Efficacy • Congratulate five students during every lesson that have done well. • Set specific and measurable goals. • Incorporate self-scoring and self-assessing techniques. • Make connections about what students are learning and interests in their personal lives. • Begin each lesson with a review activity that all students are proficient at.

6. What should/shouldn’t happen when working with a reluctant learner? • What should not be done: • Use bribes. • Praising students for the wrong reasons. • Forget what motivates the students. • What should be done: • Understand the student. • Coach them. • Set a good example by modeling. • Dadsforlife Resource Team (n.d.)

7. Tips for Parents of Reluctant Learners • Attendance is critical for students who are reluctant learners. They should attend school every day. • Keep in contact with the teacher so that when situations arise, the parent is fully aware from the beginning. • Read aloud to your child often and stress the importance of learning how to read efficiently. • Start a daily math ritual as a family (counting out M & M’s in a bag, tally the amount of television the family watches, etc.) • Make time in your evening schedule for homework. Let your child know how important that it is to complete homework.

8. Conclusion • Every teacher experiences underachievers or reluctant learners and learning how to motivate those students is very important. When working with reluctant learners in my classroom, I incorporate high interest activities and characters to motivate students in subjects that they struggle with. No two children are the same and therefore need different motivation strategies to help them achieve and develop a love for learning.

9. Bibliography • Protheroe, N. (2004). Motivating Reluctant Learners. Principal – NAESP, pp. 46-49. • Saint Paul Public Schools. (n.d.) Tips for Reluctant Learners. Retrieved July 23, 2012, from: http://fci.spps.org/reluctantlearners • Dadforlife Resource Team . (n.d.) Motivating Reluctant Learners. Retrieved July 23, 2012, from: http://dadsforlife.sg/fatherhood101/motivating-reluctant-learners