Motivation
How to motivate students that have no interest of being there?
Hi Cheryl,
I first have a private talk with such students to try and get an understanding of why they are in the course. Then I ask for their suggestions on how I can get them engaged in the course. Next I create a contract with them so I can be supportive of their efforts. If none of this works I tell them that I will make a referral to Student Services where they can help them find a career area or set of courses that will better meet their needs. The point of this is that I will not let a disinterested student disrupt the learning of students that want to be in the class.
Gary
It is important to engage the student in the subject area that you are teaching. Work on developing a rapport with the student and continue to build that rapport as you teach the class. The student must begin to believe that attending your class is important and worth it. It is important for the student to see some value in attending your class. If I can engage the student during the first week of class then motivation will follow pretty easily.
Those are some great ideas. I will definately give them a try. I totaly agree, there is nothing more distracting than a disinterested student, who disrupts the whole function and flow of the class! The first step is to identify these student (s) and hopefully talk them into joining the discussions, to enjoy the socializationthe class room has to offer. :)
