Build on Mistakes or Partially Correct Answers

How did I do it? I gave you a novel task with a reasonable challenge that could be successfully achieved in a sensible period of time. While it is highly preferable for a lesson or task to be relevant or meaningful, it is not essential! By the way, in case you are interested, the correct answer is seventeen. Now go back and read the paragraph for its important content.

Acknowledge That Academic Achievement Is Not the Only Pathway to Success

As previously stated, make connections between your content or behavioral strategy and how it may apply to other settings, but recognize that school has different requirements for success than many other areas of life. For example, to make honor roll at school requires a student to be highly competent in virtually all academic areas. But in the world of work, competence in only one area can lead to success. Many students understandably lack this awareness because labels like gifted and delayed are most often based solely on school performance. Your voice is much more likely to be motivating when unmotivated students hear that their teacher understands their struggles but strongly believes in their success.

Suggestion

Acknowledge how difficult or uninterested a student may be without attaching a negative judgement. For example, “Janelle, I know reading is tough for you, and I totally get that you don’t want to do it. Like you, I don’t want to do things that are hard for me until they become easier. The only way I know for things to get easier is by practicing, and I promise reading will get easier if you keep at it. Tell me one thing that used to be hard for you but now is easy. Now, let’s get at this reading thing.” You might choose to prompt students with basic tasks they learned to do, such as getting dressed, riding a bike, or catching a ball.