Motivating the Unmotivated

Motivation is a critical factor in how students learn.  Yet, make no mistake about it: you will have unmotivated students in your classroom!  Here's a question that frequently surfaces in many interviews - one designed to see if you have a "handle" on this critical element of the teaching/learning paradigm.

     How would you motivate an unmotivated student?

     A:   I remember Rodney – one of the student’s in Mrs. Rooney’s classroom.  Rodney was a completely unmotivated student – he could care less about learning and he could care less about school.  He was there only because he had to be.  As a student teacher I was assigned to work with Rodney.  My assignment was to motivate him – to get him interested in Life Science specifically and in learning in general.  I went back to all those notes I took in college and developed a plan based on five key elements.  First, I involved Rodney in a combination of both individual and group projects.  Second, I periodically invited him to meet with me and discuss any barriers to his individual learning.  Third, I provided him with numerous opportunities to set his own goals in Life Science.  We made sure those goals were realistic and we started with tiny steps before moving to larger ones.  Fourth, I always modeled my enthusiasm for learning.  I always portrayed myself as an eager and enthusiastic learner.  And, fifth, I provided Rodney with frequent offers of help.  The change wasn’t immediate, but we began to see some improvement in Rodney’s behavior and his academic performance after several weeks on this new program.  Rodney discovered that he had an innate love for Life Science – especially when we focused on wetlands creatures – which he knew a lot about.  I think the whole experience was beneficial for both of us.

Make sure you convey your awareness of the importance of this issue as well as specific ways you plan to deal with it.  Always relate your response to a specific individual or incident you experienced in your pre-service training.

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