Dealing with students who never seem to be interested in the lesson

A student with no interest in instruction and anything you say can have an awful impact on the rest of the class. No matter how you must remember, however, that this student probably wants to come through – most do, at heart – but has virtually given up due to a succession of failures, discouragement and low self-image. It may take time to reach this student and help him see life (including your lessons) otherwise, but there are unquestionably steps to take which will help turn the situation around. Here are a few...

1. Could you take a look to praise every positive step or betterment sincerely? According to a study, students with a very low self-image may be awkward receiving praise in front of others, so start using written praise. Send notes home, leave post-it notes or written comments in their books, send them cards or typed letters on school-headed paper stating how pleased you are with their attempts and efforts, and consider anything constructive you have heard from other instructors. It's important that this young person needs to know he has possible potential and that somebody is taking the time to notice. Sincere praise is one of the most powerful tools you possess, and as long as he understands that you want to help him, this student will respond.
2. Do some research. Request a meeting with other teachers, their form tutor or head of year to find out if there are any underlying issues you should be aware of. A tutor with strong relations with an, in particular, hard-to-reach pupil can give you ‘insider tips’ to connect with this student and notify you of any issues to avoid.
3. Place them in a mixed-ability learning team of 3-4 and give them a specific role or responsibility. Assign students a part that plays to their strengths or qualities. For example, if they are good at drawing, let them be in charge of graphics or illustrations. When kids have trouble sitting still, let them be a ‘runner’ in charge of collating materials, equipment and resources. With creativity, every student's strengths can be utilised and showcased.
4. Involve parents/carers. Having parents on board is a significant advantage in dealing with student problems – the more we can present a united front between school and home, the better. The problem, as we all know, is that some parents don’t seem interested.
5. Please give them a taste of success. At the outset, students who are unwilling to take part probably see no worth in learning because they never feel they’ve learned anything. Here’s a practical means to give them a sense of achievement and leave your lesson feeling they’ve had some attainment. When they leave feeling like that, they will return in a more positive frame of mind…

i.) It may sound nice to ask them a question about the lesson content at the start. They will probably refuse to answer, but that’s okay – it’s perhaps their fear of looking ‘too clever’ or fear of making a fool of themselves.

ii.) Take the pressure level off them by offering them to put forward a person who can help them answer the question/answer it for them. This makes for a more accessible option for them – but the key is that they will see themselves as involved in the answering process.

iii.) Ask them to paraphrase what their friend said so that they answer the question themselves.

How to Make Students See the Bigger Picture when Studying

Everyone loves victory, and the unified incorporation of a positive learning incentive may be the missing piece to your puzzle. If you have younger pupils, it may be thought-provoking for them to understand the practicality of education. Common complaints may include,?Why do I have to learn this??When will I use this in the real world??And?Why should we care about (insert important historical fact) anyway?

In this case, implementing a positive reinforcement system will assist you in answering the seemingly never-ending flood of?why?questions. But opt for more than just any reward system. Instead of using stars or happy faces to indicate approval and eligibility for an award, structure the reward system like a board game like Life or Monopoly. Provide pupils with fake money or assets and deduct and add them as you record students' accomplishments.

In the end, the?wealth?students will help them understand how the actions they take in the classroom will impact them in life and their careers. Consider asking for gift cards or other donations from businesses to give to those student(s) who have accumulated the most?wealth.

How?to Win the Battle of Boredom

The truth is, some students are just bored. It happens. You may find that students sit at a desk for a substantial amount of time during the school day, listening to lectures with scheduled activities sprinkled throughout the lesson. If your students are dozing off or staring at you with glazed-over eyes, it's an example to alter how your students think about learning.

The key is to keep them on their toes. Change it up! As you move through the seasons and lessons, get inspired to change your classroom decor. Since our brain is designed to remember?pictures incorporate more classroom visuals and technology. Bring food or music when discussing different cultures, or take a field trip to a local museum exhibit.

Sometimes little humans - like big humans - need a change in scenery and rhythm. This may require more preparation, but seeing your students actively participate in a lesson will be worth it. Regularly changing the classroom environment and instructional approaches keep your students interested, and they'll have no choice but to be engaged and on the edge of their seats.

Offer Incentives for Learning

Offering?incentives?for school performance is a good?idea, and?an occasional reward can nudge the unmotivated and uninterested student to get involved. Incentives and rewards can range from free time at the end of a class to a popcorn-and-movie party or a field trip to a particular location. Could you clarify to students exactly what they need to do to gain their reward and keep them involved as they work toward it together as a class?

Cross-Curricular Connections Can Make Sense of Context

You will notice that sometimes students do not see how what they pick up in one class intersects with what they learn in other courses. Cross-curricular?connections give students a sense of context while exploding interest in all classes involved. For example, having an English teacher assign students to read the Mark Twain novel, "Huckleberry Finn," while students in an American History class are learning about the system of enslavement and the pre-Civil War era can lead to a deeper understanding in both classes.

While talking magnet schools based around specific themes like health, engineering, or the arts benefit from this by having instructors across the curriculum find ways to integrate the students' career interests into their lessons.

Make Learning fun

The funny thing is that some subjects are just not fun. Try as hard as possible, but you must still teach them this tiresome subject. How about making the learning process more fun? You can make some competition or game to help them learn, or even use songs or videos. Sometimes, even an amusing cartoon can be what you need to make them have laughter and never forget the subject.

Show the Connection to their Future Careers

At the outset, students think that they are at school so they can get ready to get good jobs in the future. Unfortunately, this is how most people (parents included) see school nowadays. So benefit from it, and associate your subject with how it can be applied in a work environment. Tell them how doctors, engineers, IT developers, writers or dancers can use that information to succeed.