Have you ever had that student that you just could not figure out? No matter what you tried to motive that child….NOTHING worked! That happens, so you need to have a few ideas to pull out in case of this kind of emergency.
Here is a list of things that I keep in my back pocket for these difficult kids:
- An interest inventory: What does the student like??? Go through the inventory and ASK.
- Watch what the student does when he/she has free time.
- Do an interest inventory with the parents. ASK them what their child likes.
- Find out who can assist you with this student. If the child is an attention seeker: ask the cafeteria lady, the office secretary, the athletic director to find some kind of activity this child could be of assistance…thus spending time with an attentive adult. I once found a guy who would bring his snakes to school for a student to help feed!!!
- Create a token economy for wildly interesting things to earn.
- Think outside the box and come up with service learning projects. When people feel like they are making a difference….things change. Right? It’s no different for a child. Perhaps your student could make instructional videos for younger students. Perhaps your student could record himself reading a book for a blind student.
- Have a special cabinet in the room where each week new and exciting things appear that students can use or play with once they’ve met their goal.
In today’s video you’ll see a proven strategy to motivate a classroom of students to meet classroom expectations.
Take a look!!!
I jokingly tell staff that every child has his/her price. J Seriously, we DO have to find out what that currency is. Some students just take a little more effort than others, so hopefully I’ve given you some ideas here today.
Next week, I’m consulting in a classroom for a little darling who runs from staff and is non-compliant. I’m taking a slinky that will shoot up in the air (see my video for using an old fashion toy as a motivator), a crawling tunnel, a bag of toys, a special baby doll, a whale in a pool that shoots water in the air….just to name a few. I’m determined to find out what this little gal’s “price” is. I’ll keep you posted!
Now I’d like to hear from you. What have you done successfully to motivate a student? Send me at least one idea and I’ll share as many as I can in my blog.
You take care and I’ll see you next time!
Carla
