Student disengagement is a common challenge. This session explores six high-impact strategies for increasing motivation, engagement, and learning while creating conditions to support student success.

Remember: Motivation isn’t Doing What Your Told; It’s Voluntary Focus and Attention

Strategies:

• Inviting Schools
  • Class Procedures
  • Connecting to Kids
  • School Climate
  • Enthusiasm
  • Humor
• Continuous Improvement
  • Transparent Curriculum
  • Flexibility of Pace
  • Flexibility of Path
  • Formative Feedback
• Learning by Doing
  • Follow-up “Craft Projects”
  • Experiments
  • Building Things
  • Field Trips
  • Drama
• Student Voice & Choice
  • Choice of Activities or Resources
  • Student Designed Work
  • Projects
  • Collect Student Input & Feedback
• Higher Order Thinking
  • Compare & Contrast
  • Design Projects
  • Metaphors & Examples
  • “Engaging Tasks”
• Real World Connections
  • Real World Uses
  • Real Audience for Work
  • Community Connections
  • Simulations

Resources:

• Motivating Students: Focus on 6 Strategies 
• What Motivates Underachieving Students? (Middle School Journal, Nov. 2001)
• Tone of Voice Matters (In Surprising Ways)
• What Makes for Good Learning Experiences? 
• The Good and Bad of Extrinsic Motivation
• Classifying a Student’s Level of Motivation
• Engaging Tasks – a high impact motivation strategy
• Mike’s Motivation Page

 

Mike’s Sites:

• Mike’s Consulting: StudentLearning.Guru
• Mike’s Day Job: Principal, Maranacook Community Middle School (Readfield)
• Mike’s Blogs and Resources: https://mikemuir.us