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How to Engage Reluctant Learners

By Ryan Crawley,

24 Jan 2020

Whether you teach in elementary, middle or a high school, you will always find some reluctant learners that are difficult to reach.

No matter the subject or how you present it, there are students that just do not want to be fully engaged in the classroom.

However, don’t give up hope just yet.

Listed below are tips on how to engage reluctant classroom learners. Use Technology Kids of all ages love technology.

Plus, there is a good chance they may know how to use it even better than most adults.

After all, they have been raised using various devices and apps since their birth.

Adults often slack on learning new technology because we feel we don’t have to make another change in our lives.

So even if it is slightly uncomfortable for you, try to include technology in all your lesson plans.

If you aren’t sure how to do this, ask around in the teachers’ lounge or sign up for a workshop.

Help is just around the corner to reach even your most reluctant learners. Don’t Have Them Yawning The reason some students are reluctant learners because they are bored.

Your job as an educator is not only to teach the students but also to keep them engage.

We have all had teachers in the past that have only taught out of the textbook.

Don’t be this teacher.

There is no quicker way to lose your students’ interest.

You not only have to plan lesson to keep their attention, but also to make the lesson more interesting while still educating the students at the same time. Give the Students Choices Sometimes all the kids need is another option.

To brake their reluctant learners’ attitude, instead of forcing an assignment on them, propose two assignments and let them choose which one they would rather do.

By allowing them to make the choice, you are giving them part ownership of the assignment.

It may sound like a little thing, but it will change their attitude and stopped them from being among reluctant learners. Everything Doesn’t Have to Be Done with Paper Too many times do educators hand out assignments that are similar.

It usually is writing an essay, completing a worksheet, or taking a test.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Change up the assignments that you give to your students.

Perhaps let them do a presentation to demonstrate what they have learned.

If you are teaching History, let them create a diorama about the lesson they are studying.

Thinking outside the box will help you engaging the most difficult and reluctant learners. Keep Things Moving Can you imagine going back in time and having no computers and only three channels to choose from? It would be tough, but as a result, our attention spans would become longer again.

Attention spans seem to be getting shorter as times goes by.

We live in a world where we are constantly able to go to our phone to be entertained or find something instantly on television by the countless streaming options.

In an effort to keep a learner’s attention, chop up your lesson so you are not doing one thing for a long period of time.

Spend 15 minutes in a class discussion.

Take 10 minutes to watch a related video.

Do independent reading for another 15 minutes and then have them summarize what they just read.

It can all relate to one lesson, but you are just presenting it in various ways. Keep the Classroom Interesting Most classrooms are alike.

There are a few educational posters hanging on the walls, a whiteboard, and rows of desks arranged in straight lines.

Have your classroom stand out from the rest.

Make it so unique that students in other classes pause as they walk by your door.

Desks do not have to be in straight lines.

Educational posters are not the only thing that can be on the walls.

And have props in your classroom like a gavel or a megaphone that you can break out when you need to get a bit of attention in the classroom.

The students will enjoy it and it will keep things fresh for all the kids