MOTIVATING STUDENTS

Last school year I had some students who did not care about completing classwork, homework or any type of work to achieve a grade. I realized that I had quite a few students who didn't care about learning, more over to get work done. When I gave them homework, most of them did not turn it in. I realized that if these students continued with this attitude, they would be in for big trouble when it was time for the SOL exam. Even though I gave them incentives and praises when they did well or answered questions correctly, I realized that they needed more than that. I realized that they needed motivation, love, and attention as most of them said that they were going to fail anyway.

I started encouraging my worse behaving students to attend afterschool remediation and gave them special incentives for attending as this was the time I could give them a lot of one on one. I told them that they can achieve anything they want achieve in life if they just stay in school and work hard. I constantly told them how smart they were and that they will get a higher grade on their next test. These were the students who told me that other adults said, "you will not become anything in life and will drop out of school eventually". These students actually believed that they did not have a chance in society because they were dumb. Well I turned that around and almost all those students passed their 2009 SOL test. They are now in seventh grade. Everytime I see them, I continue to encourage them to do their best.

So if any of you have students who think that they will not make it, just encourage them and continue to praise them in class. Place them the spotlight when they do well or answer a question correctly. Remind them of how smart they are and how they can achieve anything they want to achieve if they believe in themselves.

SCAVENGER HUNT GAME

Sometime I allow my students to complete activities that allow them to move around the classroom. Sometimes whenever a unit is completed I give them the opportunity play a game.
An activity sheet is done while playing a scavenger hunt game. Posters are placed all around the classroom, and each student worked with a partner (preferably a stronger student) to solve the problems on each poster. Each paper is folded with a letter written on the front. The letter on the paper will be recorded at number 1 on their activity sheet, and then they solve the problem under the flap of the paper. After solving that problem, the answer will be recorded, after which both students then moved around the room and looked for the answer at the bottom of the other posters in the room. When the answer is found, they record the letter on that poster at number 2 on their activity sheet, and then solved the problem. This is repeated until all the problems around the room are solved. Each group is randomly called to solve their problems on the chalkboard.