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What motivates
unmotivated 6th graders?
Middle grades teacher Ellen Berg offered her thoughts about motivating students
with a history of failure in this June 2000 Middle-L e-mail to a fellow
listserve member.
Andrea,
I teach 6th grade language arts in an inner-city school, and my suggestion
is to ignore the negatives of what their former teachers have told you.
Pay attention to the skills they say are missing, but don't think of these
kids as unmotivated. You have the power to interest them.
I suggest that you give them as many active, hands-on, constructivist choices
of activities as you can. The less time you spend lecturing, the more time
they spend doing, the better off you'll all be.
I suggest a mini-lesson of 15-20 minutes, some time practicing the skill,
then rotate them through learning stations in groups. Try arranging your
instruction around a theme. Let them ask and investigate questions about
your theme, the books you read, and don't, don't, don't answer the questions
for them. Have them perform, speak, demonstrate, create...then get them
to reflect on what happens.
One of my most success-filled projects this year was reading "The Sneetches"
by Dr. Seuss and allowing them to choose and work in groups to write, perform,
and make props for their own version o fthe play. My homeroom group, which
was an absolute TERROR to work with (a bad mix of personalities), spent
class time fully on task, no arguments, and even requested their materials
to work on their plays during study hall.
Were they motivated? You betcha. These were the same kids that other teachers
complained about, who said, "They're going to be making license plates
some day," who were frequently in fights and had poor social skills.
Yet, when the plays were put on, everyone participated, and they all supported
each other.
I know I'm on a soapbox here, but if we have low expectations for our kids,
they will meet them. If we have high expectations and give them tasks that
interest and involve them, they will meet them. I am able to cover my curriculum
with few problems; they even conducted their own research project where
they learned how to cite their references, take notes, organize information...all
the nasty, boring stuff of language arts. Yet a child who had flunked every
core subject for two quarters straight did everything listed on the scoring
guide for an A project, complete with a personal reflection into his topic,
and got an A.
I would be happy to talk with you further about activities and the way I
set up my classroom. Teaching this way is a process; every year I learn
more about being child-centered. The real breakthrough for me came second
semester of this year, with the inquiry research project. I am going into
my fifth year of teaching, and I have never seen such great results.
Ellen Berg
Turner Middle School
St. Louis, MO
[NOTE: Ellen Berg is a MiddleWeb
teacher diarist for the 2000-2001 school year.]
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