I have a tutor program for 9th grade at-risk students and have matched students with an upper classman tutor. The tutors meet with the 9th grader 3 times a week for tutoring, support, accountability etc. A lot of the 9th graders have responded well and appreciate the tutors and support. But I have a handful of students that do not respond at all. These same students are failing classes by not preparing for test, NTI's, do not do homework. Their tutors are getting frustrated and I totally understand.
Any suggestions are welcomed for how to motivate these 9th grade students. How do I get across to them the importance of education and get them motivated?
Paula,
ReplyDeleteYou can try reaching out to their parents and having them come to the school for parent conference. Provide some type of incentives for them to attend the tutorials. I remember when I taught 9th grade, they responded well to incentives. You could create a tutorial "frequent attendance" pass that the tutors can stamp every time the students attend and at the end of the week, put all the passes in a box and draw for a prize. Your prizes can be as simple as a no-homework pass, candy, pencils, or anything you can think off.
try taking a look at their standardize assessment data. You will probably see that some of them performed well and they probably the sense of apathy and like to play down their intelligence to impress their friends. I use to call those students out and make encourage them to serve as student leaders. You may want to try it
ReplyDelete