I am a teacher, and when I hang out with my colleagues, one question I almost always hear is, “How do you motivate weak students to study?”
You have no idea how many times I have faced this question. They probably ask it because of the personal relationship the students have with me. However, with my long experience and some suggestions from other senior teachers, I have prepared this blog for today. Here, I will share some strategies for teachers. These strategies will help you when you are dealing with weaker students.
Weaker students may show laziness in-class activities. It doesn’t mean that you will see them like this in all phases of life. They can work exceptionally well in other cases. For this reason, many people call these students backward instead of weak. However, let’s discuss how we, as teachers, can lead such students to success through motivation.
Strategies to Motivate Weak Students to Study
What do you do as a teacher if a student does not want to work? You indeed have nothing to do except to help and motivate him. In that case, an analysis can be done on some issues of the student. And then it will be easier for you to work with him. Let’s start with the student analysis.
1. Identify the core problem
First, you need to try to find out the main problem of the student. Many of us skip this step. Keep in mind that you want to work with weak students who have various problems. For example: if there is a problem between the parents of a student. In such a case, you will not be able to do a good job with him.
When you think about student problems, keep the following in mind.
- Does the student have family problems?
- Does the student have any physical problems?
- Is the student mentally healthy?
2. Identify Individual Strengths and Interests
In the first step, you will have the student OK. The next step is to find out which subject the student is good at. Find out more about his interests. Because as humans we have different skills and interests. Once you figure these out, you won’t have much trouble working with him.
3. Encouragement and motivation (Growth Mindset)
As a teacher, when your student’s issues are clear to you, you can now motivate him. Make him interested in the work you want him to do. Now that you understand him, you can easily motivate him.
4. Set realistic goals
At this stage, you can set small goals for your student that will not be difficult for him to achieve. For example, if a student is very weak in maths, then he can start with the easy chapters first and do the maths from there.
5. Create a Supportive Environment
Once you have set the goal for the weak student, after that, you will need to do some more work for them. For example: You have to observe in the classroom whether other students are making fun of him or not.
If such an environment prevails in the classroom, the progress of the weak student may be severely hampered. So we will try to create a supportive environment for him. It is very important.
I can’t resist the urge to share one of my experiences on this point. A few years ago I had a student who was weak in math. Then I talked to her guardian but she was showing no progress. One day I saw that she likes to hang out.
I called some of her friends and asked them to help her. After that, mathematics became the subject of his conversation. This was possible by tagging weak learners with strong learners. So try to create a supportive environment for your targeted weak student.
6. Provide Healthy Feedback
Always give healthy feedback to weak students. Your feedback is very important to him. Many times he sits with interest for this feedback. So don’t be stingy when you give him this feedback. Because you have to remember that your motivational feedback will encourage him to do better.
7. Provide Additional Support
Even after providing the support I have described above, vulnerable students may need some special support. They are mentioned below:
- Personalized Tutoring
If necessary, tutoring can be done individually to the student by blocking special times. I’ve noticed it works well. Because many times it is not possible to take good care of everyone in the class. It is very easy to tutor. So you need to understand well whether the student needs it or not.
- Regular Assessment
Not just tutoring. The student should regularly take short assessments before special tests to assess his progress. As a result, his progress can be measured, and he will also be motivated to do better.
8. Use Varied Teaching Strategies
You can use different teaching techniques for your weaker students. It will help your students understand the lesson faster. Their learning will be enjoyable. So find the best technique for your student and use it appropriately.
9. Use interactive technologies and tools
In addition to using different teaching techniques, you can use technology nowadays. For example, many learning topics can be taught through cutting. You can also take a look at Khan Academy’s example. How exactly do they teach their slow learners students? So appropriate technology can be your learning tool no doubt about it.
10. Be Patient and Persistent
You have to have a lot of patience when working with weak students. You cannot do this if you lack patience. Because most of the students are quite lazy. For this reason, driving them towards success is quite complex and a work of patience. Because progress is not always visible but has to be worked on.
Final Thoughts
Motivating weak students to study is a big challenge. It requires a combination of empathy, patience, and effective teaching strategies. By identifying individual strengths, creating a supportive learning environment, and providing personalized support, educators can empower weak students to overcome challenges and achieve academic success.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Managing lazy students is a big challenge. But you can fix them with motivation, small tasks, and tutoring. You can also make the subject of the lesson enjoyable; then, they will be interested in the work.
In this case, you can use our above strategy. In that way, they improve their learning and also improve academic performance.
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