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Six Ways Empathy Can Protect Our Mental Health

Mental health is a serious and persistent issue in our schools and our profession. The toll of multiple pressures and accumulated experiences from the past few years has left a heavy burden on our sense of well-being, our attitudes toward life and each other, and even our physical health.

We hear a lot about the importance of self-care, finding balance, and “taking the long view.” While good advice, such urgings can fall short of countering the emotional burdens we carry. We often need more support than we can manage on our own.

Fortunately, there is a powerful counterforce to the feelings of frustration, isolation, and loneliness that threaten to sap our energy, dissipate our motivation, and undermine our commitment. That connecting, energizing, and reassuring force is the presence and practice of empathy.

Empathy, of course, is different from sympathy. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone’s circumstance or having someone feel sorry for us. Sympathy is not a strong connector. Empathy, on the other hand, involves understanding and sharing the experiences, perceptions, and feelings of others. Empathy builds an emotional and cognitive connection.

Empathy also offers mutual benefits. The person who is experiencing empathy from others feels supported, understood, and cared for. At the same time, the person who is extending empathy experiences the benefits of connecting with and helping others. When people feel connected, understood, and respected, they are more likely to be motivated and emotionally healthy. Let’s explore six additional ways in which empathy can support our mental health.

First, empathy builds trust. It allows us to be authentic and transparent. Empathy seeks understanding, not confirmation of our predispositions, and can reveal the positive intentions of others while dispelling suspicions and negative assumptions about others’ motivations and actions.

Second, empathy helps to form and maintain relationships. It builds a sense of connectedness and understanding and nurtures feelings of belonging. Empathy can carry relationships through tough times, even when we may be caught in conflict and disagreement.

Third, empathy reduces levels of anger and frustration. By being empathetic, we can see and value the perspectives of others. Empathy can replace hostility with understanding, and it can counter the toll that chronic anger takes on our mental health.

Fourth, empathy can help us to discover solutions to challenges and conflicts. The quality of being empathetic supports communication that is more open and creative. Empathy opens doors to mutual understanding; solutions can emerge naturally from open, honest, and respectful exploration.

Fifth, empathy can help us to become more resilient. As we understand the experiences and perspectives of others, we can become more aware of and better able to regulate our own emotions. The experiences of others also can be an inspiration and lead us to higher levels of courage and determination.

Sixth, practicing empathy with others can support us to be more self-empathetic. We can be exceedingly hard on ourselves, especially during times of challenges and stress. When we consistently extend empathy to others, it can become easier to pause, reflect, and build self-understanding. It can even lead us to forgive ourselves when we otherwise may become trapped in guilt.

Of course, we need to recognize that there are limits to the depth and breadth of the empathy we extend. At times, we may need to set limits to avoid becoming overly immersed in the emotions and struggles of others. Like any behavior, too much of a good thing can diminish its benefits and counter its contributions to our health and success. Empathy is no exception, but practicing it wisely can be its own form of mental-health protection.

October 26, 2023

Six Secrets to Prevent Discipline Incidents from Escalating

Times when we must discipline students can be among the most challenging and stressful situations we encounter. We want to avoid extended interruptions to learning, and some of us want to avoid confrontation. At the same time, though, we want other students to remain safe. And, of course, we want to avoid having emotions and behavior escalate to a level where the situation may spin out of control.

Certainly, the emotional and psychological state of the student will play a role in how the situation will play out. However, there is much we can do to prevent escalation and respond if tensions threaten to rise. Here are six tips we can use to maintain our focus, inform our responses, and thoughtfully manage the situation.

Start by listening. When we understand the student’s perspective, we are better able to respond effectively. At some level, the behavior makes sense to the student. Until we know why the student made the choice or choices they did, deciding how to proceed will be risky. Often, by talking through what happened, the intensity of the student’s emotions begins to dissipate, and reason begins to emerge. Once the student has explained their motivation and actions, we are in a better position to understand and ask questions that can clarify the situation and formulate our next steps.

Avoid embarrassing or shaming the student, especially in front of others. We might be tempted to call out the behavior and student in a public way. However, this choice is filled with risk. Some students will feel humiliated and deeply resent the way they were treated; they will remember and harbor these feelings long after the incident has passed. Others will feel the need to “save face” and may push back even more vigorously, even as we attempt to deescalate and calm the situation.

Keep your ego and emotions out of it. Many students are highly skilled at “pressing the buttons” of adults. Yet, when our ego becomes involved, we are vulnerable to losing perspective, and when we lose control of our emotions, we lose control of the situation. We are more likely to say things we will regret and open the door to accusations that we have become part of the problem we are trying to solve.

Think teaching rather than punishing. In the heat of emotions and behaviors, we may immediately focus on the punishment that would be appropriate in response to the unacceptable behavior in which a student has engaged. However, this path risks missing an important opportunity to teach and change behavior in the future. Punishing a student may generate some feelings of satisfaction and closure, but it can sow the seeds of future misbehavior. Punishment often teaches little beyond the experience of embarrassment and temporary discomfort. Students may learn little, if anything, about how to control their emotions and manage their behavior. Our goal in response to unacceptable behavior is to teach students alternatives and strategies for remaining in control despite what happens around or to them. Of course, once emotions have calmed and the lesson has been taught, we still can assign reasonable and logical consequences. In fact, the best consequences are part of the learning we want students to gain.

Don’t threaten consequences you cannot (or do not intend to) deliver or do not control. Many students come to us having extensive experience with empty threats. Consequently, they will have little impact on behavior, other than challenging us to see if we will follow through. Promising consequences on behalf of someone else is equally problematic. Others may see the situation differently or have ideas that may not be consistent with our preferences. As a result, a colleague or administrator may be placed in the position of having to choose between supporting our threat and using what they see as their best judgment. Meanwhile, the student is likely to miss any lesson to be learned, while also receiving confusing messages about their behavior and the situation in general.

Reject the behavior, but value the student. Despite the unacceptability of any behavior, we need to be careful to separate the behavior from the student. Making an unwise choice or behaving in a manner to which we object does not make the student a bad person. There may be lessons they need to learn and adjustments in behavior they must make to be successful, but we need to be careful not to treat the student as being inherently bad or unworthy. We can protect our relationship with the student while disapproving of their behavior. In fact, our actions to separate the student from their behavior can be a message of hope for students who struggle to control their behavior and have few role models to emulate. Our reinforcement of their inherent value makes their struggle to learn and grow worth the effort.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to managing behavior. If serious disruptions continue to occur, additional steps may be necessary, such as individual counseling with the student or reaching out to your colleagues with whom the student does experience success. We know that managing disciplinary situations is an important and integral part of our professional role. These steps can help us to create a context in which the student is respected, learning occurs, appropriate consequences are dispensed, and relationships remain intact.

October 05, 2023

Five Commitments Our Students Need to Hear from Us

We may think that students should come to us with an inherent understanding of our commitment to them and their success. After all, we chose this profession to make a difference in the lives of learners. However, our students may have experiences and perceptions that lead them to doubt our investment, or at least be unclear about what to expect, as they begin a new year with us.

As we begin the school year, now is a good time to share with students our commitments and assure them that they can rely on us to ensure their success. Our choice to be direct with students about our commitment to them and their learning is also an expression of our professional confidence and competence to be able to support their success. Further, when we share our commitment to our students, we also solidify our commitment to ourselves.

But what can we say to give students confidence and reassurance that they can be successful—and that we will be there to support and guide them? Here are five statements that communicate what we are committed to offer and what they can expect from us.

I am committed to:

having you feel that you belong here. You are a member of this class. You do not have to prove yourself, and you do not have to pretend to be someone you are not. You are accepted and valued as you are. I will strive to plan learning activities that meet your needs, tap your interests, and build your skills.

your success. My goal is to help you not only believe in yourself and your potential, but also to commit to doing your best. Together we will figure out what we need to do to make your success possible. I have lots of experience and loads of ideas and strategies to share. I will be ready to support you when you need me. With us working together, I am confident that you will succeed.
helping you discover and develop your talents. You may know what your talents are, or you may not. You may not even be convinced that you have something special within you, but you do. Of this I am confident. We will launch this search together. I know that we will succeed.
not give up on you. You will struggle at times. You may even be tempted to give up on yourself, but I will nudge, budge, and badger you because I know that you can do it. The fact is that I cannot succeed unless you do. We are in this work together, and I want you to succeed. I may not always approve of your choices and behavior, but I will always value and believe in your potential to grow, learn, and become a better person, learner, and choice-maker.
making every day an opportunity to begin fresh. We will have difficult days. We may struggle. However, when we return each day, we can have it be a new start, and together, we can make it a better day than the one before it.

You may have additional commitments you want to share with your students. Please add them to those on this list that resonate with you. What is most important is that our students know what to expect from us and that they experience, firsthand, the power of our commitment to them.

August 11, 2023

Want to be a Respected Voice in Meetings? Here’s How

The life of an educator is filled with meetings. Administrative meetings, staff meetings, team meetings, grade-level meetings, PLC meetings, work groups, planning groups, task forces—the list could go on. For many, these meetings are seen as obligations to be tolerated, and we can fail to see the opportunity these activities present to build professional respect and stature. Of course, with professional respect and stature comes the opportunity to be listened to, to influence, and to make things better.

Yet, building professional respect and stature requires more than simply attending and tolerating meetings. Gaining influence requires intention, strategy, and discipline. Here are seven ways to gain the professional respect you seek and deserve, while contributing to and influencing the outcomes of the meetings you attend.

Plan to participate early and confidently. Prepare for the meeting by exploring the agenda for items that you want to influence. Assemble any facts, examples, and research that may support your participation. Your preparation provides an advantage over those who simply show up. Further, your reference to credible resources adds to your own credibility. When issues of opinion are at stake, those with higher status may dominate the conversation, but if facts, data, and research are involved, the person with command of information will typically prevail.

Use a confident tone and speak at a moderate pace. People tend to equate confidence with capability. Speaking quickly can be confused with nervousness, fear, and uncertainty, while a clear, measured statement can carry increased weight and impact. Bear in mind that even if you are typically reluctant to speak, that personality trait does not mean that what you have to say is less valuable.

Present your position or make your argument as a statement rather than as a question. Avoid the habit of lifting your voice at the end of a sentence, thus implying a question. Statements framed as questions can send a message of not being certain and risks their being ignored or dismissed.

Avoid repeating or over-explaining your point. Perseveration risks appearing insecure or implying that others are not capable of listening and understanding. If you believe that some may not grasp your message, you can ask if there are questions or if someone needs an example.

Don’t wait to share your perspective until after the meeting. Choosing not to share your thinking during the meeting can make you appear uncertain, uncollaborative, and even judgmental. It is better to state your position and learn why it may not work or may need to be adjusted than not having it considered at the time when it could have made a difference.

Build support and strength for your position by endorsing others’ points and perspectives and then, when you can, use them as a starting point to build your own. Your agreement with a previous point, especially one that has been well received, taps existing support. Your addition can further solidify an idea or course of action. At worst, others will see you as a listener and consensus builder. At best, they will see you as capable of building on previous thinking to create something even better.

Remain focused and avoid distractions. Resist checking your email, texts, and social media during meetings. Rather, use your thinking to “mind map” the discussion. Consider: What is missing? What has not been explored and noted? What implications have not been identified and contemplated? Your full attention can position you to observe and point out issues that others who may be distracted will miss. When important issues and decisions are at stake, your contribution can make a huge difference.

If we hope to make the institutions in which we work better, and if we hope to serve the needs of students more effectively, we need to challenge and contribute productively. A key element in our being able to make a difference is the professional respect we build and hold.

August 03, 2023

Trust: What We Need Now

Trust is something we may think little about until it is damaged or lost. Yet, trust frees us to take risks. Trust leads us to make suggestions and even disagree without fear of rejection or retribution. Trust can lead us to do a little more and push a little farther because we know our efforts will be noted, supported, and appreciated. Trust frees us from constantly “looking over our shoulder” and seeking reassurance.

Trust may be thought of as the “grease” that “frees the wheels” of an organization to move easily, with minimum effort. A high level of trust can reduce anxiety, worry, and stress. It can also free our energy to focus on our work and serving students.

Of course, the events of the past two years have placed serious strain on our trust, confidence, and energy. It is easy to feel as though others are ready to second-guess our decisions and actions. We might worry that, despite our best efforts, getting student learning back on track will take time, and patience may be in short supply.

Building and restoring high levels of trust in ourselves, each other, and the institutions wherein we work is not an easy task or a quick project. There is also little value in constantly looking for someone or something to blame. On the other hand, the process of focusing on and building high levels of trust can be a therapeutic and energizing one. The actions necessary to build trust can increase our feelings of connectedness, free us to be more open and vulnerable with each other, and give us the confidence to meet the challenges we face. We do not have to have all the answers or avoid every mistake, and we might even stumble. In fact, trust grows from how we respond to not always knowing, making mistakes, or falling victim to occasional stumbles.

So, how can we build and maintain the level of trust needed to free us to focus on our work with confidence and openness? Dennis Jeffe, writing in Forbes, identifies six building blocks of trust in our relationships and the organizations in which we work. He notes that when any of the building blocks are absent, levels of trust will diminish. If we want to build and reinforce high levels of trust, we can turn to these six elements to inform and prioritize our actions.

The first building block is reliability and dependability. They are foundational to trust. People want to know that we are true to our word and that we will follow through on our commitments; the same is true for organizations. Being conscientious and committed to the promises we make can build confidence and nurture trusting relationships.

The second building block, transparency, speaks to openness and timely communication. Keeping secrets and withholding information breed suspicion and distrust. As decisions are considered and made, sharing options to be considered and the thinking behind them can go a long way toward building trust. At the same time, we need to be open and forthright about our thoughts and reactions rather than keeping quiet and then complaining to each other later.

The third building block is competency. We must take responsibility for our work and build the skills necessary for success. When there is doubt about the competency of those with and for whom we work, it can be difficult to trust. Good intentions and an optimistic outlook are important, but they are not a substitute for competency.

The fourth building block is sincerity and authenticity. When we speak, others need to know that we believe what we say and that our actions will be consistent with our words. When we attempt to distract or manipulate others for our own purposes, trust suffers.

The fifth building block is fairness. We want to be confident that consideration and treatment of everyone is driven by respect and even-handedness. Opportunities, decisions, and support need to reflect the interests of all, even if not every decision and action can fully satisfy everyone.

The final building block of trust is openness and vulnerability. Our willingness to admit mistakes, accept and respect disagreement, and even ask for help invites honest conversation and healthy conflict. Interestingly, when we are willing to admit faults and lack of perfection, it is easier for others to step in, support, and assist when needed. Also, timely admission of mistakes and sincere apologies can be powerful ways to rebuild trust when it has been damaged.

Building and maintaining high levels of shared trust will not solve every problem, eliminate every pressure, or overcome every challenge. However, when trust is present, every problem, pressure, and challenge is easier to manage and less daunting to face.

June 29, 2023

Students Not Listening? Try These Tips

Educators know all too well that there are times when we can feel as though we are talking to the wall or speaking into an empty echo chamber. We think that we are being clear, and we know what we want our students to know and do. Yet we may discover that they didn’t hear what we intended, are confused by what we said, or did not hear us at all.

We may be tempted to blame our students when we discover they have not received the messages we sent. Of course, it may be that they have indeed not been giving us the level of attention that we expect. However, before looking elsewhere to assign responsibility or blame, we need to consider whether our communication has been clear, timely, and complete enough to capture the attention of our students and if it was presented in a way that made it memorable.

Typically, the problem is not that we do not know how to communicate effectively, but that we can become preoccupied with or distracted by other issues and tasks. We may be in a hurry to cover instructional material, or we may not be clear about what we want to communicate. Often, just taking some time to review what we know about effective communication can be enough to remind us to practice the techniques and strategies we already know. Here are six reminders that may be helpful.

We need to be sure the message is timely. We must consider what students need to know and when they need to know it. Just because something is on our mind does not mean that now is the time to share it. Communication that sticks is both relevant and well-timed. Of course, there also are times when we may preview or prepare students for future work, so hearing a preview now can help them to be ready. Think of it like this: just in time and just enough.

Then, we must keep it simple. We need to avoid vocabulary and concepts to which students have yet to be exposed. Simple words and short sentences are most likely to be absorbed. The best communication is confined to the smallest number of points, expectations, and tasks students need to hear and absorb; the more complex our communication, the more likely it is that students will become confused, seek interpretation from other students, or ignore what we have to say entirely.

Next, we can structure the message so that students get both our point and the key supporting information. Start with the “headline.” What is the core message on which we want students to focus? Follow with crucial supporting details; what else do students need to know? Limit the information to avoid overloading and creating confusion. Finally, we can complete the message with an example or two to clarify implications and ground our key points.

We increase the probability that our message is received when we employ multiple modes to convey it. Say it, send it, and show it. We may even sing it, sign it, or signal it when we really want to be sure. The more ways students receive information, the more likely they will hear and remember it.

Closely related to communicating via multiple modes is to repeat what is most important. We may think that students should always be paying attention, ready to hear what we have to say, but that is not reality. The more times our messages are repeated, the more likely they are to be absorbed. Repeating important messages as many as seven times is a good goal.

Despite our best efforts to communicate, we still need to check for understanding. We may think that we have been clear, but what matters is whether students hear and understand what they need to be successful. Regardless of how well we may have instructed, students may still have misheard something, or they may still be confused or uncertain. Only when we check in with students can we be certain that what we thought we said is indeed what students heard.

Taking some time to review our practices and make key adjustments can make a big difference in how well our students pay attention and understand what we need them to know. Of course, these same reminders will help us to be more effective communicators with colleagues, parents, and even our partners and our own children.

June 29, 2023

Share Your Tips & Stories

Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

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Five Things Teachers Do Every Day That AI Cannot

It is hard not to be amazed by what artificial intelligence (AI) can and promises to do. We wonder how much AI will change the ways in which we engage students and support their learning. It seems clear that there will be new opportunities and unexpected challenges as we adjust to this new reality.

However, we need to remember that many of the most important influences we have on students cannot be duplicated by AI—because they are uniquely human. Their power resides in the relationships we build with students, and our relationships with students are among the most powerful influences on students’ choices related to their learning.

Consider that each day we reach out to students to discern their mood, learn what is happening in their lives, and understand how their emotional state may influence their behavior and probable success in upcoming lessons. Here are five of those routine behaviors and the important implications they hold for students and their success.

First, we welcome students at the door with a smile, and we check out their emotional state. Initial contact between students and teachers sets the stage for the learning experience designed for the day. Eye contact and other nonverbal cues can tell us when students will need more attention, some additional space, or have exciting news and experiences they want—and need— to share.

Second, we offer a wink, frown, or raised eyebrow to connect and encourage. We possess a variety of communication tools beyond words. In fact, among the most effective tools for managing the classroom are nonverbal signals, facial expressions, and “looks.” When teachers know their students, they can anticipate what students are likely to do next, “nudge” their behavior, and prevent a variety of behaviors that otherwise might necessitate intervention or redirection.

Third, we offer high-fives and fist-bumps to celebrate or a pat on the arm to comfort and reassure. Physical contact can be a powerful communication tool. Celebrating with students in a moment of success and triumph can reinforce the experience and create a lasting memory. Reassurance and encouragement can also be powerfully communicated by a gentle touch. Of course, physical contact requires sensitivity and thoughtfulness. However, it remains an important way to communicate caring, support, and confidence.

Fourth, we look over a shoulder or stand next to a desk to refocus attention and discourage distractions. Physical proximity can have a significant influence on student behavior. Experienced and insightful teachers for generations have known that moving close to a student can be a reminder of the task at hand and lead to engagement in expected behavior. This move can influence students to shift their behavior or attitude without having to say a word.

Fifth, we send students off with a personalized comment or words of encouragement to carry them through the day or evening. During the time we spend with students, we often learn much about what may be on students’ minds, what may be worrying them, and what they may be looking forward to during the remainder of their day. This information positions us to provide students with specific reassurance, support, and encouragement as they move to their next challenge or experience.

We need to be open and ready to learn how AI can support our work with students. However, we would also do well to remember the power of our connections with students, how we build relationships with them, and how influential we are in nurturing their well-being and success.

May 18, 2023

Five Superpowers We Can Employ Every Day

The routines and seeming predictability of this time of the year can lead us to ignore the power and opportunities we have each day to shape the experiences of our students. The decisions we make, the lessons we design, the strategies we employ, and even the assessments we administer determine how our students will experience their day, how they’ll engage in learning, and what they’ll do with the learning they gain. We can either create an exciting learning challenge and opportunity or assign students to an experience of repetition, compliance, and boredom. Here are at least five superpowers we can access every day in our work with learners. How we choose to use our superpowers determines not only what students experience, but also shapes how students view the learning we offer and shapes their value of it. Let’s explore these five superpowers and how we can leverage them to open possibilities and shift the learning trajectories of our students. Our first superpower is choosing the tempo, mood, and expectations for learning. Our attitude, energy, and excitement aren’t just one of the influences on the temperament of the class, it’s the driving force establishing the daily climate. When we expect an energetic, exciting, uplifting day, chances are high our students will respond in kind. The opposite also is true. When we project low energy, frustration, or boredom, students pick up our signals and respond accordingly. In fact, students typically spend the first minutes of class tuning in to the mood and energy of the teacher to determine what lies ahead. A second daily superpower is the design and structure we create to support the intended learning. If our design is an interactive investigation of an important learning concept, the exploration of an empowering skill, or expansion of an emerging area of competence and we invite students to be partners in their learning, we create spaces for inquiry, ownership, and sense-making. If the day features information sharing, students listening, and notetaking, we create conditions more likely to generate quiet compliance and fought-for attention. The structure we establish and the design we create drive how students engage in and respond to the learning we present. A third superpower resides in how we choose to listen and respond to our students’ interests, questions, and confusion. When we treat questions as interruptions and distractions to be handled quickly and efficiently, we signal to students that they should confine their questions to cleaning up confusion and clarifying expectations. On the other hand, if we use our attention and responsiveness superpower to invite inquiry, explore implications and possibilities of questions, and even open new paths for learning, students are more likely to think, reflect, and imagine in response to what they’re learning. Of course, when questions are honored, respected, and explored they invite additional questions and even more learning. Still another superpower available to us daily is the focus, depth, and purpose we bring to the learning we plan. When we choose to treat learning as information to be absorbed and skills to be practiced and demonstrated, our students are likely to respond by focusing on what they'll be responsible for and how to meet our expectations. Conversely, we can use our superpower to inquire and examine, press for deeper learning and application, and support students to generate their own insights and generate new learning. When we do, we open the door to an unlimited quest for learning that’s not fully dependent on our knowledge and interpretation of what’s significant. Our fifth superpower is how we choose to approach assessment of learning. If our focus is on determining whether students can repeat what they’ve been told and demonstrate that they can do what they have been shown, we can expect students to give their attention to what’ll be on the test, what type of questions they’ll be asked, and what sort of problems they’ll have to solve. Alternatively, we can treat assessment as an opportunity for students to integrate what they’ve learned, demonstrate their understanding and capacity to use new skills, and even push beyond what we taught to gain new insights and make additional observations. When we do, students shift from being consumers of information to appliers of skills and from repositories of adult knowledge to generators of new ideas and possibilities. An additional observation about these superpowers: The more we use them to open learning doors, inspire inquiry, build confidence, and learning ownership, the more power they possess. Of course, they also enrich and expand our influence on our students and our relationships with them.

February 16, 2023

A Dozen Ways to Motivate Lazy Students

There appears to be a consensus that today’s students are lazier than students in the past. Certainly, it may seem that there are more students who are unmotivated and less committed to learning than in the past. It’s also true that almost every generation in history has claimed that the generation coming after them is lazier than they were. Regardless, many students aren’t making the effort or showing the persistence we’d like to see from them. The question is, what can we do about it? Let’s start with what we mean when we say “lazy.” Generally, researchers and experts describe lazy students as learners capable of learning what’s asked, but for one or more reasons don’t consistently give the effort necessary for success. However, there are many reasons why a student may demonstrate this type of behavior. Laziness in most cases is about motivation. When a student isn’t motivated, laziness is a predictable choice. However, motivation can be complicated, and lack of motivation can be the result of many factors: Fear of failure: “I want to avoid the pain and embarrassment of failing.” Lack of confidence: “I don’t believe that I can do it.” Discouragement: “My past attempts haven’t been successful.” Overwhelmed: “I don’t know where to start. The number and scope of what must be done is too great.” Absence of relevance: “I don’t see a connection between the task or learning and what’s important to me.” Self-concept: “I don’t deserve to be successful.” Hopelessness: “Why bother?” Each of these factors and others suggest differing approaches to motivating students who appear lazy. However, we can’t know what to do unless we get to know them. Before we can intervene, we need to know what interests them, what excites them, what troubles them, and how they think about the tasks and challenges they face. One thing is certain, punishing a student for laziness almost never works. Similarly, attempting to shame a student into not being lazy more likely backfires than succeeds. The best choice is to focus on what'll motivate the student. Our first step in motivating this type of student is taking time to know them. Engaging them in conversation, listening carefully, and watching them are good places to start. The better we know the student and what matters to them, the better we're able to design an approach to help them change their behavior and become more engaged and successful. In many ways, laziness involves making choices. Our goal is to create conditions that’ll lead the student to make a different, more productive set of choices they can sustain over time. When we have information about and understand a student engaged in "lazy" behavior, we have several actions to take. However, we need to be careful and choose steps that respond to the student, not what would motivate us or other students. Here are a dozen strategies to consider: Reassure the student of our belief in and commitment to them. Convey appreciation and valuing of the student. Give students responsibility and allow them to feel needed and important. Notice and positively reinforce effort and progress. Help students set reasonable goals, set progress markers, and take ownership of their learning. Connect what students are asked to learn with things that are important, interesting, and meaningful to them. Celebrate small wins. Make frequent check-ins to understand their current mindset and to encourage their effort. Be persistent with reminders, steps to take, and strategies to try. Maintain high, but realistic expectations. Encourage friendships with students who are motivated or who have struggled with and overcome motivational challenges. Find ways to make learning enjoyable through games, activities, and challenges the student finds motivating. Of course, some strategies will work with some students and not others. And some things we think will work won’t, so we need to adjust. Some students can tell us what's blocking their motivation; others may be confused or oblivious to the reasons. We need to remain curious, flexible, and creative. Above all, we must resolve never to give up on the student. Helping a student to uncover and leverage what motivates them can be their key to lifelong success.

February 16, 2023

The Best Questions for Learning May Not Be Ours

As soon as children learn to speak, they begin to ask questions. We can even become frustrated and impatient with the number of questions children ask. Sometimes we may not feel we've the time to respond. At other times we may not know the answers, and we don’t have the energy to pursue them. Yet, questions are a crucial way for children to learn. Our responses can shut the door to asking and learning or open the door to further inquiry and more information. Later as children enter school, they come to understand that the important questions are the questions that adults ask. These questions point the way to where adults want students to give their attention. In fact, student questions often are discounted and treated more as distractions than they’re honored, respected, and used as possibilities to generate learning. Consequently, students learn to explore less of what they don’t know and ask fewer questions. Unfortunately, the messages students receive about their questions risk cutting off key paths to learning that can be generated by questions. When students aren’t encouraged to ask questions, they often discount their curiosity, tolerate their confusion, and default to the thoughts and attention leveraged by adults. In a world that increasingly demands new ideas, thrives on discovery, and rewards novel insights, discouraging questions delivers a serious disservice to our learners. Alternatively, if we reacquaint students with their imagination, honor their curiosity, and encourage their questions, we place in their hands a powerful tool for learning within and beyond what the formal curriculum presents. However, for most students, we need to reteach the role and value of questions to stimulate and support their learning. Let’s explore four ways we empower students to enhance their learning through questions they develop and ask. First, we can teach students to ask questions about their learning as they learn. For example, when students study a concept, reading text, or develop a skill, they can ask themselves questions about the meaning and application of what they’re learning. Their questions help them organize, focus, and absorb new information and strengthen their recall. In fact, creating and asking oneself questions while learning proves a more powerful learning tool than highlighting or underlining text or taking notes. Second when students ask questions that are more significant than seeking clarification and direction, we can resist providing immediate answers and join them in their learning search. We might begin by probing the source and implications of student questions to gain full understanding of what’s driving their questions. Further, we can engage with students to find answers, even when we might have a ready answer we could share. When we learn with students, we honor their interest and curiosity, and we provide them with approaches, options, and modeling they can use to learn independently. Third, we can teach students to frame worthy questions about their learning. For example, we might introduce a taxonomy, such as Bloom’s or Depth of Knowledge (DOK), to help students to understand and utilize multiple levels of thinking and complexity in questions they develop. Then we can coach students to ask deeper, more significant questions in class discussions, probe with deeper questions and thinking in their writing, and practice deeper reflection as they learn. Fourth, we can leverage growing questioning expertise among students by having them create some or all the questions they’ll be asked on a quiz or exam. At first, we might think this approach to be unproductive because students would know the questions in advance. However, if we coach students to create an array of meaningful, complex, relevant questions, their responses will demonstrate learning that may go well beyond what would have been demonstrated by unfamiliar questions at risk of being misunderstood or confusing to students. In fact, the process of developing good questions leads to greater understanding of content and enhanced organization of what has been learned than responding to questions developed by someone else. Asking questions isn't only a great way for young children to learn; questions are powerful drivers of learning regardless of age. Our challenge is to renew the natural tendency for children and young people to ask questions. However, we also can help them to frame, examine, and pursue questions that feature greater complexity, depth, and significance. When we do, we give them one of the most powerful tools for learning they can employ.

January 27, 2023

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