How to Reach the “Unreachable” Students

Do you want to increase student participation and assignment/homework completion?  Do you have students who seem impossible to motivate?  Then I have some solutions for you in this post!

1. Rethink Homework

If homework isn’t getting completed on a regular basis, consider not assigning it. 

Instead:

• Make all work achievable in class time. 
• Have them break up information and present it to each other.  Students can complete a graphic organizer as others present. 

You can also read my homework post based on Myron Dwek’s Grading Smarter Not Harder. 

2. Rethink Study Guides

• First, start with the test in mind. Create study guides from the tests. 
• To help students keep track of them, print them on colored paper. 
• Have them quiz each other daily on the study guide, even if it’s just a few minutes at the beginning of class. 

3. Rethink Review and Test Prep

Turn it into a game with this Review Games Packet. 

If you have access to technology:

 Webquests, edPuzzle, Kahoot (and more) can all add excitement to a class while reviewing content. 

Offer extra credit for thinking outside the box:

I tell them they can add any information not already on the test related to this subject to the study guide for extra credit.

4. Get Them Moving

I give a specific example of this in my post on 22 Interactive Learning Structures 

Another post I did was based on Rick Wormeli’s Summarization in Any Subject. 

You can pick up a FREE copy of the Human Bingo board. 

Some other good options for getting students standing and moving:

Learning stations

Gallery walks

What are some other ways you reach those students who struggle?  I always need more ideas!