What to do when students lack interest in your subject?
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As a
secondary teacher,
it’s likely you’ll face challenging situations in the classroom, but how
can you go about boosting engagement if a youngster lacks interest in your
subject? It’s a common question, and one which comes with a range of
potential solutions and approaches, as we explore here.
Understanding why a pupil may lack interest should also influence your decisions, as you may need a more empathetic approach, depending on the reasoning.
For instance, some youngsters may have trouble concentrating, while others may have learning disabilities or be influenced by issues happening outside of the school environment. Each will require a slightly different teaching approach.
If you can, try to find out why pupils are behaving the way they are. That way, you should be best placed to discover why they might lack interest in your subject.
Ensure your classroom is welcoming
All pupils should feel safe and welcomed in your classroom,
and you should put an emphasis on making it as inclusive and as friendly as
possible. This starts with the language you use when addressing pupils and how
you interact with them generally. Bold wall displays and a lack of clutter can
also help to make it a more comfortable environment.
Alter your classroom layout or seating
A simple solution to boost engagement in lessons is to
change its layout or seating pattern. Moving children away from their close
peers can mean they refocus, while other class members may also be able to
support their development. If you have a mixed ability class, you may wish to
divide children up into small working groups including a range of abilities, as
this can enable pupils to work together towards your chosen learning goals.
Praise your class
Positive language and praise can go a long way to boosting a
child’s self-esteem, although there are various ways of delivering it. For
example, you may want to use written praise for youngsters who don’t love the
limelight, such as comments on their work or a letter for them to take home.
Simply recognising positive efforts can help to increase feelings of self-worth
and help pupils to foster a greater love for your subject matter.
Make learning authentic
Various academic research shows that using real-life
scenarios and stories in the classroom boosts engagement, so put a focus on
keeping things authentic. It enables pupils to make a link between their own
lives and what they are learning, which can also help to enhance their understanding.
When youngsters are more engaged, they are more likely to take an interest in
your subject matter and retain the knowledge that is being passed on.
Make sure children know why they are learning
Some pupils may find your subject overwhelming, simply because they’re struggling to understand the work. Try to break down information into manageable chunks and attach clear learning objectives to every lesson. If pupils can understand why they are learning what they are, the likelihood is that their engagement levels will be higher too.
Take advantage of the resources at your disposal
The internet is packed with useful resources, so look to use
all that you can to garner interest in your subject matter. Mixing up the modes
of media you use can help to, such as using video and audio alongside
slideshows. This tends to keep pupils constantly thinking and questioning what
they see and hear – a key factor in keeping them interested. If you can, you
might even be able to turn to the help of guest speakers to really give your
lessons that extra ‘wow’ factor.
As you can see, increasing a love for your subject matter can
be done in a multitude of ways. But ultimately, you’ll want to ensure that your
passion and love for the topics shines through, as this will often be reflected
by others in the classroom too.
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