A student who has stopped trying is still learning. They're learning from games, videos, and friends, all day. Schoolwork just isn't what has their attention right now.
I start by finding out what does hold their attention, what they believe about themselves as students, and where the schoolwork stopped making sense.
What's Getting in the Way
When parents tell me their kid isn't learning, I tell them the kid is learning, just not this, and I wouldn't want to either. A student has to care about the work and feel like they can do it. When either one is missing, effort stops.
So we look at both. If there's a gap that makes the work impossible, we fill it. If there's no reason to do the work, we find one, in something the student already cares about.
A Way Into the Work
Some students can talk for ten minutes about a topic and won't write one sentence about it. I have them say the idea out loud, then write down exactly what they said.
Most of the time the idea was there. What stopped them was starting, and expecting whatever they wrote to be marked wrong.
From there we can work on the writing itself, one paragraph at a time.
Starting From What They Care About
I'll ask what they learned from the last video they watched. They usually say nothing. It's never nothing, and that conversation is how we start.
We also talk about what they'd like to be able to do: finally get fractions, pass the class, make something of their own.
They get to make choices, and I keep the steps small enough that they can see themselves finishing.
Progress We Can Notice
The first signs are small, and they show up before grades do.
Starting
Starts a task without being asked twice.
Explaining
Can say where they got stuck.
Persisting
Tries a second way instead of quitting.
Choosing
Has an opinion about what to work on next.
When something I try doesn't work, I change what I'm doing before I ask the student to change.
I'll tell you what I'm seeing as it happens.
Common Questions
Related programs: Academic Tutoring · Passion Projects