Motivation: How a School Counselor Can Help Courtney
Traxson
Slide 3
Objectives Understand reasons behind kids who are unmotivated
and how to address that in individual, small group, and classroom
sessions. Begin to generate your own ideas on how to start the day
right with motivational activities and how to ease transition for
teachers to get kids motivated or re-engage them. Identify
resources you could use to assist a teacher who expresses they need
help with an unmotivated child.
Slide 4
Unmotivated/Disengaged According to the school research
literature engagement is defined in terms of behavioral, emotional,
and cognitive engagement. Behavioral Engagement: conduct, work
involvement, participation, and persistence Emotional Engagement:
self-report related to feelings of frustration, boredom, interest,
anger, satisfaction, student-teacher relations, work orientation
Cognitive Engagement: investment in learning, flexible problem
solving, independent work styles, coping with perceived failure,
preference for challenge and independent mastery, commitment to
understanding the work Students who are motivated and engaged in
learning are intrinsically motivated. Students who are unmotivated
and not engaged in learning are extrinsically motivated (Adelman
& Taylor, 2012).
Slide 5
Reasons a student is unmotivated Low self-esteem Lack of
support at home Low expectations in the classroom Pressure
www.greatschools.org
Slide 6
Research on Motivation A study was done to understand the
relationships between academic performance and two factors, caring
relations and meaningful participation. Results showed that
students who had moderate meaningful participation in schools had a
higher GPA than students with low meaningful participation in
schools (Jennings, 2003). Another study performed in Australia used
a coaching program of 3 parts: Help students raise self-awareness
Identify personal resources and how they can use those in working
towards their own individual goals Help students work through the
self-regulation cycle. Results showed both hope and student
engagement significantly increased (Madden, Green, & Grant,
2011).
Slide 7
Start the Day off RIGHT Helps create a fun learning environment
so that kids look forward to coming to school in the morning! For
many students they can either come to school with loads of energy,
nervous even entering the building, and some come half asleep. An
activity can help burn off some of that energy, alleviate the
nerves, and wake the kids up! Allows for smoother transition into
the classroom. Activities are short, can be a few minutes or up to
10 minutes. Short activities could also be used for teachers as a
transition from one subject to the next or from recess back into
the classroom to get the students re-engaged.
Slide 8
Examples of Activities http://adventuretofitness.com/ Kids
physically get up and move around with the video!
http://adventuretofitness.com/ Cheney Elementary school has kids
meet everyday before school in the gym and they do breathing
exercises and some yoga moves they have learned together. Depends
on the school and the climate it is trying to achieve. At Cheney
all the kids and teachers practice belly breathing to help relax
but maybe at another school they are very into helping kids be
active and fit so the adventure to fitness videos better address
that.
Slide 9
How to Motivate the Unmotivated: Provide a safe place: The
school counselor can create a relationship when they allow kids to
find their office or even being around them a safe environment for
them to come to. Listen: Students often just want someone to take
them seriously. Extend problem solving beyond the school: The
school counselor might need to reach out into the community for the
student to make a connection with a parent or teacher or
organization to help them become more motivated (Hayhurst,
2012).
Slide 10
How a school counselor can work with unmotivated students:
Individual Sessions There are many ways in which to help an
unmotivated student but it all starts with creating a relationship
with them so that they can open up and you two can begin to address
the stem of the lack of motivation. Some examples of activities
Match up the student with a mentor or even a mentor teacher Take a
motivation or interest inventory. Assist them in looking into extra
activities in those areas they enjoy. The timeline activity with a
student allows them to open up and helps show where they WANT their
life to go and the School Counselor can make things realistic on
what is necessary to get there. Depending on where the issue is
stemming from you can adjust activities and counseling from
there.
Slide 11
How a school counselor can work with unmotivated students:
Small Groups Make sure to set group rules and do an ice breaker
then each week or every other week meet to perform activities with
them. Have them engage in activities that can help them create a
relationship with you and their peers who are going through it as
well. Help them create things to display around school they can be
proud to show, such as a motivational poster for other kids to get
inspired. Other activities could be motivational board games,
researching and sharing their favorite motivational quotes, or even
research someone who motivates them and share with group.
Slide 12
How a school counselor can work with unmotivated students:
Classroom Guidance To help kids in the entire class to get excited
to do school work or at least to help subside any nerves for state
tests the school counselor can come in and do a lesson with them
One example of a motivational classroom guidance lesson includes a
song with lyrics and a worksheet to follow. The school counselor
could distribute the lyrics first, give the song a few test tries
and then really have the kids belt it. To follow have them do the
word search. This lesson would be good for 2 nd -5 th graders. Kids
can practice their air guitar moves! This lesson is available
online from teacherspayteachers.com for FREE!
Slide 13
How the School Counselor Can Help Teachers with an Unmotivated
Student Often times teachers who have an unmotivated student can
become frustrated and come to the school counselor for help.
Provide support by being a listening ear. Offer resources or little
solutions to dealing with the student to see if it helps Give extra
effort to say good job when they perform well. Be sure to
demonstrate what the class rules look like. Provide options when
having them perform work they dislike.
Slide 14
Resources (2014). Motivating the unmotivated: Heres how you can
help your student plan for the future. Retrieved from
http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/616-motivating-the-unmotivated-student.gs
Adelman, H., Taylor, L. (2012). School engagement, disengagement,
learning supports, & school climate. Los Angeles, CA: School
Mental Health Project, Dept. of Psychology, UCLA. Hayhurst, Karen.
"Motivating the Unmotivated | American School Counselor Association
(ASCA)." Motivating the Unmotivated | American School Counselor
Association (ASCA). N.p., 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 June 2014..
Jennings, G. (2003). An exploration of meaningful participation and
caring relationships as contexts for school engagement. California
School Psychologist, 8, 43-52. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF03340895 Madden, W., Green, S., &
Grant, A. M. (2011). A pilot study evaluating strengths-based
coaching for primary school students: Enhancing engagement and
hope. International Coaching Psychology Review, 6(1), 71-83.
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/883437477?accountid=11789
