Responding to the Uninterested Learner: Strategies to Keep the Learning Engaged

In the world of teaching, one needs to fully understand that there is always going to be some level of resistance to learning out there. And your challenge as an educator is to identify this resistance, develop tools and resources to address the resistance in the hope of changing a student's behaviour - and even other times, realize your defeat. In Stephen Brookfield's book entitled The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom, he talks about to try and first sort out what the cause to this resistance may be. One great tool that is easy to use is the Critical Incident Questionnaire. This tool, which is normally a one-page handout, is used at the end of the week given to students to answer a few questions, anonymously, to give the instructor a sense of when they were engaged, when they were distance from the learning, what did they find helpful, or confusing, to name a few. The author encourages teachers to also look to see if the resistance is justified? Is the course mandatory for the program in question? Hence, the resistance. I remember in my undergraduate business administration degree, we all had to take Statistics, as part of the program. Many of my fellow classmates - who did not like Math - hated this course with passion. I enjoyed it -but I understood their frustration. It was not their choice -and by knowing this, it is hopeful that instructors will be a little more empathetic and try to use tools and resources to keep the learning engaging. One good way to do this, as the author points out, is it invite previous resisters form previous semesters into your classroom to talk with your students. Student will listen to each other, as peer to peer, and they can have frank conversations outside the classroom - so if you can arrange for this to happen, it will show to be beneficial. In our school we have a program called Peer Supported Learning (PSL). It is where students who have excelled in a course retake the course again and set matched to another student. They then meet after to review the lecture together, share notes, and create a safe learning environment from student to student. The program has been a great success - and is now moving into other areas of our College. In the textbook, teachers are encourage to use various teaching methods and approaches to try and re-engage the learning. Again, an example of this is team teaching. As Brookfield notes "when a course is taught by a team with different personalities, learning styles, and pedagogic orientations, the chance are raised that most students in the course will find that their own learning preferences are addressed for at least part of the time>" (2015, p. 232). Another important aspect to address those that are resistant to learning is to build a strong case as to why learning is important. As Malcolm Knowles, an famous American educator, stated in his principles of adult learning - adults need to know what is in it for them? And is the learning relevant? If a student is going to be able to see the benefit of the skill they are learning -they are much more likely to stay engaged. We did this very thing with our students in co-operative education. We showed them that by attending the resume writing, cover letter, interview skills, and networking workshops gave students a 95% chance at securing a placement for their program.

An important aspect to remember when trying to respond to the resistant learner is to not push too hard. Sometimes, students need a little time to absorb the material, and get themselves comfortable in their learning environment before moving forward. It is known as the plateau effect - and it is normal. The teacher needs to provide positive encouragement and create situations where the students can succeed. And remember - don't forget to acknowledge students' efforts and congratulate them on their progress. These small gestures can go a long way.. in a student's eyes. Think of how good you felt when you were congratulated on how well you did on your assignment, project, or final exam, or even a 5 minute presentation to your classmates... it was a sense of pride and accomplishment that makes you feel good. And if you feel good, you tend to be less resistant to the learning.

Reference: Brookfield, Stephen D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom. Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, CA.