1. Engaging and Motivating Learners
Aim:
To identify practical approaches to teaching and tutoring to engage and motivate learners

2. Objectives
Awareness of a range of classroom or workshop management techniques to improve motivation and teaching and learning
Understanding of how to work with individuals to build self-esteem
Understanding of the use of motivational dialogue techniques

3. Classroom or Workshop Management

4. Being an assertive teacher
“A teacher’s response has crucial consequences … it creates a climate of compliance or defiance, a mood of contentment or contention, a desire to make amends or to take revenge.”
(Chesterton, 1924)

5. Classroom or workshop management self-assessment questionnaire
Please complete the questionnaire answering YES or NO.
We will return to the questionnaire and the action points at the end of this session.

6. Low expectations for learner behaviour
Teaching styles and learner behaviour High expectations for learner behaviour
Assertive Style
Authoritarian Style
High sensitivity to learners’ needs
Over-indulgent / Permissive / Submissive Style
Neglectful / Passive Style
Low sensitivity to learners’ needs
Low expectations for learner behaviour

7. Ground rules for life Share Play fair Don’t hit Remember to flush
Hold hands in traffic
Tidy up after your own mess
Put things back where you found them
Don’t take things that aren’t yours
Say sorry when you hurt someone

8. Ground rules of behaviour
Behaviours unacceptable to STAFF
Behaviours unacceptable to LEARNERS
Behaviours unacceptable to BOTH
Behavioural expectations of STAFF
Behavioural expectations of LEARNERS
Behavioural expectations of BOTH
Ground rules should be discussed by the teaching team and then by the learner group.
Areas of common agreement form the ground rules.
Have them typed or written up as a poster.
Some ground rules are non-negotiable.
This is an important exercise in social problem-solving (Kohn, 1996)

9. A cycle of classroom management
Bill Rogers (1998) produced this framework of key principles for successful classroom management.
Prevention (of disruptive
behaviour)
Encouragement (of positive behaviour – correcting as necessary)
Repair and rebuild (the relationship following correction)
Consequences (for unacceptable behaviour – certainty rather than severity)
Exercise:
Work in four groups, each group taking one of the areas of the cycle above.
Each group will develop strategies for their area of the cycle.
Write up the strategies on a flip chart and report back.

10. Prevention Teach and establish rights, rules and responsibilities.
Have a major focus on positive relationships and self-esteem.
Build rituals and routines for starting and ending lessons and for gaining attention.
Consider learner states and styles – play to their strengths – differentiate.
Develop scanning – intervene early and quietly.

11. Encouragement Create a relaxed, peaceful environment.
Have high expectations of all learners.
Achieve a 6:1 ratio of encouragement : correction
Use verbal and non-verbal encouragement.
Give clear instructions, positive feedback and set realistic targets.
Frequently ask yourself: “Why would learners want to return to my class?”

12. Consequences Discuss when establishing ground rules
Should be fair, reasonable and related to appropriate behaviour
Emphasise they are in direct response to learner’s choice
Certainty rather than severity
Offer some negotiation and opportunity to make restitution where appropriate

13. Repair and rebuild
Correction can erode relationships and damage self-esteem.
It’s our job to develop and manage positive working relationships.
A simple acknowledgement of improved behaviour is often enough.
A friendly and courteous word as learners leave goes a long way.

14. Learners
Learners are the most important visitors on our premises – think of them as guests.
We are dependent on them.
They are our core business.
Always acknowledge their presence – smile, make eye contact, say hello, talk to them, make them laugh, offer help and advice where appropriate.
Treat learners as you would like to be treated.

15. Aristotle’s challenge
“Anyone can be angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy.”
Aristotle in the Nicomachean Ethics

16. Anger: four questions Is anger the same as aggression?
Is there anger without aggression?
Is there aggression without anger?
How do you deal with your anger?
Work on anger-management strategies for angry learners.

17. Assertiveness training
People adopt different response styles depending on the circumstances. It is unlikely that anyone is wholly one type or another.
RESPONSE STYLES
NON-ASSERTIVE/SUBMISSIVE
When you allow your boundaries to be invaded; I lose - you win
AGGRESSIVE/DOMINANT
when you invade or attack someone else’s boundaries; I win - you lose
ASSERTIVE
standing up for your rights without violating the rights of others; I win - you win
BASIC SKILLS
developing confidence and rights
ESSENTIAL SKILLS
what to say; non-verbal behaviour; what to think; how to integrate these elements
comprising: + +
SPECIALIST SKILLS
Handling: disagreementcomplaints criticism aggression

18. Social skills Model and teach: social communication skills
social interaction skills
self-awareness
relationship skills.

19. A sequenced repertoire of strategies for the management of disruptive behaviour
Core skills – these are powerful skills, useful in all discipline transactions.
Low level strategies – these are low key but assertive interventions.
Medium level strategies – these are direct and assertive interventions.
High level strategies – consequences for inappropriate behaviour are applied.

20. ABC
A – ANTECEDENTS
events that prompt, precede or trigger behaviour
B – BEHAVIOUR
the specific actions of an individual
C – CONSEQUENCES
subsequent events that make the behaviour more or less likely to occur
The model is powerful in that it offers the possibility of altering behaviour by changing either antecedent or consequence.

21. Talk strategies Don’t say “don’t”. Use “maybe…… and”.
Use calming tone of voice that conveys respect.
Emphasise you will hear them out when they have calmed down.
Preface your statement with an understanding of their point of view, then say, “however, I feel …” then say, “and I suggest” or “and I would like”.
State your request in positive behavioural terms.
Repeat your statement up to three times.
If negative behaviour continues, state the consequence and emphasise it is their choice.

22. Non-verbal techniques
Take-up or face-saving time
Mirroring
Mood matching
Using calming gestures
Non-confrontational positioning
Body buffer zone
Walking away with an angry person
Maintaining normal eye contact

23. Classroom or workshop management self-assessment questionnaire
Return to the questionnaire.
In view of what we have learnt, identify key action points.

24. Motivational Dialogue

25. Thinking about learners’ behaviours
In relation to a task, learners may show:
commitment
compliance
disaffection.

26. What is motivation?
The probability that a person will enter into and persist with a process of behaviour change.

27. Motivational strategies
Advice How to give it? When to give it?
Barriers Help learners to remove the obstacles to change.
Choice Provide it in the face of the necessity of change.
Determination Increase their desire to change.
Empathy Communicate your desire to understand.
Feedback Provide clear, accurate assessment of the current situation
Goals Help THEM to clarify their aims.
Helping “Active helping” is NOT “enabling”.

28. Motivational dialogue
A directive, learner-centred style of interviewing which helps people to
1. identify risks and goals
2. explore ambivalence
3. set targets
4. maintain behaviour change.

29. The Wheel of Change

30. Teacher’s task at each stage of change
Learner stage
Teacher’s motivational task
Pre-awareness
Raise doubt: increase the learner’s perception of risks
Contemplation
Tip the balance: evoke reasons to change, risks of not changing
Decision
Help to determine the best course of action
Active change
Help to take steps towards change
Maintenance
Help to identify and use strategies to prevent relapse
Relapse
Help to renew the process

31. Motivational dialogue skills
Effective questioning
Reflective listening
Using non-verbal communication
Summarising for change
Eliciting change talk

32. Skills with the Wheel of Change

33. Effective questions Open questions Do not elicit a short answer
Do not predetermine the reply
Encourage the learner to talk
Opening phrases
In what way . . .
How does this . . .
Tell me about . . .*
Give me an
example of *

34. NVC: non-verbal communication
Reflective listening
A form of active listening
Useful for:
1. checking meaning
2. clarifying meaning
3. building empathy
4. selective reinforcement
Always end reflection in a down tone of voice
Can involve:
1. repeating key word or phrase
2. paraphrasing a key idea
3. reflecting NVC as well
NVC: non-verbal communication

35. Closing the communication loop
What the learner says
What the tutor hears
What the tutor thinks the learner means
What the learner means
REFLECTION

36. Reflective statements
It sounds like you…
You’re feeling…
It seems to you that…
So what you’re saying is…
The pronoun YOU is usually the subject of the sentence.

37. Aspects of non-verbal communication
Posture
Orientation
Eye contact
Use of silence

38. Summarising Drawing together what has been said and presenting it to the learner
Don’t make it too long
Ask for approval at the end, for example;
Is that about right?
Is that more or less how you see things?
Have I understood you correctly?
Useful for:
1. getting the learner to take stock
2. checking or changing the direction of the conversation
3. bringing other information into the frame
4. Stalling while you think of the next step

39. Summarising for change One way of changing the learner’s perceptions
Spend more time on the reasons for change (or the reasons against staying the same) and less time on the reasons for not changing.
Use tone of voice and pace of speech to emphasise the seriousness and benefits of change.
Order the summary by putting the argument in favour of change in the latter part.
After asking for approval for your summary, ask “Where do you think you should go from here?”

40. Self-motivational statements or “change talk” Another way of changing the learner’s perceptions
“People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they themselves discovered than by those which have come into the minds of others.”
Pascal in the 17th century

41. Types of self-motivational statements
1. Statements of problem recognition
2. Expressions of concern
3. Statements of intention to change
4. Expressions of optimism about change
Increasing significance