Motivating Struggling Learners

Book excerpt: Every day, teachers face the challenge of motivating struggling learners. In this must-have book, Barbara R. Blackburn, author of the bestseller Rigor Is Not a Four-Letter Word, shares how you can finally solve this problem and make your classroom a rigorous place where all students want to succeed. You’ll learn practical strategies for... understanding extrinsic and intrinsic motivation; building a trusting relationship with students; using praise and positive feedback effectively; empowering students and helping them own their learning; moving students toward a growth mindset; communicating high expectations for students; engaging all students in your lessons; scaffolding so all students will want to improve; helping students be resilient and not fear failure; and celebrating diverse groups of students. Each chapter is filled with a variety of examples and tools that you can use immediately. Bonus: Many of the tools are also available as free eResources on our website, www.routledge.com/9781138792432, so you can easily download and print them for classroom use.