November 30th, 2020

Engaging Students who are Hard to Reach

By Anne Folsom
There are learners in every classroom that are hard to reach.  We teachers know the value of relationships, and we work our hardest to build connections with all of the kids in our room.  We know that ALL of our instruction and ALL of their learning will be better if we start with a respectful and caring relationship.

But sometimes, it doesn’t work quite as well.  We have students that are more challenging to connect with and who are more disengaged.  The Distance Learning Playbook invites us to, “[Flip] the switch on this narrative by intentionally increasing your positive attention efforts with students you have identified as being difficult to reach.”

The book suggests using a chart to record your interactions with 3 students who you’re having a hard time reaching.  Challenge yourself to interact with them each day by:

• Greeting them by name
• Using their name in a positive way during a lesson
• Asking a critical thinking question
• Asking a personal question
• Paying them a compliment
• Praising them for learning performance

Use your data to make decisions about how you might increase your positive interactions with these students.  And track the changes you see - positive relationships are sure to increase!

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