Help on building strong student work ethic

[Mister Peter]

I'm a first year high school teacher looking for advice on building a stronger work ethic for my students. My students have a somewhat laid back attitude towards school, most are perfectly willing to get Ds to pass the course and graduate. The problem is that now many are falling behind in class, and while they are not yet failing, they will almost certainly fail by the end of the year unless they work harder in class. Does anyone have any advice as to how to best impress upon them the immediate gravity of the situation?

[Liz/AK]

I wish I knew. I have the same problem with my 4th/5th graders right now. They just don't seem to want to put forth the effort to get the grades.
Maybe with your kids you could get some people from the community, doctors, lawyers, sports frachise owners, to come in and discuss what they look for in employees as far as work ethic is concerned. That might impress upon them a little better the point to all of this work.

[mopar]

One small tip I have used with my students is using projects. I make a project due week. Students can turn the projects in on Monday and this encourages others to create better projects or more interesting projects. Also, anything with computers increases students participation. Making PowerPoints, ComicLife, Blogs, etc. Students love this.

You cannot fix them all, but maybe you can help a few students learn to love learning.

[Spectre]

I, too, wish I had a reliable solution to this, as it seems to be a growing problem all over the country at all grade levels. :confused2:

With middle schoolers, I've found that much of the success you will have with them is tied to your relationship to them. Yes, you read that right. :)

I used to be one of those who scoffed at the notion that:

"they won't care what you know until they know that you care."

It sounded hokey and Pollyanaish, but I've come to see some value in it.

I also have found that doing more "active learning" activities helps. I've been able to turn some science phobic students' heads by showing them that science is more than a school subject.:clap:

[gymnastjlf]

You mentioned that your kids are willing to only work enough to get a D in order to pass. It sounds exactly like my 8th graders (I teach math). I realize in Middle School this might be a little easier to do, but I just raised the standards and expectations -- every assignment was very challenging, and I expected most of them to "fail," at least at first. Essentially, what I did was in order to get a D (their definition of good), they were really doing B or C work. Am I satisfied with this solution? No. But it has forced my students to put forth a little more effort at least.

[Clearly Canadian]

What subject do you teach? Can you demonstrate to the students the very practical nature of learning the material to the outside world? Do your students see a connection between what they are learning in class and their lives outside of school, or their lives outside of school as adults? There are a couple of good youtube videos "Did you know...?" that show how the world is changing and how information is changing. Perhaps showing one of the videos with the intent of getting students to realize the value of what your class offers might encourage them to think beyond a D. Good luck! :waving:

[seastarmath]

I have a similar problem in getting my math students to understand that they actually have to do some work to master the objectives. For example, they have to actually sit down and think about the fact that even numbers are divisibile by two. If it involves putting forth an effort, they do not want to do it. Sometimes I think they KNOW, but just don't want to put forth the effort to "open the file." I am watching this thread for ideas.