When credential students come back to us and we ask them what they wish they’d gotten more of in our program, they all say the same thing.
“More on motivation, please!”
We know it is an important topic and, so, this week we look into it in several ways, one of which is to look at a harder-to-reach case called Learned Helplessness.
One of the reasons I want to look at Learned Helplessness (LH) is that, often times, we are seeking a magic wand strategy, one that will <bing!> just magically take away what we don’t want to see.
I am here to tell you that there is no magic wand.
There is, though, nuance and a deeper commitment to learning more, more, more, always more.
One of the things it is important to know, then, is that some challenges are a piece of cake, some take a bit of effort, and some…well, you have your work cut out for you! Some you can solve alone. Others, you’ll for sure need a team of professionals throughout the school to aid you. And still others feel like you need the help of everyone you know! Some things can be solved in days, some in weeks, and some - like Learned Helplessness - last for a long time. Knowing where the concern lands on the checklist below can really focus me on strategies and supports!
Let’s learn more about one of the harder-to-reach learners that we’ll refer to as the “reluctant learner."