Student Well-Being Chat

Helping Students Motivate Themselves

Longtime community organizer Larry Ferlazzo joined us for a lively chat to talk about techniques he uses in his classroom to help students to motivate themselves to learn, which is the subject of a new book he’s written set to be published this spring.

Helping Students Motivate Themselves

Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 2 p.m. Eastern time
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Helping Students Motivate Themselves

(04/12/2011)

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10:09

edweekbryan:
Good morning, folks. We’ve just opened the chat up for questions, so please submit any you have down below. We’ll be back at 2pm EDT with guest Larry Ferlazzo -- see you then!

Tuesday April 12, 2011 10:09 edweekbryan

1:58

edweekbryan:
Hi, all, the chat will be getting underway in just a few minutes. Thanks for all the questions so far - keep them coming! And as a reminder, we’ll have a transcript of today’s chat available within an hour after the chat ends.

Now, I’m tossing it over to today’s moderator, Mary Ann Zehr, and we’ll get underway shortly.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 1:58 edweekbryan

2:00

Mary Ann Zehr:
Good afternoon, everyone. Our guest today is Larry Ferlazzo, an English and social studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. As a teacher, Larry draws on what he learned during his long-time career as a community organizer. He’ll talk with us today about how to help students motivate themselves. I had the pleasure of meeting Larry a few years ago when I visited his school to report on English-language learners.

Larry what would you like to say about yourself?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:00 Mary Ann Zehr

2:01

Larry Ferlazzo:
Hi, everybody. Happy to be here. I teach at Sacramento’s largest inner city high school, Luther Burbank

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:01 Larry Ferlazzo

2:01

Larry Ferlazzo:
I was a community organizer for nineteen years prior to becoming a teacher.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:01 Larry Ferlazzo

2:01

Larry Ferlazzo:
And I play basketball a lot, though my skill level peaked at mediocre thirty years ago.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:01 Larry Ferlazzo

2:01

Mary Ann Zehr:
A lot of the questions today relate to motivating subgroups of students. Let’s start with boys.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:01 Mary Ann Zehr

2:01

[Comment From PatPat: ]
My concern is high school boys. Many gifted or bright boys see no future in education, skate through as easy as possible and then go one to no further training or education dooming themselves to lower paying jobs. Any ways to make education more relelvant?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:01 Pat

2:02

Larry Ferlazzo:
Relevance is a key prerequisite, I think (and many studies reinforce), for any lesson. One simple lesson that has been found to be effective in studies, and in my own classroom, is showing students statistics of income and unemployment levels by educational attainment. Even showing stats on the fact that people who go to school longer are healthier can be useful. In my lessons on personal responsibility, and in other lessons, connecting the qualities to the successes that sports figures have had can also be useful. I have students learn about visualizing success by seeing videos of athletes doing it, and how ultimate fighters use the strategy.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:02 Larry Ferlazzo

2:03

Larry Ferlazzo:
Teachers developing relationships with students to learn their hopes and dreams is critical so that lessons can be connected to them.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:03 Larry Ferlazzo

2:05

Larry Ferlazzo:
In many ways, it’s a matter of developing an individual strategy for each student.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:05 Larry Ferlazzo

2:05

Larry Ferlazzo:
I think for boys or for girls, learning self-interests through relationships, and helping connect those interests, and being flexible, is the key

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:05 Larry Ferlazzo

2:06

Mary Ann Zehr:
Are there any differences between motivating boys versus girls?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:06 Mary Ann Zehr

2:07

Larry Ferlazzo:
Showing the stats on income levels has been shown to be particularly successful with boy. In addition, having students write a short reflection four times a year about values and experiences that are important to them have also been shown to be particularly effective with boys as a way to help motivate them.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:07 Larry Ferlazzo

2:07

Larry Ferlazzo:
I share that lesson in my book.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:07 Larry Ferlazzo

2:08

Larry Ferlazzo:
I think, though, the key of leading with one’s ears instead of one’s mouth is a guiding principle that can be effective with all students.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:08 Larry Ferlazzo

2:08

Mary Ann Zehr:
Another reader has a question about students with learning disabilities. Any advice in particular for motivating such students.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:08 Mary Ann Zehr

2:08

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
I’m a parent of an upcoming high schooler. What’s the best way to motivate a student with a learning disability/ADD? He has been in general ed classes, has an IEP for RSP. This will continue in high school.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:08 Guest

2:09

Larry Ferlazzo:
Helping students understand that the brain is like a muscle and can actually physically grow as we learn is very important for all students, particularly those with disabilities. I do a lesson where students first need to answer the question “Do you think the brain is like a muscle that can grow and get stronger and smarter, or are you born as smart as you’re going to be and that’s it?” Invariably, students with learning disabilities will go for the second option – they have often being labeled as “dumb” in the past. After the learn how the brain works, all students choose the second option.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:09 Larry Ferlazzo

2:09

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a question about what approaches to use for student motivation.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:09 Mary Ann Zehr

2:09

Larry Ferlazzo:
Actually seeing a video of neurons growing in a brain as it learns something new can be a powerful experience.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:09 Larry Ferlazzo

2:09

[Comment From janejane: ]
I know you discourage the use of incentives (and I agree); however, do you ever find it necessary to use incentives. How do you manage them?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:09 jane

2:11

Larry Ferlazzo:
Jane, n the world as I would like it to be, I would never use incentives. In the world as it is, however, I would be shocked to find any teacher who didn’t use them sometimes.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:11 Larry Ferlazzo

2:11

Mary Ann Zehr:
So what incentives have you used, Larry?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:11 Mary Ann Zehr

2:11

Larry Ferlazzo:
The keys are, do you TEND to not use them or TEND to use them. And do you have a strategy to wean people off of them.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:11 Larry Ferlazzo

2:12

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a reader who would like you to be more concrete.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:12 Mary Ann Zehr

2:12

[Comment From pampam: ]
Can you please explain more this satement: learning self-interests through relationships, and helping connect those interests, and being flexible, is the key

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:12 pam

2:12

Larry Ferlazzo:
Sure, I just would like to talk a little bit more about incentives

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:12 Larry Ferlazzo

2:13

Larry Ferlazzo:
When I’ve had a out of control class, I’ve used a point system, which I describe in the book. After a few weeks, though, and a weaning process is complete, students can find that being on the points system, which was an incentive a few weeks earlier, now becomes an disincentive.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:13 Larry Ferlazzo

2:14

Larry Ferlazzo:
They want to be off of it, because being on it becomes a sign of not being able to control themselves.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:14 Larry Ferlazzo

2:14

Mary Ann Zehr:
And while you are adding some details to answer Pam, here are requests from others for more details:

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:14 Mary Ann Zehr

2:14

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
Can you give some specific examples of things you do to do build your relationships with students and individualize your motivation strategies to them? I try to do this, but struggle with the sustainability of it with 50+ students.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:14 Guest

2:15

[Comment From Eric@NWEAEric@NWEA: ]
Larry, you seem to be saying that the positive relationship between teacher and student has to be established first, and then the student will work with the teacher to explore how learning will serve that student. Is this the way you see it?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:15 Eric@NWEA

2:15

Larry Ferlazzo:
Pam, by learning from students what gives them energy, how they spend their time, what their hopes and dreams are, I can go to them -- during lessons,and during behavior issues, and ask them if what they are doing now will help them get to where they want to go?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:15 Larry Ferlazzo

2:17

Larry Ferlazzo:
Having students complete a short survey at the beginning of school, having them write a letter to me about their interests, are two ways to get started on knowing their self interests

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:17 Larry Ferlazzo

2:18

Larry Ferlazzo:
Making just a couple of minutes each class period to check in with a couple of students allows me to have individual time with each student regularly

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:18 Larry Ferlazzo

2:19

Larry Ferlazzo:
Having students complete personal goal sheets, highlighting both learning goals (wanting to read a more challenging book) and performance goals (I want to get an A) is another tool

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:19 Larry Ferlazzo

2:19

Mary Ann Zehr:
Larry, here’s your chance to speak to principals. What can they do to support teachers to help students motivate themselves?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:19 Mary Ann Zehr

2:19

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
What can principals do to make what you’re describing happen in every classroom?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:19 Guest

2:19

Larry Ferlazzo:
Studies show that having student focus on learning goals helps with performance goals, instead of the other way around.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:19 Larry Ferlazzo

2:21

Larry Ferlazzo:
A recent study, highlighted in Ed Week, that reviewed hundreds of other studies on social emotional learning (SEL), which is really what we’re talking about, showed that having teachers do simple classroom lessons instead of buying into pre-packages programs, results in the biggest academic improvements.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:21 Larry Ferlazzo

2:22

Larry Ferlazzo:
Principals, I think, need to meet with teachers, learn their self interests and goals, and help them see how doing some of these kinds of relationship building activities and lessons will help them achieve these self interests

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:22 Larry Ferlazzo

2:22

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a question that I think might be down your alley, given that you author a blog about using technology in the classroom.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:22 Mary Ann Zehr

2:22

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
How might you use technology in the classroom as an INDIVIDUAL motivation technique?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:22 Guest

2:22

Larry Ferlazzo:
I actually have a chapter about that in my book.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:22 Larry Ferlazzo

2:23

Mary Ann Zehr:
Give us a few ideas here.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:23 Mary Ann Zehr

2:24

Larry Ferlazzo:
There are lots of free, easy online tools. The key is to identify the ones that provide opportunities for higher level thinking. Instead of just playing learning games, students can easily create their own learning games.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:24 Larry Ferlazzo

2:24

Larry Ferlazzo:
Instead of just going on virtual field trips or completing internet scavenger hunts, students can create them.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:24 Larry Ferlazzo

2:25

Mary Ann Zehr:
By the way, you do have a question about learning games.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:25 Mary Ann Zehr

2:25

[Comment From Randall FRandall F: ]
Do you see project-based lessons and/or game-based learning as particularly motivating activities for students?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:25 Randall F

2:25

Larry Ferlazzo:
The more we can promote learner autonomy and choice, the more motivated students will feel.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:25 Larry Ferlazzo

2:26

Larry Ferlazzo:
I’m a big believer in project-based learning and problem-based learning -- using online tools or not. Study after study tells us that cooperative learning helps students feel motivated.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:26 Larry Ferlazzo

2:26

Mary Ann Zehr:
Have you had any students who you felt had already given up? What to do about then?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:26 Mary Ann Zehr

2:26

[Comment From Melissa BrownMelissa Brown: ]
What do you do about the student who has already given up? The reluctant reader who does not want to read. The student who does awful on every spelling assessment that you place in front of them, therefore they do not study anymore. How do you motivate those students?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:26 Melissa Brown

2:26

Larry Ferlazzo:
They both get into what William Glasser called the basic human needs of freedom, fun, an power

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:26 Larry Ferlazzo

2:28

Larry Ferlazzo:
We certainly can find those students in our schools. I would just say that there’s no such thing as an apathetic person -- everybody is interesting in something. We just have to work harder at finding what that “something” is. Possibly, at that point, is when incentives come into play.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:28 Larry Ferlazzo

2:29

Mary Ann Zehr:
You gave a bit of advice for school principals. What words of wisdom do you have for school counselors?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:29 Mary Ann Zehr

2:29

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
I work with High School Students as a Schoo Counselor. I find it frustrating working with those students ages 15-18 who have ability to do well, but don’t....Especially with simple tasks like doing homework, coming to school regularly, turning in their homework on time... What can I do to help them without enabling them?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:29 Guest

2:31

Larry Ferlazzo:
School counselors are my heroes. I still can’t understand how often they are some of the first personnel who get laid off. I would refer back to my comment on how nobody is apathetic, and possibly the use of incentives. I’ve certainly offered extra credit points and made all sorts of extrinsic reward deals with some students where nothing else worked in the short term. I always, though, have an exit plan.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:31 Larry Ferlazzo

2:32

Mary Ann Zehr:
Ok, so we’ve spurred you to name some of the incentives you use. Smile.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:32 Mary Ann Zehr

2:32

Larry Ferlazzo:
I also come clean in my book, too. Emerson said consistency is a hobgoblin of little minds.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:32 Larry Ferlazzo

2:33

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a coach who doesn’t have as direct contact with students as teachers do. Words for the coach?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:33 Mary Ann Zehr

2:33

[Comment From DCcoachDCcoach: ]
How can you motivate students as an Instructional Coach working with multiple classes and teachers each week? I am no longer in the classroom - so I don’t have that daily bond with the 400 students which proved so effective as a teacher.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:33 DCcoach

2:33

Larry Ferlazzo:
I’m not sure it is possible for a teacher in an instructional coach role to help students motivate themselves. However, he/she can help mentor classroom teachers to do so. When I was a community organizer, we talked about the difference between “retail” organizing and “wholesale” organizing. Wholesale organizing was working with leaders and potential leaders of institutions like congregations, labor unions and community groups so that they, in turn, could develop others in their organizations. They would do “retail” organizing. It seems to me similar to an instructional coaches role. In organizing, people who are in a situation like that can have a magnified effect. We classroom teachers are the ones who need to do “retail” organizing with the students in our classroom. I also want to emphasize that I don’t think we can motivate anybody. We can cajole, threaten, bribe, but not motivate. We can, however, help students and others identify what will motivate them.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:33 Larry Ferlazzo

2:34

Mary Ann Zehr:
You work in a school with a lot of children from low-income families. Do you think of poverty in the same frame as motivation for learning?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:34 Mary Ann Zehr

2:34

[Comment From Matthew BrewerMatthew Brewer: ]
How important is socio-economic status as a factor for determining motivation strategies? As a teacher in a very poor district, how can I best enable my students to become self-motivated?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:34 Matthew Brewer

2:34

Larry Ferlazzo:
Since countless studies have found that teachers actually control only 30 percent of the factors that affect student academic achievement. Given that, lower-income students can have many more challenges. I’d say this makes the social emotional learning elements of perseverance, self control and others even more important to communicate. With low-income students, and with all students, the key though is not just telling them why it’s important, but to help them see why it’s in their self-interest to want to develop them. In the lessons I use, students are able to read research studies and real-life stories of how developing these attributes can help them now and in the future, and how not developing them can hurt them, too.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:34 Larry Ferlazzo

2:35

Larry Ferlazzo:
The idea of these short lessons, though, is not just the one hour period of time the lessons are done. The key is the regular student and class reflection on them during the year.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:35 Larry Ferlazzo

2:36

Mary Ann Zehr:
Tell us a bit about your work with Hmong refugees, some of whom were teens and attended school for the first time in their lives in Sacramento. How did poverty play into or not play into their success?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:36 Mary Ann Zehr

2:38

Larry Ferlazzo:
I’ve got to say in my experience Hmong immigrants and, in fact, many immigrants from other countries, though they gain a lot from these strategies and lessons, tend to have a pretty high level of perserverance, self control, and personal responsibility to begin with.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:38 Larry Ferlazzo

2:38

Mary Ann Zehr:
Please talk a bit about the importance of parental support.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:38 Mary Ann Zehr

2:38

[Comment From TracyTracy: ]
How do you get students to buy into the idea that their education is important when they are getting the opposite message from the parents?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:38 Tracy

2:39

Larry Ferlazzo:
You’ve got families who were wiling to risk it all for the sake of a better life.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:39 Larry Ferlazzo

2:40

Larry Ferlazzo:
Boy, that’s a tough one. It’s just another example of how teachers can control only 30% of the factors that impact student achievement. All we can do is provide the facts, the studies, be as good a role model as we can...

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:40 Larry Ferlazzo

2:40

Larry Ferlazzo:
Certainly doing home visits and developing relationships with parents and learning their hopes and dreams..

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:40 Larry Ferlazzo

2:40

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a comment.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:40 Mary Ann Zehr

2:40

[Comment From Susan KSusan K: ]
I just watched a fantastic Ted Talk on the ‘antidote to apathy’ by Dave Meslin and though more community centered it still has many relevant points. http://www.ted.com/talks/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy.html?awesm=on.ted.com_96iN

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:40 Susan K

2:40

Larry Ferlazzo:
can help, but there is only so much time in the day.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:40 Larry Ferlazzo

2:41

Larry Ferlazzo:
Susan, That sounds good. I haven’t seen it, and will check it out.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:41 Larry Ferlazzo

2:41

Mary Ann Zehr:
How can the parent in this scenario support his child?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:41 Mary Ann Zehr

2:41

[Comment From RobinRobin: ]
I just spoke with a parent of a 6th grade student who has been having trouble turning in homework, participating in classes and showing teachers what he knows. The student told his dad that he is basically scared of failing, so he just doesn’t try. How do we motivate these students to take the risk to show what they know?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:41 Robin

2:42

Mary Ann Zehr:
Or the educator?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:42 Mary Ann Zehr

2:42

Larry Ferlazzo:
One strategy to consider is the idea of praising effort, rather than intelligence. The more we can reinforce that effort is key – didn’t Edison say something like success is 99% perspiration – the more kids understand that perseverance is critical. Many studies show that perseverance (sometimes called “grit”) and self-control are the two key qualities for success.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:42 Larry Ferlazzo

2:43

Mary Ann Zehr:
Here’s a related question.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:43 Mary Ann Zehr

2:43

[Comment From Michael McGoffinMichael McGoffin: ]
How much does emotional development or a lack thereof impact educational motivation? I have many students who come from difficult family situations who have difficult times coping with every day life. How can we can take the focus from these situations to that of a positive educational situation?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:43 Michael McGoffin

2:43

Larry Ferlazzo:
Helping the parent,and the student, understand the importance of a “growth mindset” (as Carol Dweck calls it) might be helpful

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:43 Larry Ferlazzo

2:44

Larry Ferlazzo:
Helping students see problems as opportunities is one small thing we can do. One of the lessons I use highlights how successful people have used that perspective.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:44 Larry Ferlazzo

2:45

Larry Ferlazzo:
Showing the resiliency is a hallmark of long term success can be a useful tactic.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:45 Larry Ferlazzo

2:45

Mary Ann Zehr:
Is it possible that the strategies you talk about work only with your high school students and not younger children? Here’s a skepic.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:45 Mary Ann Zehr

2:46

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]
I’ve tried most of the things you’ve suggested and I find that the salary, quality of life things are too far disconnected form a middle schoolers mind. Any suggestions to help them see that value of education?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:46 Guest

2:48

Larry Ferlazzo:
Alice Mercer, who teaches at an elementary school here in Sacramento, has applied a number of these concepts, in a somewhat modified way, in her school and has been quite successful. She’s written about it on her blog. Also, in terms of motivation, one of the lessons I do is on the importance of sleep, and student see that if you don’t get enough sleep, you tend to gain weight. In a lesson on personal responsibility, student learn that if you tend to blame others, studies show that you will not be very popular. Those, I think, might be important to middle schoolers.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:48 Larry Ferlazzo

2:49

Mary Ann Zehr:
As a former community organizer, you must be interested in collective impact. How can you scale up individual impact to collective impact?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:49 Mary Ann Zehr

2:49

[Comment From juliosuecojuliosueco: ]
I liked the idea of learning students individual hopes and dreams to understand life goals but in collective societies like Sweden how can we apply the aforementioned from the individual to the collective?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:49 juliosueco

2:50

Larry Ferlazzo:
Many of our individual hopes and dreams can be more easily achieved if we work collectively. For example, one of my classes was particularly interested in learning how to get a better job, and they negotiated with local job training agencies to do a jobs fair on campus -- for students and their families.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:50 Larry Ferlazzo

2:50

Mary Ann Zehr:
The cynics are now coming out of the woodwork. We can’t get off this chat without addressing the trend toward more standardized testing.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:50 Mary Ann Zehr

2:50

[Comment From Randall FRandall F: ]
Do you think our country’s emphasis on standardized testing has led to the lack of motivation in students? If so, aren’t we just fighting an uphill battle trying to motivate our students until the education system changes?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:50 Randall F

2:53

Larry Ferlazzo:
It depends on how much emphasis is put on standardized test prep. If you’re going to spend weeks on test prep, then there is no question that that can be a motivation-killer for students (not to mention for teachers). And the heavier emphasis we put on test prep, which is what will happen the higher stakes we put to them, the more we’ll kill off motivation.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:53 Larry Ferlazzo

2:53

Mary Ann Zehr:
It’s a good sign when parents are concerned about their children’s learning. Any advice for this parent of a 3rd grader?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:53 Mary Ann Zehr

2:53

[Comment From ChrisChris: ]
My son is in 3rd grade and is considered a 2E student because he’s highly gifted and has dyslexia. He’s privately tutored and is at grade level or above. But the problem we have with him is that he does not seem to be motivated to do his best work on homework, or even assignments done in the classroom. We think he’s trying to fit in with other students to show he can do the same work as them (which he does, but it’s extremely sloppy.) He really should slow down and concentrate on his writing, but he just wants to get it done. And he’s actually very good at math but he makes careless mistakes because he rushes through assignments. What can we do as parents to help him see that what matters is to do his best work; not just get it done. We know the process is difficult for him, but he isn’t working to his potential and we want to help him see that he’ll be harmed by that in the long run.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:53 Chris

2:53

Larry Ferlazzo:
However, if you’re in a school like mine where test prep is not a big emphasis, we still face motivation issues

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:53 Larry Ferlazzo

2:55

Larry Ferlazzo:
Praising effort is the key. Doing that will reinforce perseverance. The more that becomes central to how he sees academic work, the more successful, and happier, he will be.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:55 Larry Ferlazzo

2:56

Mary Ann Zehr:
Larry, we are soon going to wrap up this chat. Thank you for your big ideas and small ideas alike. What additional points would you like to make?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:56 Mary Ann Zehr

2:56

Larry Ferlazzo:
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how these kind of strategies are important for the student. They also, I think, make life a lot better for the teacher.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:56 Larry Ferlazzo

2:58

Mary Ann Zehr:
In the meantime, here’s a question that I’ll post as a comment. Addressing it may be beyond the scope of this chat. Larry, could your next book be about helping teachers to motivate themselves? Smile.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:58 Mary Ann Zehr

2:58

[Comment From literacy coachliteracy coach: ]
I know that the focus of the chat is on motivating students. I am a literacy coach and would like to know how can I help teachers motivate themselves toward helping students do the same?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:58 literacy coach

2:58

Larry Ferlazzo:
I feel a lot better about myself approaching students from this perspective of assets instead of deficits. I’d much rather tell a student, “You told me you wanted to work on being more controlled in the classroom because you want to be an ultimate fighter, and need self control in the ring. Is throwing the pencil going to get you there?” then yelling at the kid.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:58 Larry Ferlazzo

2:59

Larry Ferlazzo:
By the way, if people on this chat want to get a 20% discount, Eye on Education is offering it today and tomorrow. You can find the link on my blog.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:59 Larry Ferlazzo

2:59

Larry Ferlazzo:
Do I sound mercenary or what?

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:59 Larry Ferlazzo

2:59

Larry Ferlazzo:
Next book on ELL’s, and then a sequel to this one!

Tuesday April 12, 2011 2:59 Larry Ferlazzo

3:00

Larry Ferlazzo:
Here’s book link: http://www.eyeoneducation.com/bookstore/productdetails.cfm?sku=7181-2&title=helping-students-motivate-themselves

Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:00 Larry Ferlazzo

3:00

Mary Ann Zehr:
Hey, we all have to make a living. Larry, thanks for joining us and thanks for your interest in supporting other teachers.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:00 Mary Ann Zehr

3:00

Larry Ferlazzo:
Thanks to you, Ed Week, and everybody who participated. I learned a lot!

Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:00 Larry Ferlazzo

3:01

edweekbryan:
A huge thanks to Larry for taking time out of his day and answering so many of your questions, to our moderator Mary Ann, and to all of you for joining us! We’re sorry we couldn’t get to every question, but we hope you enjoyed the chat.

As a reminder, a transcript of today’s chat will be available on this page within the hour. Thanks again for joining us today, and as a reminder, we’re kicking off a free webinar right now called Recalibrating Professional Development for Teacher Success. It’s not too late to join in! http://bit.ly/TeacherPD

Have a great rest of the day, all.

Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:01 edweekbryan

3:01

Larry Ferlazzo:
Feel free to contact me on my blog if you have other questions

Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:01 Larry Ferlazzo

3:04

Helping Students Motivate Themselves

Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 2 p.m. Eastern time

Larry Ferlazzo talked about techniques he uses in his classroom to help students to motivate themselves to learn. He draws from his longtime career as a community organizer to help students set and meet goals for themselves in learning and classroom behavior. He combines literacy development with short and rigorous academic lessons on topics such as self-control, personal responsibility, brain growth, and perseverance, and uses many “on-the-spot” interventions—all designed to engage students and connect to their self-interests.

Guests:
Larry Ferlazzo teaches English at Luther Burbank High School, Sacramento’s largest inner-city high school. He writes a popular education blog and has written two books, Building Parent Engagement In Schools and English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies That Work, where he connects what he has learned in his 19-year community-organizing career with his present work in the classroom. He has won numerous awards, including the Ford Foundation’s Leadership For A Changing World Award and the International Reading Association’s Presidential Award for Reading and Technology. His third book, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges, is expected to be published by Eye On Education this spring.

Mary Ann Zehr, assistant editor, Education Week, moderated this chat.