How Can I Get Students To Perform Better?

From a Quora Question: As a teacher, what are the techniques you use to encourage learners to perform better?

1. Many students worry about looking stupid in front of others so they quit because quitting is “safe.” If you don’t try, then that is why you fail. If you try and fail, then you might feel stupid. Once students understand that they are not stupid, they simply need to understand their own brain then it is amazing how well they perform.

   
   

2. I have a “real talk” with my students and sincerely explain the value of performing better. If students understand that, then they are more likely to do better because now it is their idea. Doing better becomes a conscious choice. They need to know that it’s not just about their grades, although that is important, it’s more about doing better in life overall. Why? Knowledge is power.

   
   

3. I teach them all about how their brain works and they are very interested in this subject. Once students understand what their brains must do to truly learn, then they perform better willingly. They stop thinking that they are not smart. Instead they understand that if they have not been doing well it’s primarily because they never understood how their brain works and what it needs in order for learning to happen. Here are some of the things I teach them about the brain. (we play brain games to make this engaging)

   
   
   
   

   1. Basic neurotransmission. (Electrochemical process at the synapse)

   2. The “brain recipe” for being smarter or dumber.

   3. I teach them about “brain fog” moments. We ALL have them. This does not mean that a person is dumb. They simply had a moment of confusion.

   4. How forgetting and remembering work at the neuronal level.

   5. Input-throughput-output process

   6. Active listening-what is happening in the brain during this process

   7. LTP-Long Term Potentiation (I relate this to focus and holding a thought long enough to make a memory)

   8. I teach them the power of struggle and what is happening in their brain when they are confused but work through the confusion.

   
   

4. I teach them how to use a scoring guide, have them analyze their own work, the work of their peers and then edit and resubmit. This encourages students to do better and to not give up.

   
   

Final Thought: Teaching students how their brain works is a very powerful strategy that in my experience has greatly improved student performance, attitude, and engagement.