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Conquering Student Apathy� �Connection, Choice, Creativity, and Checkpoints

Facilitator: Brooke Johnson

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TIMING: 5 minutes

SAY: We will be using Poll Everywhere twice during this presentation, once at the beginning and again at the end for a final survey. There are two ways to enter your answers. You can use your computer to go to pollev.com/brookejohnson760 and respond to the question on the screen. If you prefer to use your phone so you can keep this presentation up on your screen, first text BROOKEJOHNSON760 to 37607 to activate the survey. Then you will be able to submit your answers.

When you are ready, you will answer the following question: What feelings come to mind when you think about the upcoming school year? You may answer as many times as you like. This will create a word cloud so one-word answers tend to work best.

DO: Wait until the number of answers slows down to begin discussing them. Take time to discuss and support the answers. Learners may raise their hand to speak or comment in the chat. If the time goes past 8 minutes, tell learners we will have time to speak freely at the end of this presentation.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

Producer Notes:

Be sure the poll is activated and answers are appearing on the screen
Post the link in the chat and help learners who are having trouble accessing the word cloud

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Agenda

Causes of Apathy

Tips and Examples for Overcoming Student Apathy

Team or Individual Work Time

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Timing: 1 minute

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SAY: Today we will be examining a common trend reported in education today: apathy. School staff from across the nation have told us that students are less interested, do less homework, and are overall less accountable than in years past.

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SAY: We will be discussing the reasons WHY your students have been acting so apathetic or unmotivated…

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SAY: …We will provide you with tips, examples, and REAL lesson plans that have helped educators overcome student apathy…

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SAY: …and at the end of this presentation, you will have some time to meet with your predetermined teams in breakout sessions. During this time, you will analyze the examples we have provided and create your own apathy-conquering activities to bring back to the classroom this school year.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

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EVERY TEACHER HAS CHANGED A STUDENT'S LIFE FOR THE BETTER…�

… BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE JOB IS EASY.

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Source: NEA

Student Apathy

Poverty

Families Struggle to Support Learning

TIMING: 4 minutes

SAY: The National Education Association surveyed teachers and asked the question; “What are the main reasons that students have difficulty learning and teachers have difficulty teaching in the classroom. I want you to think for a moment. How would you answer this question? These answers were universal across multiple states and school districts.

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SAY: According to the teacher survey, poverty is considered the third largest barrier to learning and teaching.

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SAY: In second, families are struggling more and more to support student learning. This can relate to academics, behavior and emotions, finances, and/or time constraints. Now we will argue there is not a whole lot we can do about these two issues within the confines of a school day. We can’t control the environment in which our students grow up. We can, however…

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SAY: help students with apathetic mindsets.

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SAY: Believe it or not, values like perseverance and motivation can be taught, and they can be taught by us.

SAY:

Explain that we will be moving into breakout rooms for the first time
These are NOT the predetermined breakout rooms we will use at the end of the session to discuss resources within teams
Instead, these are RANDOM breakout rooms (make this sound fun and exciting ☺)

DO: This is a good spot to ask learners if there are any questions or concerns. Be sure to address comments in the chat.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

Producer Notes:

Help monitor questions in the chat
Before advancing to the next slide, make sure the RANDOM breakout rooms are queued and ready to go

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WHY ARE TEACHERS CITING APATHY AS A PROBLEM IN THE CLASSROOM LIKE NEVER BEFORE?

In breakout rooms,

discuss your ideas.

Choose a group member to report out once you have finished your discussion.

Timing: 8 minutes (2 minutes set up, 3 minutes breakout, 3 minutes discussion)

SAY: The question we will be asking you in your randomly assigned breakout rooms is this: Why are teachers citing apathy as a problem in the classroom like never before?

[CLICK]

SAY:

Tell learners we will set the timer on our side of the screen, but they will not be able to see the timer in their breakout rooms
After the timer ends learners will be automatically directed back to the main room
Repeat the question and instructions once more before sending learners into breakout rooms

Producer Notes:

Place learners into randomly assigned breakout rooms when directed
Closely monitor participants in case they get kicked out, leave the breakout room, or have a question
When three minutes is up, bring learners back to the main room

SAY:

Tell the learners the time is up and thank them for participating in the breakout activity
Ask if anyone would like to share their thoughts either by raising their hand to speak or typing a message in the chat
Be mindful that this question may bring up a lot of emotions. Be supportive and an active listener. Thank those who shared.

SAY: The most important aspect to remember is that apathy is not personal and there are explicit reasons as to why it can occur.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

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What Causes Feelings of Apathy?

Source: The Jed Foundation

Negative self-image and self-talk, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, or incompetence.

Poor Self-Esteem

Abuse, neglect, mental illness, incarcerated relatives, domestic violence, substance abuse, divorce

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Changing schools, classrooms, seating arrangements, breakups, friend dynamics

Trouble Adjusting to New Situations

Feeling like hard work at school is not being acknowledged or rewarded, work is unfulfilling

Feeling Overwhelmed or Burned Out

Lessons not directly related to student’s lives, students are not able to showcase their talents throughout the day

Perception of Irrelevance

Timing: 5 minutes

SAY: Students, and adults as well, are not apathetic or even simply indifferent to school for a lot of personal reasons. I’m sure you have discussed these reasons often: cell phones, family factors, social anxiety. While the personal reasons may change, The Jed Foundation has identified five overarching explanations for apathy.

SAY:

Introduce the causes of apathy one at a time (left side of the table)
Then, go back and explain each, using the examples on the right side of the table
When reading through the descriptions, be sure to NOT read the slide verbatim. Use the learner’s prior knowledge to highlight certain aspects and go off script.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

Producer Notes:

Click through the left and right sides of the table as the facilitator is speaking
It is a good idea to practice this slide ahead of time with the facilitator to ensure timing is alligned

Producer Notes:

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REALITY:

You explicitly teach SEL strategies to promote grit and motivation, but it seems like not enough

SOLUTION:

Integrate lessons, discussions, and activities to conquer apathy in the everyday classroom

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Apathy Can Be Conquered

Community Projects

Checkpoints

Formative Assessments for PBL

Creativity

Activities to Develop Creativity

Choice

Project Based Learning (PBL) Examples

Connection

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HOW WILL

YOUR STUDENTS CONQUER APATHY THIS SCHOOL YEAR?

In breakout rooms, choose at least ONE activity you will implement in the classroom to conquer apathy this year.

Be prepared to report out once you have finished your discussion.

Timing: 20 minutes (2 minutes set up, 15 minutes breakout, 3 minutes discussion)

SAY: This is the breakout session where you will meet in the teams determined by your building principal. Building principals, anyone else who doesn’t have a group, or anyone who needs to switch groups, please remain in the main room and we will assign you from there. If you get assigned to the wrong room, return to the main room and we can help you.

Your teams will be focusing on this question: How will YOUR students conquer apathy this school year? Please feel free to integrate the resources provided or create your own ideas. Out goal is to have every person who works with kids to have at least ONE apathy-conquering lesson, discussion, or activity planned for this upcoming school year.

[CLICK]

SAY:

Tell learners we will set the timer on our side of the screen, but they will not be able to see the timer in their breakout rooms
After the timer ends learners will be automatically directed back to the main room
Repeat the question and instructions once more before sending learners into breakout rooms

Producer Notes:

Place learners into pre-assigned breakout rooms when directed
Help participants to join the correct breakout rooms if they have not been assigned or have been assigned the wrong group
Closely monitor participants in case they get kicked out, leave the breakout room, or have a question
When fifteen minutes is up, bring learners back to the main room

SAY:

Tell the learners the time is up and thank them for participating in the breakout activity
Ask if anyone would like to share their thoughts either by raising their hand to speak or typing a message in the chat
Remind groups that they are encouraged to share their ideas with colleagues and can add their lessons to the group folder that will be shared out with all participants

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

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LET’S RECAP:

Apathy is a problem many teachers are facing.

Apathy can be conquered through connection, choice, creativity, and checkpoints.

Be sure to share resources with your team, district, and our community. It takes a village!

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TIMING: 5 minutes

SAY: We will be using Poll Everywhere again our final survey. Again, there are two ways to enter your answers. You can use your computer to go to pollev.com/brookejohnson760 and respond to the question on the screen. If you prefer to use your phone so you can keep this presentation up on your screen, first text BROOKEJOHNSON760 to 37607 to activate the survey. Then you will be able to submit your answers.

When you are ready, you will answer four questions regarding today’s training. Answers are anonymous and help us continually improve the program.

DO: Give participants 4-5 minutes to access and complete the survey.

[ADVANCE SLIDE]

Producer Notes:

Be sure the poll is activated before participants begin to join
Post the link in the chat and help learners who are having trouble accessing the survey

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Contact Information

Brooke Johnson

brooke.johnson414@gmail.com