Re-engaging Students in Learning

Periodically, windows of opportunities arise for providing inservice at schools about mental health and psychosocial concerns. When such opportunities appear, it may be helpful to access one or more of our Center's Quick Training Aids.

Each of these offers a brief set of resources to guide those providing an inservice session. (They also are a form of quick self-tutorial.)    

Most encompass    
  • key talking points for a short training session    
  • a brief overview of the topic    
  • facts sheets    
  • tools    
  • a sampling of other related information and resources
    • In compiling resource material, the Center tries to identify those that represent "best practice" standards. If you know of better material, please let us know so that we can make improvements.

    This set of training aids was designed for free online access and interactive learning. It can be used online and/or downloaded at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu - go to Quick Find and scroll down in the list of "Center Responses to Specific Requests" to Classroom - Focused Enabling. Besides this Quick Training Aid, you also will find a wealth of other resources on this topic.

    Guide for Suggested Talking Points

    1. Brief Overview
    1. Present main points from:

      Re-Engaging Students in Learning at School - Excerpted from the Winter 2002 Addressing Barriers to Learning newsletter (Vol.7, #1).

      1. The introduction provides a brief description of what is happening in schools currently.

      2. Note the section entitled "It's About Motivation - Especially Intrinsic Motivation," which provides information regarding matching individual differences in motivation.

      3. Two Key Components of Motivation: Valuing and Expectations are discussed

      4. Motivation theory is explored

    2. Read More About it... Learner Options and Decision Making to Enhance Motivation and Learning. - Excerpt from Adelman H.S. & Taylor, L. (1993). Learning Problems and Learning Disabilities Moving Forward. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

      1. This article examines the way in which classroom content and outcomes expand to provide a range of interesting options.

  • Fact Sheets/Practice Notes

    1. Talking with Kids

      1. These "practice notes" provide suggestions for engaging youngsters in productive dialogues.

    2. Opening the Classroom Door to Increase Opportunities for Re-Engaging Students

      1. These "practice notes" provide examples of opening the door to assistance and partnerships

    3. Using Volunteers - "Practice notes" excerpted from Volunteers to Help Teachers and School Address Barriers to Learning.

      1. These "practice notes" outline the benefits of using volunteers to help enhance a student's motivation and skills. Volunteers can also help counter the negative effects that arise when a student has a difficulty adjusting to school.

    4. Creating Caring Classrooms & Schools

      1. Learning and teaching are experienced most positively when the learner cares about learning and the teacher cares about teaching. These "practice notes" look at the elements in enhancing classroom approaches for addressing barriers to learning.

  • Tools/Handouts

    1. Using a "Prereferral Intervention Process" to Re-engage Students in Learning

      1. Some steps in Prereferral Intervention

      2. Clarifying Student Perceptions of Disengagement

      3. Clarifying Parent Perceptions of their Child's Disengagement

      4. Guiding the Re-negotiation Process

  • Additional Resources

    1. Quick Find on Student Motivation (printer-friendly format) To view the web-based quick find on Student Motivation click here.

    2. Quick Find on Environments that Support Learning (printer-friendly format) To view the web-based quick find on Environments That Support Learning, click here.

    3. Quick Find on Re-engaging Students in Learning (printer-friendly format) To view the web-based quick find on >Classroom Focused Enabling, click here.

    4. Training Tutorial: Classroom changes to enhance and reengage students in leaning.

  • Originals for Overheads

    • The following can be copied to overhead transparencies to assist in presenting this material.
    1. Barriers to Learning

    2. Learner Options to Enhance Motivation and Learning

    3. Talking with Kids

    4. Opening the Classroom Door to Assistance and Partnerships

    5. Prereferral Intervention and Re-engaging Students in Learning

    This material provided by: UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools/Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563
    (310) 825-3634/ Fax: (310) 206-8716/ Email: smhp@ucla.edu

    Note: Documents in PDF format ( identified with a )
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