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How to Teach Initiative to High School Students

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How to Teach Initiative to High School Students

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It's never easy to teach students how to take initiative. How do you know which students are comfortable with initiative, and how do you help the ones who need it?

On top of that, how do you know students have mastered initiative for the workplace?

One teacher told us that employers list "initiative" as the biggest issue they face with new employees coming from work-based learning programs.

So how can you motivate your students to take initiative in the classroom and the workplace?
In this post we'll share the five best ways to teach initiative to high school students:

1. Tie your lessons to the end goal

2. Incorporate group work

3. Let students work independently

4. Help students stay productive and be proactive

5. Encourage students to discover connections

Before getting into the details, let's start with a quick definition of what initiative actually is!

What Is Initiative?
Initiative, or "intrinsic motivation," is a 21st Century skill that relates to employees starting projects, developing plans, and executing strategies on their own.
As a result, employers love employees who show initiative. They're great to have on staff, and they're ideal for promotions to middle management or executive teams.

But initiative is not an innate skill. That's why it's so critical for you to teach initiative to your students !
In school and the workplace, goals encourage people to take initiative.
So with that, let's get to it!

1. Tie Your Lessons to the End Goal

This is especially true if the goal is rooted in what your students find important.

But how do you incorporate this into your classroom?

Start by learning more about your students! Find out information such as:
By always tying your classroom instruction to the end goals your students have in mind, they'll be more motivated to put in the effort and go beyond your expectations.

What type of job do they want?

Do they need to go to a technical center or college to obtain that job?

Will they need to be certified in specific skills?

Find this information out and bring it to the forefront of your lessons.

Whether a student is doing clinicals, internships or even working part-time, they should always be aware of their goals.

To tie this into career readiness, it's a good idea to mention that employees should always have some sort of goal, no matter what line of work they pursue.
Group work is a great way to encourage critical thinking and promote teamwork in small groups of students.
Teaching your students to think with this goal-in-mind approach will help them adapt their learning and working styles and show more initiative moving forward!
That's why it's important that you incorporate a way for students to rate their teammates on how helpful they were at getting the tasks completed.
2. Incorporate Group Work in Your Lessons

But to inspire initiative, you need to do more than just have students work in groups. Very often group work can lead to one or two students doing the bulk of the work, while others sit back and agree.

By being upfront about this process, students will be more likely to take initiative so as to not let their team, you, and even themselves down.

By adding this type of pressure, students will work harder and avoid being seen as the "weak link" in the team.

In addition, by promoting this type of collaboration, students will find ways to motivate their classmates to put their best work forward.

Whether it's offering words of encouragement or embracing each person's strengths, your students will try to find what works best to motivate everyone to get the job done.

Overall, the experience of working in groups can give students a new perspective on what motivates themselves and others.
Independence is closely related to initiative both in the classroom and in the workplace.
But that's just one way to teach your students to take initiative! Along with group work, it's important to let students work independently as well.

3. Let Your Students Work Independently

Students will need to learn to manage their time and work effectively without someone constantly there to keep them on task.
In addition, this can be an excellent follow-up after group work because if someone tried to coast off their teammates' work in previous lessons, now their performance is all on their own shoulders!
If you let students work independently, you're showing them you trust they will get the work done.

You're also giving them practice with making decisions on how much time to dedicate to certain aspects of the assignment.

That's not to say you should be 100% hands-off, as someone is bound to have a question here or there.

But in general, if you give students the reigns of their learning, they will be more responsible and motivated to show you they can be trusted to get everything done.
Whether in class or in the workplace, it's inevitable that your students will run into chunks of "downtime" after finishing a project or task.
However, the one problem with students working independently is that some will finish quicker than others and be left waiting. That's where our next tip comes into play!

4. Help Students Stay Productive & Be Proactive

This downtime is where initiative can decline. Students who finish classwork more quickly than others may not know what to do next.

In order to help your students stay productive and proactive, it's smart to address these situations before they occur!
These could be anything from answering a question in their class journals to completing an additional worksheet.
Develop Extra Tasks

One way to help students stay productive is to assign "extra" tasks for students to complete throughout the semester.

No matter what the task is, the most important aspect is that it relates to the topics you're covering in class and rewards students for going above and beyond.
Open-ended questions like "What else do you know about the topic?" can work well. At the beginning of class, ask students what they think would be a good use of their time once they've completed their assessment or activity.
Use Bonus Questions

If some of your students finish assessments more quickly than others, you can add a "bonus" question at the end of certain quizzes or tests.

By asking students to fill out this section, you're helping them stay productive after an assessment and giving them a chance to show what else they know!
Some teachers try to inspire initiative in their students by directly addressing why they should learn what's being taught.
Get Student Input

This can be a great way to get students proactively involved in deciding how they can stay productive. Talk about showing initiative!

This idea of getting students involved also relates directly to tip number five!

5. Encourage Students to Discover Outside Connections

While it can be tempting to dictate what's important, it can sometimes be more effective to have students make those connections themselves!

Depending on the topic you're teaching, ask students to think about questions such as:

Why do you think we're learning this?

When would someone use this information/skill in their career?

Where have you seen someone use this information/skill before?

You can either ask these questions in classroom discussions or for students to answer in their class journals.

No matter how you implement this idea, having students make the connection to the workplace will give them more motivation and initiative to learn!

Need to Teach Initiative and More 21st Century Skills?

Initiative is a tricky topic to teach for most career readiness educators. For many, it can appear more like an innate trait that a student either has or doesn't have rather than a hard skill that can be learned. Luckily, that isn't the case.

In this article, you've discovered five strategies to better teach initiative in your classroom. If you use these strategies and run with them, your kids will be well on their way to becoming proactive thinkers and planners.

However, initiative isn't the only essential 21st century skill out there. To succeed in the workplace, students these days also have to learn essential abilities like critical thinking, leadership, collaboration, and more.

If you want help teaching all of these and more, check out this Ultimate Guide to Teaching 21st Century Skills. This 30-page guide goes in-depth into 12 critical skills every student should develop to succeed in their future careers. Along the way, you'll learn what each skill means, why they're important, and how to teach them to secondary school students:

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How to Teach Initiative to High School Students

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Are you trying to keep your students motivated in class and the workplace? Do you wish you had a way to teach initiative? Learn five ways to...

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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Improving Students' Initiative - Differentiating Instruction and Practice

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Improving Students' Initiative - Differentiating Instruction and Practice

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By Vicki Gibson, Ph.D.

Practically speaking, differentiating instruction means teaching differently, or changing how instruction and practice occur in schools to enhance instructional effectiveness and increase student achievement. It means changing how we teach and how students practice using whole class and small group activities. It includes teaching and practice activities that are data-informed, student-focused, purposeful and productive. Classroom management is orderly and efficient. So, how do we make this happen in schools? We begin by changing our thinking, then our habits.

Imagine a school day that begins with a whole class activity. The teacher quickly reviews previously taught vocabulary or concepts or skills, engaging background information. Then, new information is presented as an overview as the teacher introduces key vocabulary word meanings and big ideas. The teacher uses a graphic organizer to summarize information and create a visual roadmap for the lesson journey enabling students to understand the instructional purpose...or why they are learning what they are learning, and how the information will be used in context.

The 10-15 minute overview ends and an orderly, quick transition occurs. One group of students participates in a teacher-led, small group lesson whose content and feedback are differentiated, specific to student need. How the teacher presents the lesson varies in response to diverse needs within each small group. While the lesson content or activity may be similar, instruction and pacing are adjusted, or differentiated, to enhance learning and comprehension.

Some students work independently at their desks or in assigned workspaces. Other students begin working in pre-assigned small study groups and/or with assigned peer partners. They complete guided practice activities from previously taught lessons. Students provide feedback to each other while the teacher works with another group.

Everyone is actively engaged in learning and all work is purposeful and productive. In about 20 minutes, a signal is provided and students change activities, some working with the teacher and others completing activities in small study groups or independently. Group memberships, activities and/or assignments may change. All students do not receive the same instruction, nor do they complete the same assignments at the same time.

While this may be easy to imagine, making it happen in classrooms can be challenging. This article defines organizational features of differentiating instruction that will help teachers and students establish routines and procedures for managing simultaneously occurring activities that include whole class and small group differentiated instruction and collaborative and/or independent practice.

Differentiating instruction: An overview

Increasing student failure rates signal the need for changing how we teach and how students learn in classrooms (NAEP, 2009). Providing high quality instruction differentiated to student needs is essential for improving instructional effectiveness for student populations with increasing diversity. Adjusting routines for teaching and practice is often met with resistance because professional development has not been provided. While many available resources describe characteristics of differentiating instruction, fewer resources assist with practical suggestions for making it happen in classrooms (Marzano, 2003; Tomlinson, 2000; Tomlinson & Edison, 2003; Marzano, Norford, Paynter, Pickering & Gaddy, 2001; Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006; Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).

Most of the research to date has focused on teaching skills or strategies to enhance reading performance and comprehension. Less research has identified how to implement small group instruction that is differentiated and specific to student needs. Alternating time periods for whole class and small group activities often involves managing multiple events happening in the classroom simultaneously, thus creating a management challenge. Many teachers and administrators need assistance with getting started. There is a practical process for differentiating instruction:

Data is collected and used to inform decision-making (identifying needs, setting an instructional purpose, selecting curriculum and practice activities).

Students are assigned to small group memberships, usually by similar skill strengths and needs for instruction.

Small group guided practice activities utilize mixed skill groupings allowing students to benefit from collaborative "study group" support.

Daily schedules are adjusted to include 15-20 minute time periods for whole class and small group instruction.

Whole class activities are used for introduction, overview and quick review with students often responding in unison or to a partner to increase interactions and provide more practice opportunities.

Small group activities are used for explicit instruction at the students' instructional level for TEACHING, which is a performance level higher than students can work independently.

Guided practice activities and written assignments include content and skills that have been previously taught and the work is not graded (students may earn points for completing the work); Readability (level of difficulty) is lowered to allow more working memory for applying skills; thus teachers assign slightly less difficult leveled readers for guided practice activities.

Independent work is completed AFTER students receive teacher-led instruction in small group and collaborative, guided practice; this work is typically assessed for grades.

The purpose for differentiating teaching and practice is to increase the quality and quantity of instruction to ensure effective support for learning occurs in classrooms. Changing the behavior of teaching requires examining how instruction and practice are currently provided then analyzing what we teach to ensure curricula and skills are aligned to student needs and meaningful for differentiating instruction (Mathes, Denton, Fletcher, Anthony, Francis & Schatschneider, 2005). Developing an instructional purpose helps teachers identify why they are teaching what they are teaching to a specific student or group of students. Using data to align classroom practices with an instructional purpose is essential for differentiating instruction and practice.

All student work must be academically profitable and productive for improving learning. Most importantly, sufficient high quality, explicit, student-focused instruction in a teacher-led small group must occur before students are expected to practice collaboratively with their peers or independently. Selecting lesson materials and practice activities for instruction that align with the instructional purpose is also necessary. Most importantly, implementation of differentiating instruction requires orderly management in the environment so small group teaching can occur with minimal disruptions.

Managing differentiating instruction

Changing old instructional habits represents some of the most difficult challenges to overcome when getting started with differentiating instruction (Gibson & Hasbrouck, 2009; Marzano, Marzano & Pickering, 2003). The two most frequently asked questions by teachers illustrate concerns associated with differentiating instruction:
What are other students doing while I am working with a small group? How do I get everything done?
Managing the classroom and student behaviors to include flexible grouping and collaboration presents a huge challenge for some teachers whose delivery habit is lecture-format that is followed by independent practice. Survey data from administrators and teachers indicates that they have not received training or professional development that develops their expertise for differentiating instruction effectively for students with increasingly diverse needs (Shanahan, 2008; Stanovich & Stanovich, 2008; Tilly, 2003). Minimal guidance has been provided for evaluating quality teaching and practice, or for monitoring or supporting differentiating instruction (Chen & Chang, 2006; Lyon, 2009).

Having students work collaboratively in small groups for guided practice will require established routines and clearly defined expectations for performance in order for the teacher to provide student-focused, small group instruction - instruction led by a teacher who uses data to plan lessons that address specific student needs (Kosanovich, Ladinsky, Nelson, & Torgesen, 2006; Marzano, 2003; Tomlinson & Eidson, 2003). Establishing routines will provide the structure that clearly helps students know what to do, how to perform successfully, and how to manage the freedom that comes with collaboration and small group work.

Differentiating instruction and practice: Five steps

Changing practice to differentiate instruction works best when teachers create orderly, predictable environments with clearly identified behavioral expectations (Gibson & Hasbrouck, 2009; Marzano, et.al, 2001). There are five steps for establishing routines and implementing changes that create opportunities for differentiating instruction to occur in classrooms:

1. Establishing the environment

2. Using data to inform practice

3. Managing resources

4. Creating routines and procedures

5. Providing high-quality teaching and practice

STEP ONE: Establishing the environment

This step involves organizing the physical environment. Classroom furniture is arranged to include work areas. One area is for small group, teacher-led instruction. That area is often called the teaching table, even though the group may not always officially meet and work at a table. The term teaching table simply communicates a performance expectation to the student. Lessons presented at the teaching table will include new and more challenging content so the teacher's role is to lead, model and teach.

Additional classroom areas will be needed for workstations, or designated areas where students gather and work collaboratively. Usually teachers create 2-4 work areas for small group/partner guided practice activities. This may be done by pushing desks together to form tabletop workspaces or simply directing students to specific areas where they can sit and work on the floor. Dispersing students around the room for collaborative practice activities invites discussion and cooperation to complete assignments. If students need hard surfaces for writing, they can use notebooks or clipboards.

A third work area appears on the Rotation Chart as Worktable. Teachers use the term worktable to denote when students are expected to work independently, either at their desks or table spaces, or in another area specifically designated in the classroom. Because the term is intended to clarify student performance expectations, the worktable may not include a table. Students may work alone at a desk or table, completing independent assignments during the time period designated as the worktable. Often homework assignments are started during worktable time periods. Teachers may assess students' work from the worktable to monitor progress or evaluate achievement.

STEP TWO: Using data to inform practice

This step involves using data to inform teaching. Teachers initially examine evidence (assessment data, work samples, student observations) and identify specific instructional strengths and areas for improvement. Then, using data, teachers develop an instructional purpose to achieve standards-based goals and assign small group memberships. Student memberships may be homogenous (grouped by similar skill) for explicit, teacher-led instruction or heterogeneous (mixed skill groupings) for small group practice.

Collaborative or student-led practice activities using mixed-skill groupings allow students to provide constructive feedback to their peers when the teacher is unavailable. Group memberships are flexible, changing dynamically to align instruction with need, and to accommodate activity choices or available resources (time, equipment, or personnel). Data is constantly used to inform teaching and make instructional adjustments for grouping and differentiating instruction and practice.

STEP THREE: Managing resources

An important step for implementing efficient and effective instruction involves managing resources to ensure high quality learning experiences occur daily. Efficient time management is essential; therefore, teachers develop daily schedules that clearly identify when small group and whole class activities will occur. These tools assist teachers with managing time and student participation during instructional periods:

1. A flexible Daily Schedule that ensures specific time periods are assigned for small group instruction that occurs daily when possible.

2. A Job Chart that delegates classroom responsibilities to students who help with monitoring workstations and distributing materials, thus allowing more time for teachers to focus on instruction.

3. A Rotation Chart that clearly communicates student performance expectations by illustrating group memberships and how participation in instruction and practice activities will occur.

The rotation chart helps students know what to do, how they participate in activities, and when they have choice options in workstations. In addition, the rotation chart serves as a visual roadmap for the teacher to clarify expectations and encourage organizational planning. Students know when they will work with the teacher, their peers or alone. Used with established routines, these tools create an environmental structure that allows students to safely perform within preset boundaries and expectations. Students learn to self-regulate, make responsible choices, and participate successfully.

STEP FOUR: Creating routines and procedures

It is critical that teachers create routines and procedures that facilitate small group management and ensure efficient transitions between activities. Since multiple activities happen simultaneously, routines and procedures are necessary to maintain an efficient yet flexible pace. The rotation chart and daily schedule establish an order for student participation during instructional activities. The job chart is used to delegate responsibilities for clean up and checking student work during transitions. Students work as monitors to check work areas and student assignments.

Teaching and modeling expectations for students will encourage compliance and help establish new habits for efficient classroom participation and collaboration. During initial implementation, teachers should provide frequent practice opportunities using discussions and role play to ensure students clearly understand and can perform expectations for attending to tasks, completing assignments, and making timely transitions. When teachers consistently enforce routines, they report significant reductions in behavioral distractions. Thus, more time and attention is focused on effective instruction.

STEP FIVE: Providing high quality instruction and practice

Improving the quality and quantity of instruction provided in whole class or small group instruction is the purpose of differentiating instruction. However, improving instruction comes after managing the classroom and student behaviors. Once classroom routines are operating efficiently, teachers can focus and teach differently using small group lessons. Some basic procedures for getting started are included here.

Use data to group students for instruction and practice.

Teaching in small groups is documented in the research for increasing opportunities for successful teaching and learning (Gersten, 2001; Gersten & Domino, 2001; Gibson & Hasbrouck, 2009; McLeod, Fisher, & Hoover, 2003). Assigning students to small groups occurs more often in lower elementary classrooms, but providing student-focused differentiated teaching and practice is less common, especially in upper elementary, middle school and high school. Elementary teachers are more likely to group students for reading instruction, and sometimes math, but often, the teaching and activities for each group are not differentiated and responsive to diverse student needs.

Effectively providing high-quality differentiated instruction involves more than grouping and simply moving students from one activity to another. Merely assigning students to small groups and having them move between activities at workstations does not guarantee that teaching is changed within a small group lesson or practice activity is meaningful or productive. In that sense, grouping represents only a procedural change in how instruction is delivered.

Change teaching and practice to address specific student needs.

Determining what content or skills will be presented in whole group lessons or taught in small group lessons will require reflection about the instructional purpose and expectation for outcomes. The instructional purpose, content, method of delivery (teaching), and feedback must be student-focused in order to differentiate instruction. That means teachers may need to adjust the lesson presentation (increasing talking, providing pre-reading or vocabulary instruction, or adding more modeling) or the lesson content (instructional purpose, pacing or how much/how fast) to differentiate teaching and learning. Similar materials and activities may be used in whole class overview introductions then presented again for teacher-led small group lessons.

Increase student interactions and adjust activities to goals.

In whole class, the instructional purpose is to provide a quick review of previously taught information and then, the teacher may introduce new content and have students repeat information to a peer partner nearby. In small group, the instructional purpose is to develop sufficient understanding so students can continue learning. Partnering is also used in small groups for repeated practice.

Teach using small group lessons that allow you to differentiate instruction.

The teacher may change the pacing and lesson difficulty by beginning the lesson at a different entry level or by extending the challenge to a higher level of difficulty. The teaching (purpose, content, and pacing) is adjusted, or differentiated, to enhance student learning. The way a teacher introduces, models and uses materials to differentiate instruction may differ between groups, even using the same content or materials or activity. Most important for differentiating instruction is what the teacher does to adjust teaching and practice so it is learner-friendly and productive before students work collaboratively in small study groups with peers or independently.

Changing how we teach and how students practice will require differentiating teacher preparation and professional development to ensure classroom management and high quality instruction will occur in classrooms. Additionally, professional development may be needed for "teaching teaching " and improving instructional effectiveness within whole class and small group lessons.

Summary

Differentiating instruction means teaching differently, and the changes to make that happen in classrooms often departs from traditional habits and practice, presenting a management challenge. Establishing routines and procedures for organizing resources (classroom space, time and materials or activities) and implementing changes will be necessary. Stakeholders, administrators and teachers, must clearly identify and articulate how the change process will occur to establish well-managed classrooms, and provide support for teachers, students and parents. Differentiating instruction and practice will ensure teaching and learning are purposeful and productive at any grade level - so let the changes begin.

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Differentiating Instruction and Practice: Practical Steps for Implementation

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By Vicki Gibson, Ph.D. Practically speaking, differentiating instruction means teaching differently, or changing how instruction and practice occur in schools to enhance instructional effectiveness and increase student achievement. It means changing how we teach and how students practice using whole class and small group activities.

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Learners with Mastery Goals vs. Performance Goals

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Learners with Mastery Goals vs. Performance Goals

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When you look around, do you notice what you need to notice? Have you ever wondered why there are some people who can see things that other people just don't see? It seems like some people just have this knack for looking around and noticing things others don't. Maybe they notice there are three crooked pictures on the wall or three people wearing orange shirts. Sometimes they might even notice a job to be done-like a spilled glass of soda or an overflowing trashcan.

Many kids are great at noticing what's going on around them. Think about all the times this past week when you heard something like:

"Dad, the trash is overflowing... again. Someone should take it out."

"Mom! My uniform is still in the wash. I need it for today's game!"

"I'm BORED!"

"Ugh! The lawn is FILLED with DOG POO!"

They are quick to tell us something needs to be done, then go about doing something else-as if it were always our job is to take care of the situation.

It's not that our kids are ungrateful or lazy. It's not even they don't to help. Maybe they've just never been invited to help or don't understand they can take initiative and do it themselves.

What if our kids could grasp what my old pastor Jeff Manion used to say, "They is you"?
They is you.
On the surface, it might not make sense but here's the gist: We see things that need to be done all the time . . . But often, we figure it's someone else's job and think, "they should really do something about that."

Well, what if "they" should actually be "you"?

I wonder if this is where we start when we teach our kids about initiative:

I'll be honest, this is often easier said than done. Remember the time I let my son help take out the trash ? Letting kids take initiative and do the work themselves takes time and effort. It's easier to do the work ourselves and get on with our day, but that's doesn't help our kids in the long-term. If our goal is to raise adults, we need to put in the hard work now so our kids will thrive later.

But when you break it down, it doesn't have to be so hard. Here are four ways to make "they is you" part of the way your kids see the world around them:

1. Model It

We probably don't go around announcing that we see the trash overflowing then tell everyone we're going to take it out to the trash bin. That might be ridiculous. But when it comes to kids, they often need help making connections between what they see and what they can do about it. When we talk about the ways we're taking initiative, our kids see it in action and can learn how to take initiative in their own life.

2. Let Them Do It

Kids can do more than we expect. It's often easier or faster to do the job ourselves, but why not give your kids a chance to put initiative into practice. If they come to you with a problem, help them think through how they could follow through and solve the problem. Then, let them do it. It might not be perfect, but at least they're learning what it means to see something and do something about it. Empower your kids to know they have what it takes to get the job done. If they feel like they're able to show initiative, chances are they will.

3. Be Prepared

My wife had the brilliant idea of setting up the house so our kids can do a job when they see it needs to be done. There are cleaning kits in each of the bathrooms in our house. The washers/driers are front-loaders and the laundry detergent is at kid level. Each of the kids has their own laundry basket. We put games and books for the kids on the bottom shelves. Chargers for technology are accessible. Everything in our house is thought through to give our kids a chance to help. They know if they need something they have access to what it takes to complete the job. Sure they might need help sometimes, but they're empowered to begin the job on their own. They're able to take part in making our home run smoothly.

4. Praise The Effort Not The Result

Just because they're doing the job doesn't mean they're always going to get it perfect. If we get mad or frustrated at them for how they do the job, they may not want to risk taking initiative another time. Celebrate them for taking a moment to try and do something they saw needed to be done. When it comes to initiative, starting and finishing the job is what matters; their skills to accomplish the job with excellence will develop over as they continue to practice.

Research proves that kids who demonstrate initiative are more successful in the long run. They get better grades, find themselves in less trouble, and show increased resilience when faced with difficulty. The more we can help our kids learn the valuable lessons of initiative while they are young, the more prepared they'll be to face the world when they grow up.

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4 Ways to Teach Your Kids Initiative - Parent Cue

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A community created to help parents do family better. We create helpful blog content, a weekly podcast, and a library of free resources.

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How to Promote the Intrinsic Desire to Learn

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How to Promote the Intrinsic Desire to Learn

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How to Promote the Intrinsic Desire to Learn

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Rather than relying on grades as external motivators, teachers can help students develop intrinsic motivation by providing opportunities for autonomy and building their sense of competence.

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Taking Your Activities to the Next Level: Show Initiative!

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Taking Your Activities to the Next Level: Show Initiative!

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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Taking Initiative: A Key to Success is Seizing the Opportunity

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The Science of Taking Action | Steve Gargulio

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The Science of Taking Action | Steve Gargulio

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The Science of Taking Action | Steve Garguilo | TEDxCarthage

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To Increase Student Engagement, Focus on Motivation

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To Increase Student Engagement, Focus on Motivation

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Teachers can motivate middle and high school students by providing structure while also allowing them some control over their learning.

A 2018 Gallup study found that as students get older, they become less engaged, or " involved, enthusiastic, and committed." The study contained some alarming findings: In fifth grade, most students (74 percent) report high levels of engagement with school. However, by middle school, only half of students are engaged, and by high school the number of engaged students shrinks to about one-third.

Student engagement continued to be a pressing concern for parents and educators during and after the pandemic. Approximately half of parents (45 percent), 77 percent of administrators, and 81 percent of teachers said that keeping students engaged was difficult during remote learning. In addition, 94 percent of educators considered student engagement to be the most important metric to look at when determining student success. Gallup found that students who are engaged with school not only report achieving higher grades but also feel more hopeful about their future.

Student motivation

Engagement and motivation are separate, related, but often confused. Motivation is the driving force that causes a student to take action. Engagement is the observable behavior or evidence of that motivation. Motivation is necessary for engagement, but successful engagement could also help students to feel motivated in the future.

In my book The Independent Learner, I discuss how self-regulated learning strategies help students to increase their motivation and willingness to engage in learning because they create feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. According to research by Ryan and Deci, these are the three components that facilitate motivation:

Autonomy is a "sense of initiative and ownership in one's actions."

Competence is a "feeling of mastery" and a sense that with effort a student can "succeed and grow."

Relatedness is when the school setting "conveys respect and caring" that results in the student feeling "a sense of belonging and connection."

Motivating students in the classroom

It is important not to confuse engagement with entertainment. In an EdWeek survey, researchers found that the entertaining activities that teachers expect to engage students are not necessarily working. While the majority of teachers who had increased their use of digital games assumed that games would engage students, only 27 percent of students reported feeling more engaged when digital games were involved. In addition, 30 percent of students said learning was actually less engaging.

So what creates engagement? Gallup found that students who strongly agreed with the following two statements were 30 times more likely to report high levels of engagement with school:

My school is "committed to building the strengths of each student."

I have "at least one teacher who makes me excited about the future."

In other words, engaged students recognize that they have the support of caring adults who are willing to partner with them in their learning.

Not all classrooms create these conditions. Controlling classrooms lower autonomy and motivation and increase student frustration. In controlling classrooms, students avoid challenges because they are afraid of failure. They work toward external rewards or to avoid possible anxiety or shame caused by mistakes. The teacher controls the answers and learning materials and uses language like "should" or "have to," and students feel pressured to behave and achieve.

In contrast, creating classroom environments where students feel autonomy, competence, and relatedness helps students to maintain motivation and increase their engagement in school activities. Classrooms that foster motivation and increase engagement are high in structure but low in top-down control. These classrooms have the following qualities.

Supportive: Teachers support autonomy by listening and attempting to understand and respond to students' perspectives. They look at what a student can currently do and where they need to go to reach the standard or objective, and they help the student by building scaffolds or supports to bridge the gap. This makes achievement toward grade-level content possible, even for learners who are not quite there yet.

Personal and individualized: Students feel like they are able to customize their assignments in order to explore their own interests. Students can also be taught to make their own connections to what they are learning through creating their own hooks for a lesson.

Recognizing students' unique qualities and special talents, getting to know what interests students and incorporating these interests into lessons or assignments, and reaching out to parents with a note or email when a student does something well are all strategies that I use to make learning personal and increase relatedness in the classroom.

Structured and goal-oriented: When teachers give students strategies, provide frequent feedback, and show them how to use those strategies effectively, students are motivated by observing their own progress. Teachers can provide a rationale or standard and guide students in setting short-term mastery goals for each required task. They can also help students to align their daily actions and effort with the results they are hoping to achieve by making a process plan.

I have found that when students graph their own progress or use their process plan as a checklist, this makes growth visual and allows students to see the steps they are accomplishing each day toward their goal. In addition, clear expectations, consistency in classroom structure, clear rules, and set routines are all important.

Collaborative: Teachers provide students with choices and opportunities to partner with the teacher in their learning experiences and show ownership in the tasks that are assigned to them. When teachers encourage students to begin to make choices and take responsibility for their own learning, students see a purpose in school activities.

One way to do this is through using self-assessment to prompt reflection on strategy use. I have students analyze their graded assignments to decide what strategies to keep and what to do differently next time. When students see errors as a signal that they need to reflect on the process and learning strategies they used, they realize there are no real mistakes, just opportunities for learning.

Although the pandemic has been difficult, the majority of students (69 percent) report feeling hopeful about the future. Students who are hopeful and engaged are less likely to get suspended or expelled, have chronic absenteeism, skip school, or drop out of school. When educators put effort into the goal of creating a school environment guided by student engagement, motivation, and autonomy, students can see their own growth. This creates an excitement for learning that helps students to maintain hope for the future even through difficult circumstances.

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To Increase Student Engagement, Focus on Motivation

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Teachers can motivate middle and high school students by providing structure while also allowing them some control over their learning. A 2018 Gallup study found that as students get older, they become less engaged, or " involved, enthusiastic, and committed." The study contained some alarming findings: In fifth grade, most students (74 percent) report high levels of engagement with school.

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How To Show Initiative in School? (8 Easy Ways)

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How To Show Initiative in School? (8 Easy Ways)

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No matter which stage of your education you are in, showing initiative can be a scary and exciting experience.

The more you put yourself out there, the more chances you have of getting better grades, making friends, or earning trust with teachers and faculty. Furthermore, showing initiative early in life can help forge leadership skills and other talents as you grow and adapt.

How do you show initiative in school?
Getting yourself involved in classroom discussions, asking and answering posed questions, putting forth extra effort into projects or homework, and making sure to engage in afterschool activities or office hours with teachers or professors is a great way to show initiative in school.
Furthermore, showing this initiative can help you grow into a professional and hard-working adult.
In this article, we will explore many different ways you can show initiative and participate more in school!
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8 Great Ways to Show Initiative at School:

As we've mentioned, showing initiative is a great part of gaining leadership skills, friendships, responsibility, and talents for later use.

Knowing how to start is the hardest part - especially if you are shy or nervous about involving yourself.
We've listed several ways to get involved and show initiative in school here:
1. Involve Yourself in Classroom Discussions

The biggest way to show initiative - especially to teachers or professors - is to get involved with classroom discussions.

Classroom discussions often involve bouncing ideas around or answering questions with your fellow students who have different opinions. These discussions are meant to grow your knowledge of the subject while also letting you get an idea of how you feel about the subject material.

For students that don't participate in these discussions, the entirety of class may just feel like you are sitting in the corner. There are people who love to listen and observe during discussions, absorbing information, but this doesn't really show initiative.

If you are interested in showing initiative and impressing your professor or teacher, make sure to speak up and try to prep beforehand.
Most classroom discussions aren't surprises - though some can be. They generally begin with reading material that is assigned the night before, so if you are doing the reading and absorbing the information, having an opinion on the subject shouldn't be too far out of your range.
As long as you are able to recreate that opinion in class during discussions, you may find that showing that initiative is easier to do.

This can also be a great way to show courage in school.

2. Join Clubs, Teams or Organizations

You don't always have to show initiative in the classroom.

In any school - usually middle school and above - there are plenty of ways to get involved with your fellow classmates or with clubs or groups:

These are only a few of the many things that could be available at your school. Universities are going to have MANY more than this, but we won't list them all here today.

However, if you don't have options like this available to join, consider getting permission to start your own clubs or programs.
There are plenty of ways to get involved and show initiative by joining, participating in, or even creating your own clubs, groups, or organizations.
If you aren't interested in any of these, consider other methods of showing initiative in this article!

3. Attend Office Hours

Almost all professors and even some high school teachers will offer office hours after school.

This is a great way to show initiative if you are a shy student - one of the easier things to do on this list!

Office hours are meant to be one-on-one or small group study sessions or a designated time to ask the professor questions that you are too nervous or embarrassed to ask during class in front of your peers.

It may also be a great way to ask your teacher or professor what their expectations are of you and how you can do better in class.
Furthermore, a one-on-one private session may be a good way to express to your teacher or professor that you are shy and are actively listening in class but do not want to be too outgoing or open during the actual class time. This helps them get a better idea of who you are, how you learn, and what you are comfortable with.
Finally, attending and being an active participant in office hours is a great way to show the professor or teacher that you are doing your best in the subject, even if you aren't loud in class.

4. Extra Effort (Projects, Homework, Performances, Presentations)

Sometimes the best thing you can do to show initiative in school is to put forth 110% on your classwork.
Whether that is homework, essays, presentations, or projects, showing that you actually care about your performance and your grade or score is definitely noticeable, and professors and teachers will appreciate it.
Furthermore, the more effort you put into your projects or homework, the better grade you are more likely to get.

So, while showing initiative can impress faculty and other students, doing hard work or going to office hours can help boost your GPA - which can come handy in the future.

5. Ask Questions & Make Mistakes

This is in the same vein as participating in classroom discussions, but asking questions and making mistakes in class is a huge show of initiative.

Many people don't speak up in classes, meetings, or public events because they are afraid of saying something foolish and being made fun of by people who are there.
In school, being made fun of after asking questions can be a crippling fear that causes many students to keep quiet and never ask questions. If you never ask questions, you end up not really understanding the material - even if you get a passing grade.
Often, students who don't ask questions in high school will enter college with an acceptable GPA but not a full understanding of specific information that other students will.

This can set you back and cause you to have a tougher experience later in college or even in a master's degree.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes - take the initiative and ask questions!
6. Enter Competitions

There are some schools that host competitions or drawings in order to win an item or event.
This isn't very common, but it can be a great way to get involved and show initiative in school events. For example, homecoming events, prom, or even random giveaway raffle drawings can pop up during the school year.
If you join in, enter your name, or even just be part of the exciting and interesting school developments and events that occur, people are more likely to remember you or congratulate you if you win!

This can also be a good reason to start creating a personal journal, so you can keep track of it.

7. Volunteer

We've all been told that volunteering can look good on college and job applications.

While there is some debate about how much it factors into your future success, volunteering is a great way to meet people, do some good, and sometimes learn about hardships that are going on out in the world.
You can help clean a community park, work at a soup kitchen, organize donations to families during the holidays, work concession stands at your school's sports games, or even help decorate for school functions and events!
Volunteering is a great way to show initiative to faculty and other students - expressing that you are a person who gives back and isn't afraid to get your hands dirty!

8. Run For an Office or Elected Position

There are student councils and elected positions in any school or university.

Even middle schools hold class president and council elections, which are meant to teach responsibility and democracy while still keeping it simple and easy enough for students to understand.
Furthermore, if you are someone who is trying to show initiative and get noticed, running for an office position gives you great excuses to meet people, spread a message you care about and get your name out there!
Even if you don't get elected, students and faculty are more likely to see you as a person who tries their best and isn't afraid to stand up for what they believe in.

Does Showing Initiative Matter When Teachers Evaluate Students?

Especially in college, your grade can sometimes be affected depending on your participation or how much you speak in class.

Now, you do have the option to speak to your professor and tell them that you have social anxieties or are shy and prefer not to speak in class.

They will take this into account when they grade you but may suggest that you show initiative in other ways instead.
Still, missing classes, never speaking, asking very little questions, and not putting in a ton of effort into projects may hurt your grade and will cause your evaluation to come back negative.
If you would like to get a better grade or avoid missing out on something positive in class, consider showing initiative and make sure to remind your teacher and students that you are excited about learning and will put your best foot forward!

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How To Show Initiative in School? (8 Easy Ways) -

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No matter which stage of your education you are in, showing initiative can be a scary and exciting experience.

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The Power of Taking Action | Susan Adams

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The Power of Taking Action | Susan Adams

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The power of taking action | Susan Adams | TEDxBallybofey

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Taking Initiative - Making Things Happen in the Workplace

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Taking Initiative - Making Things Happen in the Workplace

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Essential skills for an excellent career

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Oak Meadow | Exceptional Homeschool Curriculum

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Motivating Middle School Students | Oak Meadow Homeschool

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Middle school students can be difficult to engage at times, especially true for home teachers. Consider these tips for motivating middle school students.

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Teach Your Child to Love Learning: Keys to Kids' Motivation

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Teach Your Child to Love Learning: Keys to Kids' Motivation

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Teach Your Child to Love Learning: Keys to Kids' Motivation |...

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Sometimes learning is just plain work, and motivation needs to come from something beyond the task.

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Why Taking Initiative is Important for Kids

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Why Taking Initiative is Important for Kids

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Teaching children to take initiative: How to? 5 Easy Ways! - SKIDOS

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What strategies can parents employ to help their child achieve initiative? and how to teaching children to take initiative

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How Kids Learn to Take Initiative and Overcome Challenges

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How Kids Learn to Take Initiative and Overcome Challenges

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Alfred D. Souza makes a great point: "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

Indeed, obstacles are a part of life. And often they seem endless, particularly to children. Kids become happier adults when they learn how to overcome challenges and obstacles-to step up and take initiative and involve themselves in activities that are meaningful to them.

A common refrain I often hear from parents of tweens and teens is, "My son doesn't take initiative. I don't know how to motivate him." "My daughter doesn't stand up for herself."

This article provides insights about how children learn to take initiative. Parents and teachers are key mentors in the process.

Why is Taking Initiative Important?

Taking initiative helps propel life forward in purposeful directions. Initiative directs our attention toward a challenging goal and helps us overcome obstacles. Learning to take initiative is an important aspect of positive youth development.

The ability to take initiative is developed in late childhood and adolescence through mastery experiences and relationships that help kids believe in themselves. Since initiative can be used to accomplish good or evil, it also involves instilling positive attributes in childhood, including empathy, self-awareness, and integrity - and other attributes that are part of The Compass Advantage. Whether young people learn to make a positive difference in their own life or in the world around them, taking initiative requires a combination of inner energy and outer action.

The ability to take initiative is developed through internal rewards, like creativity, dignity, autonomy, making a difference for others, and activities that help kids create their own futures. It is not developed through external rewards like grades, winning, awards, and money.

Activities that Help Kids Take Initiative

Researchers have identified three important elements of activities that help children learn to take initiative during childhood and adolescence.

Kids must choose activities for themselves because it gives them "internal" rewards! Examples include music programs, service-learning, and a myriad of other after-school activities.

The activity must take place in an environment that contains rules, challenges, and complexities inherent in the real world. Children must face intellectual, interpersonal, and intrapersonal challenges that go beyond grades, winning a game, and other external rewards.

The activity must be sustained over a period of time. Rather than doing lots of activities, it is better for children to focus on a few for longer periods of time so they learn to persevere despite challenges.

Compelling Facts

IQ accounts for less than 25% of life success. Emotional intelligence, including taking initiative, accounts for the rest.

Boredom is the antithesis of taking initiative. Both honor students and those involved in delinquent activities report the highest levels of boredom in the U.S., many more than 50% of the time.

Kids who lack the ability to take initiative are more prone to depression.

Children and adolescents who successfully learn to take initiative spend twice as much time in hobbies and sports than kids with low levels and they spend more time with their families.

Traditional classrooms and homework, activities that account for more than 30% of kids waking hours, have limited potential for learning to take initiative.

Communication Tips for Parents

When children blame, moan, or whine, turn it into an opportunity to find out what they care about! Uncover hidden convictions that can fuel their ability to take initiative and action in the world.

Shift from a language of "Prizes and Praising" to a language of "Ongoing Regard." Instead of giving praise for all the things children "do," communicate appreciation for who they are.

Help kids learn to solve their own problems and navigate obstacles. Allow them to fail. Be a mentor to your children as they learn to take initiative and discover interests that motivate them.

Mentoring Fosters Kids' Ability to Take Initiative

Be on the sidelines to help facilitate children's learning.

Encourage children to get back on their feet after a fall - because you believe in them.

Be a helpful guide as children identify challenges, reflect on their choices, arrive at decisions, adjust strategies, and plans next steps. Listen and encourage.

Be a role model. Show them how you get things done but don't do things for them that they can do for themselves.

I'd love to hear from you about your experiences as parents, educators, and mentors of young people. How have you helped children learn to take initiative? What kinds of activities bring the highest internal rewards? Why? How do classrooms foster initiative?

Infographic on Taking Initiative

Feel free to use and share the following infographic, synthesized from this article on how children learn to take initiative.

Related Articles:
Successful Kids Need 8 Core Abilities: How to Parent with Purpose Goal Setters Often Become Peak Performers Encouraging Words for Kids that Ignite Self Discovery and Growth References
Adlai-Gail, W. S. (1994). Exploring the autotelic personality. Dissertation, University of Chicago.

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1-26.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life (1st ed.). New York: Basic Books.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.

Hekmer, J. M. (1996). Exploring optimal personality development: A longitudinal study of adolescents. Dissertation, University of Chicago.

Larson, R. W. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development. American Psychologist, 55(1), 170-183.
(This article was originally published April 28, 2011. It was updated with new research and material June 20, 2018.)
Published: June 20, 2018

Tags: initiative, positive youth development

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How Kids Learn to Take Initiative and Overcome Challenges

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Alfred D. Souza makes a great point: "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.

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Teaching Elementary Students to Take Initiative

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Teaching Elementary Students to Take Initiative

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Teaching Elementary Age Children to Take Initiative

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The brains of children in this age group are still developing, so it’s a perfect time for them to learn behaviors that will contribute to a life time of success.

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Proactive Classroom Management in Preeschool

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Proactive Classroom Management in Preeschool

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Teachers can foster children's ability to make prosocial decisions by demonstrating faith in their good intentions and promoting their sense of control over their actions.

Allison Shelley for the Alliance for Excellent Education

In my years as a classroom teacher, I shied away from using behavior charts. I wondered: How does such a system build a child's sense of positive self-worth? I know it can be tempting to use behavior charts to encourage prosocial behavior with preschoolers-they're visual and easy to track. But I worried that they might have unintended consequences for impressionable young learners.

At a conference on proactive behavior strategies, Dr. Julie Causton, coauthor of the book From Behaving to Belonging: The Inclusive Art of Supporting Students Who Challenge Us, made this point dramatically. She shared a story about a professional development workshop she had run during which she had all the participants write their names on a whiteboard. She also asked them to provide a phone number for a loved one.

When an educator at the workshop would repeatedly whisper to tablemates, Causton would eventually call their loved one-in front of the whole workshop-and tell them about the behavior. The point was this: Adults feel shame when they're called out in front of their peers and get reported to a loved one-and this is what some teachers do to students when using behavior charts.

That's not to say that behavior charts are bad: Some teachers, for example, use "caught being good" points when the class follows co-created behavior norms to encourage respect and responsibility without calling negative attention to individual students. But behavior charts may unintentionally tell students we think they can't meet the expectations of the classroom. They may also make learning stressful and cause anticipatory anxiety that we might tell the person students love the most that they've been a disappointment.

Moving Beyond Behavior Charts

One classroom management alternative to behavior charts is a 4 Cs approach, which asks teachers to adopt a system of belief that presumes good intent and to explicitly share that belief with preschoolers.

1. Compassionate curiosity: Compassionate curiosity is a practice that comes from trauma-informed teaching. It asks teachers to act as nonjudgmental investigators to better understand what's going on in the minds and lives of students. The more you're willing to recognize there are things you don't know about your students' experience or what they're feeling, the more able you are to see behavior as a reflection of those feelings.

To exercise compassionate curiosity, instead of reacting to behavior you can try pausing, asking caring questions like, "Is there something important on your mind today?" and then listening to the answers with your full attention.

Preschoolers may not always be able to fully verbalize the answer to your questions. In giving them your full attention, you will likely also observe nonverbal cues that can provide insight.

2. Collaboration: Compassionate curiosity leads well into building a collaborative classroom. Students who know you'll be curious instead of furious are more likely to feel comfortable showing you who they are, what they know, and what they want to learn more about. Investing the time and effort to get to know who students are provides them with an incentive to invest in the classroom.

Talking to students about their interests and passions.

Tailoring activities to meet their interests.

Teaching students to ask and answer questions, both of you and each other.

Treating and talking to students with the same level of respect you ask them to show you.

Valuing and encouraging different perspectives in class conversations.

Collaboration can look like:

3. Choice: With choice, you work with your students to determine what they're learning, why they're learning it, and how they prefer to learn it. Allowing students choice in your classroom activities and culture teaches negotiation and compromise, and gives students a sense of control over their environment and actions.

While there are things that may be non-negotiable from either a safety or curricular perspective-or both-consider whether you really need to say "no, we can't do that," and whether you can instead say, "let's give that a try today."

4. Clear consequences: Using clear and logical consequences is a way to make sure the reaction matches the action and is the same for every student. It begins by using pre-correcting and prompting to let students know the behavioral expectations in a given situation. After they have been given a chance to correct, if they still mismanage the situation, a natural or logical consequence occurs-one that is reasonable, is related to the problem, and results from the action.

A natural consequence is the unavoidable result of an action. For instance, a student who chooses not to wear mittens in the winter will end up with cold hands.

Logical consequences are also related to actions but happen when we intervene before the action results in harm to the student. If the student above wanted to play on an icy patch that was off-limits, the natural consequence-falling and getting hurt-would have to be replaced with a logical consequence, like restricting their play to an area less desirable to them.

Both natural and logical consequences show students the connection between what they do and what happens next, allowing them to learn from their mistakes and know that they have the power to change their behavior.

We need to give preschoolers a safe space in which to develop positive self-esteem and self-regulation skills. They need to know that we care about why they're having a tough time and that we want to help them.

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Proactive Classroom Management in Preschool

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Teachers can foster children's ability to make prosocial decisions by demonstrating faith in their good intentions and promoting their sense of control over their actions.

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We went to see the principal to ask if we could make a skating rink in the school yard. He was really happy that we wanted to do that. He said "Come see us when you have a plan". We got support and the principal was really open to the idea.

- High school student

Contrary to stereotypes of young people with power and control in their lives, we may observe more self-regulation, greater responsibility and initiative, and many instances of problem-solving in a school where students feel empowered.

In such a context, students are engaging with their world, thinking critically about all they encounter, and putting their ideas into practice. We may see monthly assemblies initiated, organized and implemented by students, focusing on issues that concern and interest them. In student-led activities and initiatives, we are likely to see students on the stage and running things behind the stage, with adults offering support behind the scenes.

In the classroom, we may see more instances of youth shaping their own learning, setting individual goals, making a plan to meet them, and taking responsibility for their own success. At all levels of school life, we will find youth taking initiative to change their school environment: approaching adults in order to raise problems or identify a need, while at the same time proposing solutions.

In many schools, extracurricular activities are a focal point and an outlet for student participation. Indeed, extracurricular activities are often extremely significant for students, invested with meaning and the potential to channel their energy, interests and creativity. In this sense, the importance and meaning of any single activity or club is "greater than the sum of its parts". While for adults the theme may or may not stand out in relevance, the process through which the activity or club came into being often defines its significance for young people.

When students approach an adult to discuss an idea, make a plan then take responsibility for its implementation, the process is rich with learning and meaning. It indicates that students have felt able to articulate and confident about expressing their interests and ideas.

When those taking initiative and action are reflective of a school's full diversity, this demonstrates that many different groups of students are feeling empowered.

We need to start young. Children have a voice and a moral character to know what is right and wrong. Even in my Grade 3 class we have advisory meetings. If there are issues at recess or in the classroom, students can identify problems and come up with solutions, "I think we need to have a meeting. Something happened at recess." There are no names and no tattling; it's more about "how can we as leaders solve this situation?". Often when I first start the advisory meetings I have to establish expectations and establish criteria. Then after a few times the kids are initiating and running the meetings. As a teacher, I can help them develop strategies, "What would your words sound like? How would you approach that?" They feel empowered because they are the ones creating solutions for problems in their playground.

- Elementary teacher

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Initiative, Autonomy, Responsibility and Problem-Solving | Safe @ School

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We went to see the principal to ask if we could make a skating rink in the school yard. He was really happy that we wanted to do that. He said “Come see us when you have a plan”. We got support and the principal was really open to the idea.

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Overcoming Obstacles | Lesson 5: Taking the Initiative

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Students will discover the benefits of seeking assistance from others.

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25 Ways to Take Initiative at Work (Infographic)

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25 Ways to Take Initiative at Work (Infographic)

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25 Ways to Take Initiative at Work - Infographic | ThriveYard

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This infographic focuses on 25 Ways to Take Initiative at Work