When high school students have academic or personal struggles, guidance counselors are the first line of help. While teachers are certainly interested about every student’s progress, they cannot add counseling as another activity to their job description. A counselor offers much more than guidance; he or she gives the needed support and helps the student find inner motivation.
What demotivates high school students to achieve their full potential? Some worry that too much studying will affect their social activities. They would rather hang out after school and spend time virtually connecting with their friends over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The question is: how can a counselor motivate students to study in a way that won’t affect their social status?
Tell them about choices
Choices come with freedom. Each individual has the liberty to decide on his or her actions, so her or she should approach all opportunities with responsibility. Will I spend the next hour on studying or will I keep scrolling through Facebook? One choice will lead us in one direction, another decision will lead us elsewhere. Encourage students that they are the creators of their own future—and every moment matters!
Teach them about organizing
Studying doesn’t have to come at the expense of social life. With proper organization, there will be enough time in a day for all activities. Try to motivate your students to be focused on the task at hand with the incentive of having free time later. When they are doing homework, their mind should be free of distractions from social media or phone calls. By working within the time they planned, students will be free to spend some time socializing without feeling guilty about studying or homework.
Recognize their strengths
Is one of your students an exceptionally talented painter, but he or she doesn’t like studying history and other subjects that have no association with art? Draw creative connections to his or her other curriculum and explain that it all works together to demonstrate how the world around us functions. Your student’s basic knowledge of high school curriculum will be helpful regardless of the career he or she is trying to build, but he or she may need added encouragement to see it as such.
Learning is a social activity
Motivate the students to form study groups. There are online platforms like GoConqr and OpenStudy, which enable them to connect in a completely distraction-free online environment. If their teachers haven’t made such recommendation, you can be the one to suggest study groups as an efficient way of joining forces towards a common goal: better grades. Many students love working together; it allows time to socialize, learn the skill of working in a group, and bounce ideas off one another. When students support each other, they are more motivated to achieve better results.
Be genuinely interested in the students
Every student that comes for counseling has unique personality and interests. Making him or her feel known and appreciated will go a long way in gaining his or her trust and providing solutions. Ask what’s happening in his or her life and what goals he or she would like to achieve. Show your students that everything is possible when they invest enough work and are committed to achieving big goals. Many of them are genuinely concerned that their friendships will be at stake if they take the time to study more. By listening well and acknowledging these fears, you’ll have a better chance of effectively portraying that they don’t have to lose their friends when they start working toward a bright future.
Warn them of the consequences
While this isn’t always the most popular form of motivation, it is still very effective. When students spend more time socializing and less time studying, there will certainly be consequences that could affect their future. Remind them of the ramifications, yet always keep in mind that you’re working together toward a common goal.
Most students have a hard time sacrificing their social lives for the sake of studying. When you’re looking for ways to motivate them, try to think of how you can encourage them to strike a balance between the two. Successful students know how to organize their time and keep their eye on the final goals as the ultimate motivators.
Linda Craig is an eager writer, language learner and editor for writing service https://www.assignmentmasters.co.uk/essay-service/ . She is mastering her skills in Russian, German and Mandarin and looking for productivity and motivational techniques. Feel free to reach Linda by Twitter and check out her articles.