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I don’t particularly like to do this, but occasionally I encounter a student that absolutely needs to be poked with a stick. Repeatedly. The usual approaches and methods don’t seem to motivate them like the other students.
One such student long ago had high ambitions to be a Hollywood studio horn player. As a challenge, I threw the massive Arban trumpet encyclopedia in front of him to test his fingers and reading abilities. He failed – and we struggled for several weeks.
I finally realized that this student had been (and was still) involved in high school athletics. He had been accustomed to a more aggressive and confrontational style of learning. Once I adopted to his style, his learning improved.
The downside of this approach is that even longer ago, in a galaxy, far, far away, I accidentally provoked a student to tears. I had completely misread his demeanor and this provocation was too much.
I am always cautious when testing these waters for fear of being a domineering autocrat – or a mean teacher.
- Have you needed to get in a student’s face in order to motivate them?
- What are your afterthoughts to this approach?
