Springing back: Practical Ways to Re-engage Learners
In work-based learning, it’s completely natural for learners to hit a dip in motivation. Competing priorities, workload pressures, personal issues or a loss of confidence can all affect learner motivation and engagement.
The key is not to wait — but to recognise the signs early and respond quickly, and appropriately:
Recognising the signs
Changes in communication – they may be slower to respond to e-mails, miss or repeatedly reschedule their reviews, may be distracted and less enthusiastic in appointments
Drop in the quality or progress of work – missing deadlines, work lacking detail, not uploading evidence
Low confidence – reluctant to attempt a task, negative self-talk
Loss of direction or purpose – unclear about the goals or the next steps, questioning the value of the programme, lacking interest in progression opportunities
What can you do about it?
Revisit the “Why”
Sometimes, learners can lose sight of the end goal. Particularly if it’s an apprenticeship programme that takes years. You can revisit with them:
- Their career aspirations
- The purpose of the programme
- What they have achieved so far
- The long-term plan – breaking down their goals / unit achievement into manageable steps to help them see a path to achievement
Use Coaching Conversations
Rather than telling them what to do, use the power of questions to help them find their own solutions. This helps to build intrinsic motivation
- Ask open questions: What originally made you choose to do this course?
- Encourage reflection: What are you most proud of so far when completing this course? What has contributed to that?
- Support them to identify barriers and solutions: If you could remove one barrier to make this easier what would you choose? What kind of support would make the biggest difference to you ?
- Encourage them to take ownership of their learning: What’s one thing that you could achieve before our next meeting?
- Develop your skills in having coaching and motivational conversations
Change your Approach
Sometimes, the way the learner is learning isn’t working for them. Try offering different methods and providing support where you can, without you doing the work for the learner!
- Offer a professional discussion instead of writing an assignment
- Offer them to record voice notes instead of short answer questions.
- Offer to meet in person instead of over Teams (distance permitting) human connection is so important to building relationships and trust
- Give examples from your own experience to help learners relate more to you and the relevance of the qualification
- Ensure your feedback is developmental – remember to use the Medals and Missions model that we encourage
Learner Motivation and Re-Enagament – In Summary
Re-engaging learners when motivation drops, isn’t about pushing learners harder – it’s about reconnecting with them to find out their purpose, to helping them to progress and finding the positives in making small steps
Want to find out more? Listen to our Podcast on Re-Enagaging Learners
