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What would it be like if, every time you asked your students to do something, they
A) all did it, and
B) did it with care, engagement, and effort?
How much more energy, peace, and fulfillment would you have? What greater impact would your classroom have on students' lives?
Whether I'm talking to a colleague in my hallway or a group of teachers in a workshop on the other side of the country, there's one question we educators tend to have in common. This question transcends grade level, socioeconomic status, school type, and subject area. It's simply this:
How do we help all of our students care enough to do the work and do it as best they can?
I've spent the past five years of my teaching career reading, experimenting, and interviewing experts about what lies at the heart of student motivation. In the Student Motivation Course, I've put together what I hope to be a definitive answer to this problem, condensed into 35 bite-sized videos of 10 minutes or less. Below, I'll explain exactly how it works but the gist is that I get having a busy schedule -- as a classroom teacher, I have one, too. This is a PD made for working educators.
The course is built on the evidence-informed premise that, in order for our students to flourish long-term, they need to be motivated from the inside-out. Toward that goal, the Student Motivation Course explores the five key beliefs underlying student motivation:
The ideas taught inside the Student Motivation Course form the foundational chapter of my bestselling book, These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most. There's no other place in the world where I offer this in-depth, sustained, schedule-friendly PD on student motivation.
"I tell everyone about it whenever I have the chance. It is teacher-changing information."
- Norah Olig, Instructional Literacy Coach/Interventionist, WI
"I learned a lot. I think other teachers will as well!"
- Dr. Jania H., high school teacher, Dallas, TX
"This is career trajectory-altering PD."
- Sean Daigle, high school math teacher, Palm Springs, CA
"At a recent inservice, we visited with our small staff and I expressed how in the recent weeks, thinking about these five key beliefs has changed my attitude toward students and alleviated some of my ire. Unlike most inservices, these beliefs touched all teachers. Even the Pre-K teachers and coaches, who often feel as if inservices are not applicable to them, said that it made a difference and was greatly needed. "
- April Boatright, English/History teacher, Oklahoma
"...practical, simple and logical ways to effectively alter the motivation of my students."
- Kelly Garinger, junior high English teacher, South Webster, OH
"The well-paced course offers research-informed strategies, tools, and interventions that can be applied in the classroom immediately."
- Tom Windelinckx, high school teacher, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
"The course and the community provided have been so useful in sifting through what I already know and do, supplementing that, and getting better at what I am already doing but not adding more tasks. This is more philosophical and developmental, which makes it so much more worthwhile than "the next best thing."
- Rose Sabo, continuation high school teacher, CA
"The instructor deeply and extensively practices what he teaches. Dave leads us through evaluating and improving our credibility, then we all grow in belonging, effort, success/efficacy, and valuing through our ongoing study and interactions. The course provides an excellent venue for your growth whether you tend towards introversion or extroversion. This is the best PD model and method on the planet."
- John Reynolds, high school teacher, Granby, CO
How the course works
So, you watch, answer, and connect around the research and practice of cultivating five key beliefs in our kids. To do this, you use 35+ brief video lessons and 7 weekly, live Q&As with Dave.
Hi there, I'm Dave Stuart Jr., the creator of the Student Motivation Course.
I'm a classroom teacher who has spent years reading, researching, and experimenting on the topic of student motivation. For thousands of hours, my burning question has been like yours: How do I get my students to do more work, with more care and less stress? This course is a culmination of that work.
Here is a bit about me:
I'm a husband and father, and I take these roles very seriously. (In other words, teaching is not my whole life.)
Over 35,000 people read my articles each month.
Over 10,000 educators in 25 different states have heard me speak about my work at various workshops, conferences, and keynotes.
My bestselling book, These 6 Things, is read by teaching teams and schools around the world.
I am animated by a simple belief: all students and teachers should flourish.
Who's the course for?
Since starting the Student Motivation Course, I've seen over 400 educators from all kinds of settings all over the world engage with the course material. I've seen that the course can be for continuation school teachers in California, and urban middle school teachers in New York, and private school teachers in Cambodia, and school administrators in Colorado. Teachers across the acronyms and labels -- GT, IEP, "at-risk," Title 1 -- say: This course helps. (In fact, 100% of participants so far have said that they would recommend this course to a colleague.)
So then: Who's it for? Well, if you're reading this, it might be for you.
Here's what I mean: Like all learning, the course yields its greatest fruits to those who put the most in. It's likely, then, that since you're taking the time to read this, it could very well yield key takeaways for you.
Listen: I've never been a principal, and I've only taught grades 6-12, so in the course I don't inauthentically share stories about how I "know from experience" that this applies to ed leadership or teacher preparation or teaching third grade.
However:
In short, if you want this course to be for you, if the five beliefs at the top of the page resonate, then I think the course is going to equip you, encourage you, and give you the tools you need to do work you're proud of without driving yourself insane. If it doesn't, good news: we offer a 30-day, full-money-back guarantee for the course. If you put in a month and find that it doesn't help, send us an email at [email protected]
"I recently read an article in which the author wrote about "quake books" as a text that presents a person with breakthrough knowledge that changes his/her life forever. This course was a "quake course" for me. Before taking the course I had started learning about the 5 beliefs from your blog posts, but taking the course has helped me with the process of internalizing the beliefs - getting them to start moving from my head to my heart."
- Jamaica Reed, secondary teacher, Iowa
"Thanks for presenting your work in bitesize, applicable pieces that I can explore on my own time. You help make improving my teaching feel more possible. "
- Katie Fritz, high school English teacher, Minnesota
Why invest in this course?
The average registration for a teaching conference costs around $200, and then you typically need to arrange and/or pay for travel, and release time, and substitute teachers, and so on. Once the conference is over, you're often encouraged, but you leave with only your notes and (if you're like me) a strong dose of cognitive overwhelm.
The Student Motivation Course, on the other hand, offers a competitive value:
Limited Time to Register
This Back to School cohort of the Student Motivation Course closes when I start teaching: the day after Labor Day. Enroll now and, as a Back to School 2018 participant, you will receive:
Psst... If you purchase a copy of my book on Amazon, I'll send you a coupon for $31 off registration!
Here's how to do it:
In essence, it's a free book. Take advantage of it! :)