Try Motivational Interviewing And Let Your Student Take Charge
Here is a trick question: How do you get a student to do something? The answer is – you don’t! Rather, you use the magic of what the medical world calls motivational interviewing to help them resolve ambivalence and commit to what is in their best interest through the use of guided
questioning. It is my hope that educators and parents worldwide will begin to tap into the unique power of this process. Here is how I use it:
Step 1: Ask them if they want to complete their missing assignment.
Each school day, members of my team send text messages to our students to check-in with them about any missing or upcoming assignments that may be overdue or due soon. Since reviewing our students’ learning portals on a weekly basis is a part of our coaching process, this text message
thread usually begins with a screenshot of something they identified as missing or due that night:
Executive Function Specialist: Hi (student name), I noticed the assignment above is missing. Do you plan on completing it tonight?
Student: Yes.
The purpose of that simple question, “Do you plan on completing it tonight?” is meant to help the student resolve ambivalence. Are they or are they not going to engage in their schoolwork? 99.9% of the time the student will respond, “Yes,” to this question and that is your first victory.
In sales, this “yes” is called a “trial close,” and signals that a prospective client is more likely to purchase. In our work, we are selling the student on their own education, which we all know yields the greatest return. If you can get the students’ buy-in for that first question, you can get them to buy-in, starting on the assignment, finishing it and sending you proof of doing so.
Step 2: Ask them by when they plan to complete their missing assignment.
Once the student shares that they plan on working on their missing assignment, your next step is to find out when they believe they can finish it.
Executive Function Specialist: Ok, great!
What time do you think you can submit it by?
Student: 8pm
Executive Function Specialist:
Wonderful! Will you send me an image of your submission at 8pm or an update if you need more time?
Student: Yes.
Often, executive functioning challenges cause students to miscalculate how long things will take, but regardless, you want to be enthusiastic about their stated goal and build on this momentum.
Step 3: Ask them to share proof when they have completed their missing assignment.
At this point, they’ve agreed to work on the missing assignment, they’ve given you a time by which they will finish it (or update you) and they are more bought-in to their own education than they were at the beginning of the conversation. Your next step is to sneak some executive
functioning skills into the process that will enhance their follow through on a more consistent basis.
Executive Function Specialist: Would you mind sending me a screenshot of a reminder to text me at 8pm with proof of completion or an extension, if needed?
Student: Yes.
Executive Function Specialist: Thanks. Could you do this within the next 15 minutes?
Student: Ok.
Don’t forget to model solid executive function here. If needed, set a reminder on your iPhone for 8:15pm to check-in with the student if you don’t hear from them. With the right use of motivational interviewing, it’s likely you will get a picture of a completed assignment and proof of
submission at 8pm (or earlier).
Step 4: Repeat steps 2 through 4, if necessary.
If they do not finish it, ask them again when they plan to complete it and how they will prove to you that they have completed it. If your student goes silent or doesn’t respond, use the next session to explore why they were unable to respond or follow through. You may learn that
they do not know how to send pictures on their phone or perhaps anxiety causes them not to respond when they do not know what to say. Failure is an opportunity to identify what prerequisite skills your student needs to acquire before trying again.
This process takes energy and patience, but much less than what is exhausted when arguing with your student about completing work or scolding them for failing to meet your 
academic expectations. If you don’t have time for this, then interview tutors, educational therapists or schools to find out if they utilise these strategies to strengthen your student’s executive function. It will make a world of difference for them in their experience of school.