Resistance to Learning

I understand that you will not be able to get through to some students.

Some have zero interest in the subject, some are there because their parents made them, some times the material is boring (like when I teach steamfitting, the students despise it!).

The best course of action is not to fall into what Brookfield calls the "Conversional Obsession" (pg. 215).

This is something that I'm not sure I've experienced, but was interesting to read.

Using all of your energy to try to engage students that have zero interest, in turn, leaving the students that are engaged and ready to learn sitting in second place.

It doesn't make a lot of sense.

One thing I hear quite often is "why do we need to know this"? I love this question, because it gives me an opportunity to give students valuable information about the subject matter.

I believe much of this comes back to motivation. Students that are motivated, will want to earn. But when students have families to care for, have taken a financial hit to be there, found a babysitter etc. this can also create resistance, if the student does not feel the material is relevant.

I know in my own experience, I found the reflective writing papers to be a waste of time and irrelevant, but have come to see them as a tool.

I guess the best one can hope for is that students will see that although the task may seem a waste of time, there is always a reason why it is being taught. If it's not relevant, why would an educator include it at all?

References

Brookfield, S.D. (2015). The Skillful Teacher.

San Francisco: Jossey Bass