What do I do with students who are losing motivation or are bored with what they are doing?

Students tend to lose motivation if they are not being challenged or if they are struggling. With contracts, you can modify them either way. If a student is bored because they find the work on the contract easy, the teacher can modify the contract so the student does not need to do the work that he/she understands. The teacher can then draw up a new contract or modify it with the student to make it more challenging.

The same is with the student who may find the work or task difficult. The teacher can meet with the student to find out what his/her frustration is and reach an agreement with the student on how the contract can be modified.

What do I do with students who complete their contracts ahead of most students?

Keep in mind when setting a due date for the contract that some students will finish before hand and that you need to have something ready and in place. Depending on the subject or contract, you may want to let the student begin to work on the next unit. If the student needs to wait for the other students to finish before he/she can move on, then use this student as a student teacher to help others or supplement their contract with extension activities. This student may also be of use to other classrooms in the school as a student helper.

What do I do with students who cannot grasp the concepts and are not meeting the learning objectives I have set out, or are not going to successfully complete the contract on time?

This obviously is for the teachers discretion and their understanding of each students individual needs and behaviors. However, this might also be an indicator that the contract is too difficult for them. If this is the case, meet with the child and modify the contract so the student does not feel overwhelmed or experience continual failure. If the child has a learning disability or struggles in a particular subject, it is important to make these modifications at the beginning. Peer tutoring or one on one time with student is also beneficial. Paring the student up with another student may also be a good way to help prevent frustration from occurring.

How long should a contract be?

First of all, it is important that students be introduced to learning contracts slowly. In a sense you need to train students by starting with smaller contracts and gradually increasing the time period to longer ones. Just like anything, students need to become familiar and somewhat comfortable with new things before they feel they can handle it on their own. If students find contracts overwhelming at first, slow down and try simple ones so students can experience success and understand your expectations. Design a contract for one assignment from one subject. Gradually build up so the contract includes several subjects with multiple assignments.

How often should I use learning contracts?

The key is to whether of not contracts are working successfully in helping students become self-directed learners as well as allowing students to reach the learning objectives you have set forth. If they are, then use them at your own discretion according to your teaching style and your students response. However, learning contracts are one teaching strategy that should be used along side or in conjunction with others.

I don't think I will have the time to individualize each student's contract. Is this even possible?

Yes it is possible and believe it or not, it can be very manageable as well. For the most part there are three different levels of students. Those who understand the concepts already or are very self-directed, those who need to work through the the concepts to understand, and those who are not understanding at all and need a great deal of assistance. Teachers have a basic understanding of where their students fit in. If a base contract is used as a starting point, then individual adaptations scan be made as students work through it. If the task is more project orientated, then the teacher can make these changes on the contract or write up a new one. It is important not to make modifications to the contract so it is easier, but so it is more manageable. It is still important to challenge each student.

How do I assess/evaluate student progress to make sure they are being honest about whether or not they are learning and meeting objectives?

(Refer to assessment link.)

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Best Practices: Pieces of the Puzzle Copyright 2003 Regina Public Schools and Saskatchewan Learning