Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less: Rekindling Your Students’ Motivation

Dr. Ellen Braaten

Many students these days are having difficulty finding a reason to be interested in much of anything, and these kids who “couldn’t care less” don’t fit into a single category. They’re not simply kids who take longer to process information, are anxious, depressed, apathetic, or have learning challenges, and “not caring” isn’t something that can be fixed with the right curriculum or by trying harder. Through recent research and clinical examples, Dr. Ellen Braaten will explore the issue of kids who are unmotivated from different vantage points, starting with identifying the problem -- why is it that so many kids don’t seem to care about anything these days? Dr. Braaten will discuss the factors that apply to children’s motivation – their abilities, the things that give them pleasure, and the things they spend time doing -- using the Motivational APP, which stands for aptitude, pleasure, and practice. Aptitude, pleasure, and practice will be explored in the larger context of societal expectations as well as connecting these constructs to a child’s individual personality and neurocognitive profiles. Participants will learn how expectations can get in the way of motivation and how to set goals that are appropriate for kids who might have difficulty making and accomplishing meaningful goals. 

Dr. Braaten is the author of: Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up. New Book, Bright Kids Who Couldn’t Care Less.