Helping passive learners

My mind keeps returning to the passive Year 12 student: how can we help students like her?

Is the answer found in getting her busy and ensuring she gets some learning done? — the classroom version of applying fertiliser. This might work, and it could provide some quick wins. And I guess the hope is that those quick wins would translate into some kind of … motivation, fizz, confidence ??? … which leads to achievement.

Or, do we need to think a bit deeper?

Every time I convince myself that the fertiliser option is the one, a nagging thought pops back into my mind: what’s she trying to plug into, and why is she not able to?

Would an organic and regenerative approach be the better option?