Hi Deborah, As a seasoned instructor for nearly 18 years, these strategies are very effective when dealing with unfocused students. The minute you have determined that a student is unfocused, you need to deal with the situation immediately. If you do not deal with the situation immediately, the situation will only become worse, and then too, unfocused students will do whatever an instructor allows them to do. Make it known to the unfocused student, that you really and truly care about their education, and you want to see him or her succeed. Generally, whenever a student determines that the instructor truly cares, he or she begins to shape up. Patricia