Motivation Matters
Motivation Matters covered what works, and what doesn’t work, to motivate students to do better in school. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: student motivation & engagement.
Education
Wounds of Schooling: What's Your Opinion?
We recently published a commentary in Education Week titled "The Wounds of Schooling," which makes the argument that for many people school is a harsh, discouraging, rigid environment that kills their creativity and love of learning. A fascinating discussion about the article is underway on our site and I encourage you to go there to see what others are saying and submit your own comments.
Education
What's Your Mindset?
I love book reviews that make you want to jump out of your office seat, walk to the nearest bookstore, and buy the book.
Education
'Sickening Realities'
"One of the most sickening realities teachers face is when they hear of the awful things their little darlings do to each other while we sit thinking they are wholly engrossed in the school-world we create for them."
Science
Don't Worry, Be Happy -- But Competent Too
A few posts ago, Set Them Free, I basically said that students who are happier are more likely to work hard in school.
College & Workforce Readiness
Wiki Tackles Dropout Prevention
The Pew Partnership for Civic Change recently announced the launch of a new campaign to reduce high school dropout rates that I thought was worth noting here.
Assessment
Motivated to Cheat
A survey released today by the Josephson Institute of Ethics found that 60 percent of the 36,122 high school students surveyed admitted cheating on a testing once during the past year, 35 percent said they had cheated two or more times, and a third said they had used the Internet to plagiarize a school writing assignment.
Education
Set them free?
"We are deeply concerned that current trends in early education, fueled by political pressure, are leading to an emphasis on unproven methods of academic instruction and unreliable standardized testing that can undermine learning and damage young children's healthy development."
Education
Quote of the Day: "Downright Disorienting"
"You never can tell how kids are going to see something or how they are going to react to anything that might happen. Their ways are not our ways, and when we get a glimpse into what and how they are thinking, it can be downright disorienting."
Student Achievement
Talking about the Quality of Teaching, Curriculum
Our recent chat on edweek.org, "Student Academic Pressure: Too Much or Too Little?," prompted hundreds of questions and comments that showcased how differently educators, researchers, policymakers, and parents view this issue. Many think today's students are overburdened with academic work both in school and at home, while many others believe today's students are not held to high standards and have a questionable work ethic.
Assessment
Mixing Montessori into the Debate
If schools employ multi-age classrooms, have students play a bigger role in choosing what they study, and get rid of traditional grading and testing (Montessori education approaches), are they likely to see an increase in students' motivation to learn--and, in turn, higher achievement?
Student Achievement
Speak Up
I wanted to give the loyal readers of this fledgling blog a heads up that Education Week is holding a chat next week that will be particularly interesting for those of us who care deeply about matters related to student motivation.
Student Achievement
Shoot for the Stars ... Well, Maybe Not That Far
Shoot for the Stars. Anything's Possible. The Sky's the Limit. The clichés about dreaming of individual greatness are infinite. But at what point do you need to say to a teenager: Get real, dude, you're a junior in high school and have Cs and Ds and you're still talking about being a doctor when you grow up. Do you really think you are motivated enough to suffer through medical school (that is, if you can find a school that will accept you) and then long hours as an intern?
Education
Language Obsessed
I have witnessed a fascinating development in my household recently. My 11-year-old son is obsessed with learning foreign languages. First it was Spanish. Then German. And then he added Chinese.
Education
Burned-Out Teachers
Remember those burned-out teachers you had in middle or high school? They'd been teaching for decades and the passion for the profession was all but gone. They rolled into class, looking like they wanted to be anywhere but there. Maybe they were mostly to blame for the state of their minds. Or maybe the system pushed them in that direction. Whatever the reason, you can only imagine what effect such low morale had on their students.