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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: student motivation & engagement.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
Parental Motivations in School Choice
This paper (PDF) about what motivates parents' decisions about schools in an open enrollment district gets a little technical, but has a lot of good information about the factors at play. It explains the general concept of open enrollment and examines Colorado and Minnesota's systems in depth.
Education
Seizing the Moment to Raise Economic Literacy
We've heard of social studies teachers seizing the moment and using the buzz around the Presidential election as a way to motivate students to learn more about the workings of our government.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Gridiron Inspiration
As both Kevin and I have talked about many times before, sports can have a tremendously positive effect on kids, especially those who are seeking a supportive community, and this article from the New York Times is just one more example of that.
Recruitment & Retention
$4,000 for a 4.0
It's been awhile since we talked about cash incentives for grades, but the subject has once again reared its head, this time in Chicago.
Education
The Power of One Reading Challenge
Before the school year started, I started a little narrative about my non-reader 13-year-old picking up a book called The Power of One and showing miraculous signs that he might be capable of actually reading a novel from start to finish.
Education
The Television and Learning Debate
A few days ago, I ran across this article in the Boston Globe about the importance of daydreaming to creativity and how television has significantly cut into that time. After observing a group of children for several months, Teresa Belton, a research associate at East Anglia University in England, concluded that whenever children got bored, they immediately turned to the television for entertainment.
Science
On the Road: Learning at National Parks
When I was a kid, we spent most of our family vacations in national parks. Going camping instead of staying in hotels allowed us to visit lots of places we otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to see, and from a young age, those trips fostered an excitement for conservation and preservation of the environment in both me and my sister.
Education
Lessons from Nebraska
I had been to a lot of places in the U.S. before this trip, but this was my first visit to the Midwest. Our route took us through Illinois, Iowa, and we made a two-day stop in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, just south of Omaha, to stay with some relatives of one of my traveling companions.
Education
Motivated to Play
I was happy to see the news that participation in high school sports in the United States rose to a record 7.4 million last year, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. I have always believed that participation in sports yields benefits that go way beyond the sports themselves and schools should work to raise participation rates as much as possible.
Education
What I Did on My Summer Vacation
Hello, everyone! It's been awhile since I've been able to post here on Motivation Matters, mostly because for the past few weeks, I've been in the middle of a massive cross-country move from my home state of Virginia to Portland, Oregon. I, along with two of my friends from college, arrived on the west coast earlier this week after a fifteen-day drive that took us across the entire continental U.S. and into the homes of several generous families who put us up along the way. It was an incredible way to see the country, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to do so.
Reading & Literacy
Reading Race Update
My 13-year-old is now on page 105 of The Power of One. This is truly amazing! That's about 25 pages ahead of his younger brother and possibly a record for the number of pages he has ever read in any book.
Education
The Power of Two: A Reading Race
In a recent entry I talked about motivating my non-reader 13-year-old to read a book titled The Power of One. I received some thoughtful suggestions from readers of this blog for how to motivate non-readers, such as sharing the reading of the book aloud occasionally or just talking about the characters in the book with him.
Education
Math Motivation Rises for Girls
The good news in the math world is that girls appear to be performing as well as boys...the bad news is that there is still waning interest among girls in certain math-related subjects as they move through high school. That is the conclusion of a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California, Berkeley. See Education Week's coverage of the study, "Stereotype of Mathematical Inferiority Still Plagues Girls."
Education
Motivated by Coping or Transforming?
Are educators motivated by coping with the challenges they face? Or do they want to transform their environments into something better?