Motivating Teens to Work Harder in School

This week's article summary is What Would Motivate Teens to Work Harder in School.

Although Trinity is an elementary school, I like to read articles about teenagers, as obviously our young students will eventually be high schoolers and, as such,  we have an opportunity to shape needed habits and attitudes while they’re young and impressionable.

What would help teens by motivated to work harder in school?

Topping the list for teens is the opportunity to re-do assignments, which I’m guessing includes re-taking tests or other assessments.

Rounding out the top five is helping teens see the relevance of what they’re studying, injecting more humor and fun in the classroom, offering more hands-on opportunities, and providing more detailed formative feedback prior to any summative assessment.

Equally interesting to me were the lower selections by teens: they’re okay with stricter classroom rules and they don’t want teachers to grade more leniently. 

The list is interesting to me because I see in teens the same things we adults want in the workplace. We don’t want zero-sum evaluations; if we make a mistake, we want a re-do and a chance to fix it. We don’t want an overly stuffy, formal office; we want to be able to have a good time, including humor and levity. We want to see the meaning and purpose of our jobs and its responsibilities.

Teens often get a bad rap in the media: is there ever a movie or tv series about teens that doesn’t use the ‘Lord of the Flies’ theme?

This survey shows how mature, honest, and attuned to their needs teens are. I know re-doing assignments makes life much harder for teachers, but it would actually be closer to how teens will be treated years later as adults.

Joe

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If you thought being enthusiastic and personable were the best ways to motivate teenagers to work hard in school, then think again. It turns out what many teens say will motivate them the most is the opportunity to redo assignments if they get a low grade.

It’s not the most exciting solution, but there you have it.

Out of more than 20 options given to a nationally representative sample of 1,011 students, ages 13-19, the chance to redo assignments was the most selected, with 35 percent saying that is what would motivate them the most to do well in school. These are among the findings of surveys of teenagers and educators conducted by the EdWeek Research Center on student motivation and engagement.

Incorporating more humor and fun into class, providing more feedback, offering more hands-on experiences, and assigning more schoolwork on topics that are relevant and interesting to students rounded out the top five answers:

• Give Me a Chance to Redo Assignments if I get a Low Grade: 35%
• Let me do assignments on topics that interest me if they are relevant to what we are learning: 30%
• Incorporate more humor, fun, and games into class: 30%
• Offer more hand-on experiences including field trips, lab experiments, and internships: 30%
• Provide more feedback so I know what to improve before we get our grades: 30%
• Show me how I can use what I can use in my future career: 28%
• Use teaching methods others than lecturing to the class: 25%
• Offer choices of different ways I can demonstrate I have learned something: 25%
• Take more time to get to know me as a person: 25%
• Stop requiring assignments that feel like busywork: 25%
• Be more available for extra help outside of class: 22%
• Be more enthusiastic about the subject matter: 22%
• Give me the benefit of the doubt if I miss class/deadlines/get a low grade: 21%
• Stop playing favorites: 18%
• Do a better job of controlling the class: 16%
• Let us get to know your as a real person: 14%
• Make the class a little easier: 11%
• Let students help decide classroom rules: 11%
• Make class more challenging: 9%
• Be less strict with discipline: 6%

But ask educators what they think they could do to better motivate students, and you’ll get very different answers than what you hear from students.

The most-cited solution among educators surveyed separately by the EdWeek Research Center to motivate students was offering more hands-on learning experiences. Fifty-four percent of educators said providing more field trips, lab experiments, and internships was what they or teachers in their district or school could do to help students feel more motivated to do their best.

The second-most selected response, from 45 percent of educators, was showing students how they can use what they learn in future careers. Rounding out the top three was “offer a choice of different ways students can demonstrate they have learned something,” which was selected by 44 percent of educators.

The EdWeek Research Center survey identified other discrepancies between educators and students. For instance, both groups rated students’ motivation in school very differently.

Eighty-six percent of students said they feel motivated to do their best in school right now, but only 67 percent of educators said their students were motivated.

While only 38 percent of students said that as of 2023, the pandemic has made them less motivated to do their best in school, 80 percent of teachers said that the pandemic has made students less motivate.

However, there was one area of agreement: when asked to rate educators’ level of motivation, around 80 percent of both students and educators said that teachers in their school or district were motivated to do their best to teach students.

It's Better to Under-React Than Over-React

This week's article summary is Under-reaction is Your Best Parenting Tool.

In my previous headship, I had to deal with a contiguous neighborhood association. As my former school had three entrance gates, the neighborhood association wanted us to close one gate in order to alleviate thru-traffic through the main road of the neighborhood. Whenever the neighborhood association president would meet with me, he always brought up his desire to close this entrance. I had no reason to shut the gate. First, it would create more traffic in the two remaining entrances. Second, why would I give away something without getting something in return. As the years went by, I continued to stonewall the association president, so he decided on a new tactic: whenever we would meet, he would gradually raise his voice, begin to threaten me, and drop in a few choice four-letter words. I always just sat there stoically until he finished his diatribe and then calmly would say, “Howard, I understand your position but I am not going to close the gate.” He then would continue with his temper tantrum.

By staying cool, I knew I was besting him. He wanted me to yell, scream, and curse, so he then could spread the word that the Head of School was petulant, immature, and unfit to run a school. He could rant and rave, but I knew in my professional capacity I had to stay calm. Deep down, I truly relished his eventual realization that no matter what he did, I wouldn’t lower myself to his level.

This week’s article reminded me of my experience with the neighborhood association president. He was like a begging or complaining child and I was the adult authority figure. As the article states, kids can be very manipulative in trying to get their way with their parents--and with teachers too. They know when they’re in a power struggle and when they get adults to lose their temper, they win. Adults often later come back to the child and apologize for losing their temper. Even if the child doesn’t get what he wants, she wins the power struggle by getting the adult to lower him/herself to the child.

The article posits some strategies to utilize to under- versus over-reactions to the child, and to, as mindfulness emphasizes, ‘thoughtfully and calmly respond versus instinctively and emotionally react.'

It can be challenging to keep one’s wits when pushed. As a young teacher, I definitely took the bait from some of my students. They wanted to see Mr. Marshall lose his temper and erupt in front of the class. My kids tried to do the same thing with my wife and me. 

So the next time your child or students start to get under your skin, take a deep breath, and tell yourself not to lose you cool!

Joe 

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As every parent experiences, not getting the response you want from your child can sometimes cause you to raise your voice or display visual frustration to the point where you are the one who is actually overreacting. And as we (logically) know, rarely does a louder and bigger reaction from us lead to a more calm and resolved situation with them. That’s why, the next time your child is pushing your buttons, you should consider underreacting to the behavior to see if your buttons suddenly become less enticing to push.

“There is a chance that these behaviors occur because your child is getting a kick out of your huge reactions,” psychologist Vanessa Kahlon wrote in her book How To Do Parenting With Confidence.

It’s important to note, though, that underreacting is not the same as ignoring a child’s behavior, Kahlon said.

“When you ignore a behavior or simply let it go, you run the risk of giving your child the idea that they are in charge of the situation,” Kahlon wrote. “While empowering children to have opinions and their own voice is a great life skill, helping children to understand that adults are in charge of situations will build a level of trust vital for future relationships.”

If your child runs away from you, doesn’t want to complete a task like cleaning up, or is generally disagreeable with your plans and expectations, try Kahlon’s steps for underreacting instead of yelling and chasing them down:

• Use a calm voice

• When your child is able to listen, state your expectation. (Like, “I expect you to come out and clean up your toys.”)

• If there is no response to your direction, add a time limit and consequence. (For example, “I expect you to come out and start cleaning up your toys. We planned to go to the park this afternoon, and we can’t go to the park unless the toys are packed away.”)

“To become better at underreacting, it’s important to develop healthy coping strategies that can help you stay calm and composed in the moment,” Kahlon said. “This might include techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, or visualization exercises that can help you stay present and focused. It can also be helpful to identify your triggers and develop a plan for how to respond to challenging situations in a calm and measured way. This might involve taking a step back, giving yourself time to think, and responding in a way that is thoughtful and measured.”

Three times to underreact

During challenging behavior: “If a child is acting out or misbehaving, it can be tempting for parents to react with frustration, anger, or punishment. However, by underreacting and responding in a calm and measured way, parents can model for their child how to regulate their emotions and behavior in a stressful situation. This can help reduce the likelihood of the child escalating their behavior and can help promote positive behavior in the future along with not dealing with a power struggle,” Kahlon said.

During difficult emotions: All emotions are OK—but some are harder to work through, like anger, sadness, and frustration. “When a child is experiencing a difficult emotion, it can be helpful for parents to underreact and respond with empathy and understanding, rather than reacting with frustration or trying to fix the situation. This can help the child feel heard and supported, and can create a more positive and supportive parent-child relationship,” Kahlon said.

During upsetting events: Bad news can hit a family at any time, from an extremely personal crisis only affecting your household to frightening national and global news. Staying calm is a good way to model managing emotions for your child. If you are overwhelmed, it’s a good time to take a break. “This can help create a sense of stability and security for the child during a challenging time, and can help the family work together to find solutions and cope with the situation,” Kahlon said. “If a parent needs to take a ‘break’ to take care of themselves, let the family show ways one can take care of their own mental health. Children are always watching how we do things!”

Underreacting can be helpful whether you are parenting toddlers or teens. No matter your child’s age, focus on staying calm, modeling healthy emotional regulation, and responding in a rational and effective way.

“Children of all ages can benefit from seeing their parents respond to stress or challenging situations in a calm and rational manner. In fact, modeling effective emotion regulation and problem-solving skills can be especially important for teenagers, as they are developing their own sense of identity and learning how to navigate complex social and emotional situations,” Kahlon said.

Another opportunity to temper your reaction is when a struggling child pulls out the big guns with “I hate you!” or another cutting comment. Kahlon says moments like these show that the child feels safe enough with you to express their feelings. Thinking of it as a “love tap” can remind you that it’s not personal.

“It can be difficult for parents to see their child’s cutting words as ‘love taps,’ especially when those words are hurtful or disrespectful. However, it’s important to recognize that children often use words to express their emotions and that their behavior is a reflection of their needs and feelings, rather than a personal attack on the parent,” Kahlon said. “When a child says ‘I hate you,’ it may be a sign that they are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their parent. By acknowledging and validating their feelings, parents can help their child feel heard and supported, even in difficult moments.”

The New Three R's of Education

This week's article summary is The New Three R's of Education.

The traditional three R’s of reading,’riting, ‘rithmetic remain the bull’s eye of school. 

Yet the new three R’s of relationships, repetitions, and routines are the vehicles through which the traditional R’s are achieved.

More and more educational research studies and subsequent articles and books highlight how vital teacher-student relationships are. Students need to know how much their teachers care and believe in them and truly see them as unique individuals of limitless potential. Similarly, students need to learn how to work and interact collaboratively with others, especially peers. Gone are the days when students worked independently at their desks on fill-in-the-blank worksheets. It’s the same for all of us adults: our personal and professional lives revolve around relationships.

As cognitive scientists continue to answer how students best learn, repetition is proving to be an effective learning tool. Most of us have known this intuitively, yet repetition too often gets associated with rote learning, which can be dull, tedious, and seemingly mindless. Still, it’s through practice that we master a skill. A few weeks ago I purchased three DIY bookcases from Ikea. I carefully followed the instructions as I constructed the first one and it took me about an hour to complete it due to a few missteps. However, by the time I got to third one, it took me only 15 minutes. I learned through repetition.

Routine in the classroom is similarly important. There is comfort for all of us within predictability. Yes, we all like the occasional unplanned day when we can spontaneously do whatever we want, but the bulk of our time is grounded in consistency. It’s why so many of many of us struggle with transition and change in our lives.

So, while reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic remain the goal of a good education, let’s extol relationships, repetition, and routines as crucial tools we need to achieve our goals!

Joe

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As parents, we all want to give our children the best possible start in life. One of the most important things we can do is to help them develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Reading, writing, and arithmetic were formerly the three "R's" that were emphasized in school, but as society's expectations have shifted, so have the responsibility put on schools. 

What are the most important skills for pupils to practice in the classroom? Relationships, repetition, and routines are the new three R's of education. 

Relationships: Nurturing and responsive interactions are the foundation of early learning and healthy development. Children interact with their carers, other family members, and other adults in their lives thousands of times every day, including early education teachers. Preschoolers and toddlers frequently interact with other children. When children connect with people regularly and positively, they build relationships that benefit their brain development and learning.

Repetitions: Children benefit from numerous learning experiences. Children can learn new skills or enhance existing ones by repeatedly hearing a teacher say a phrase or having multiple opportunities to crawl toward a favorite item or person. Some children require more practice or repetition than others. Repeated learning opportunities integrated into regular activities help all children because they improve the neural connections in their brains that promote growth and learning.

Routines: Regular activities and routines should include relationships and repetitions. Routines are well-known and usually entail multiple steps. Activities can be done on their own or as part of a routine (e.g., painting at an easel with a friend). Through everyday routines and activities, children can practice existing skills or learn new ones as they see fit.

A strong foundation will allow a child to reach his or her full potential. The three R's and the fundamental idea of assisting learners in discovering how to apply their knowledge will motivate children to work enthusiastically to develop their learning capacities. Children will also develop their personalities and learn from the environment if they follow the three R's rather than from books, it will help them understand better in the future. Connecting with people who can immediately teach them how to better understand their ecosystem by watching and implementing ideas that will benefit them directly in the future.