(on) The Road (to becoming a) Scholar: Some excerpts from other books on Motivation...

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Some excerpts from other books on Motivation...

Quick tips from some other books I'm perusing:

Some kids are not motivated to achieve in school because they do not value the outcomes of school, nor do they enjoy completing the homework. To reverse underachievement that stems from an apparent lack of motivation, educators must first determine how to build task value into the student's scholastic experiences.
Students must believe they have the skills to perform a task before they will attempt it...The term self-efficacy is the individuals' judgment of their capacity to perform specific activities.
The way in which parents and teachers compliment students has an impact on how successful students perceive themselves. (Read Mindset for more help on that one!) Try "Good work!" rather than "You are so smart!"
If a child attempts a task and fails, they may determine, after that one attempt, that they can never succeed at that task. This logic occurs because they fail to recognize how abilities are developed.
Biblio-therapy can be great for kids who lack motivation by reading stories about famous people who have overcome hardship. (Also from Mindset.)
Believe it or not, the lack of motivation may stem from the opposite problem - lack of intellectual stimulation. This does not mean piling on MORE work. This means finding work that is challenging and of intellectual interest to the child.

1 comment:

RealMom4Life said...: Thanks...looks like DRIVE will be on my request list at the lib next. Finally getting to enjoy Mindset. I can see some of my kids clearly in it. And, I can totally see how what may come across to both myself and one child can really have a negative effect on another.; January 16, 2012 at 11:13 PM

The Road Scholar

Cathie and her husband are blessed with six children and have home educated them since 2003. Before children, Cathie developed curricula and taught classes for adults around the world on a variety of topics in the computer industry at the corporate and technical school level. She loves to develop curricula, teach homeschool co-op classes and organize book clubs. For five years, she held board positions on a large homeschool support group such as general coordinator, membership coordinator and advisory member.

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The Motivation Myth

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