Motivation is a controversial and complicated topic. There are so many opinions about how to motivate students. Maybe they are already motivated – just for other things than you have to offer. This creates both a problem and an opportunity. If you understand the purpose of learning how to learn, then what they want to learn can be used as a vehicle for teaching the skills of learning. Of course, in the school, the curriculum determines what the students should or need to learn. We need to find a balance between HAVE to learn and WANT to learn. This mini-lecture discusses this important issue. You may not agree with me, but it is important to think about how we motivate for doing school work, and how to find what the students think is motivating.
Here’s the lecture, below. Then you will see one of the Learn Talk interviews.
This interview is with Moa, a high school student. She has something to say about motivation and I think this interview is representative of what I am trying to do with these Learn Talks that sometimes can be turned into Strength Talks.
