In the readings I have done so far for the week, this particular passage stuck out at me. I think it is largely because I have been this student, and I know several people who not only were this student, but had this lack of motivation drive them to drop out of high school or quit trying. A good friend and my sister are two such people. I also think these students can often be overlooked in typical classrooms.
As a gifted child in a public school that didn't have the resources to deal with advanced students, I remember procrastinating, avoiding reading in school because it felt too easy, and rushing through projects-- that should have taken a week or two-- in a few hours all because I didn't see the purpose, meaning, or value in them. I don't remember what I learned from these projects or papers-- and I hope that I can reach through to students in new and different ways (through reframing projects, adding depth and interest, or offering options for students to pursue) to get them to embrace their learning and perform as well as they can. Of course, I did eventually get over this mentality, but it wasn't an easy road. I struggled to develop good study habits (and still do, to this day), and even through college believed that I shouldn't have to study and wondered why I had to try. Finding motivation in that situation can be extremely difficult-- and difficult in a different way from not being motivated because I felt like I couldn't. The skills needed to deal with breaking through in an "I don't see why I should do this because what meaning could it possibly have for me" situation are different from the skills needed to break through an "I can't possibly do this" situation.
For both my sister and my friend, circumstances were similar, but continued later in life. I was lucky enough to attend a different school that was able to push me to be motivated and invested in my learning; my sister and friend were not. My friend ended up dropping out of high school because, as he said, "I didn't see the point anymore." He is a brilliant person and was not motivated or reached by many of his high school teachers or classes. He was not challenged or stimulated by much of the work he did; the same can be said for my younger sister. She barely graduated from high school. When she did attend class, she sailed through and got A's. She barely graduated because she didn't attend. She didn't see the point-- because she was smart enough to not have to try and lost motivation because of it.
I think it is sometimes easy to see those children who are not motivated because they perceive themselves lacking in skill; however, I think it is often harder to pick out those children who are not motivated and only doing the minimum because they don't feel invested or challenged. As an educator, it's important to keep an eye out for children on both ends of this motivational spectrum.
I enjoyed reading about your educational experiences. There are so many stories of people becoming unmotivated to continue schooling. My sister also dropped out of high school because of feelings that it was a waste of time and was not challenged enough. I was a very different story. I often feel that I was not smart enough and often put in enough effort to stay under the radar.
ReplyDeleteWith so many different types of learners and pathways to attribution behavior it can seem daunting as an educator to identify each child's needs and find a strategy that will work for each child's situation. As I went through the reading this week I looked at the multiple strategies that were addressed to help motivate children that were displaying attributal behavior. In some cases it was suggested that the task difficulty be made easier in order to promise a successful outcome and build self confidence. It looks like a strategy like this would have only perpetuated the problem in your case.
Another large piece of attribution theory seems to be appropriate assessment in order to fully understand which strategies need to work for each child. How did your new school motivate you?
It seems to me that one aspect could come from children have interest based educational systems in place that would lend to less change in task difficulty but subject choice.
Enjoyed your post : )
Your story was my son's. The only reason he graduated from high school was because he wanted to senior class president and to be on varsity basketball team. Both activities required a B average. (I think this must be the reason that goal theory resonates so strongly for me. His goals provided the drive to do the things he thought were a waste of his time.) He did make the team and was senior class president.
ReplyDeleteHe scored at the 99 percentile on the SAT, but never went to college. He teaches himself what he needs to learn and has used his IQ to create a life that makes him happy. So..he isn't the incarnation of Jacques Cousteau (as was my plan), but he is one of more contented people I have ever known.