The Progressive Teacher Vol 03 Issue 05

motivation
–Pallishree Rath
In the teaching-learning
process, teachers often ask
how to motivate children to
learn. Sometimes words of praise
fail to motivate an underachiever.
In his eyes, he is inferior. Anyone
who tells him ‘You are smart, you
are intelligent. You can do well’
ceases to be an agent of help. The
child’s logic is: ‘Only someone
stupid or dishonest would say
that I am bright’.
Children can be lured into
learning but cannot be shamed
into it. When forced to study,
children use their ingenuity to get
through school without learning.
They know very well how to snow
teachers. Here is an example:
Once a principal stopped a tenth
grade boy on his way home and
asked a question, ‘What did
you do in school today?’ The
boy was tempted to tell him the
truth that: ‘I apple-polished the
English teacher. I read comic
books during mathematics. I
drew the cartoon of my teacher
in social studies. I wrote notes
to my girlfriend during French.’
Rather he replied, ‘It was a busy
day’. The principal left with a
smile in satisfaction.
The answer of the abovementioned
question is ‘Make it
safe for them to risk failure’.
The major obstacle to learning
is fear: fear of failure, fear of
criticism, fear of appearing
stupid. An effective teacher
makes it possible for each
child to err with impunity. To
remove fear is to invite attempt.
To welcome mistakes is to
encourage learning.
MOTIVATING MOTTOS
To motivate learning, the teacher
has to discuss the meaning
of failure in their lives. The
failures of great persons are to
be discussed. The children also
talk about their fear of failure
and the pain of humiliation. A
set of motivating mottos can
be displayed in the class room
prominently.
1. In this class making mistakes
is permissible.
2. An error is not a terror.
3. Goofs are lessons.
4. Mistakes are for correcting.
5. Value your correction, not
your error.
REDUCE FEAR
To free children from fear of
incorrect spelling, the teacher
can encourage him by saying:
‘It’s difficult to spell unfamiliar
words. It would be helpful for me
if you’d write the first consonant
of the word with a dash after it.
Nov/Dec 2016
In the teaching-learning process, teachers often
ask how to motivate children to learn. Sometimes
words of praise fail to motivate an underachiever.
In his eyes, he is inferior. Anyone who tells him
‘You are smart, you are intelligent. You can do well’
ceases to be an agent of help. The child’s logic is:
‘Only someone stupid or dishonest would say that I
am bright’.
From that clue and the context
of your sentence, I’ll know which
word you need.’ This works like
magic and children respond to
it and do not hesitate to write
stories, poems, letters, etc.
NOT A GENIUS
Parents and teachers sometimes
diminish a child’s motivation by
seemingly benign words. They
tell the failing child: We know
you are not genius, and we don’t
expect miracles from you. All we
want you to do is to work to your
capacity. We’ll be satisfied if you
pass your grade.
These words make it impossible
for the child to exert any
academic effort. Even if he does
his best, he can look forward to
nothing but a humiliating ‘pass’.
If he fails, it will constitute a
public admission of stupidity.
The child wisely concludes that
there is less risk in not trying.
A mere motivating stance
signals to children a clear
message: We expect scholarship.
Learning is not an accident but
a long process; it requires effort
and determination. We expect it
from you.
Pallishree Rath has been in this
profession for more than fifteen years
and has had the opportunity to work
in various schools around India.
Though teaching was not her first
preference in life, she just ventured
in by chance and eventually fell in
love with it. She loves to experiment
with various methods of teaching
in the class rather than using the
conventional way. She loves to organize language-based
activities such as spell-bee, quiz, pictionary, drama, etc.
You can contact her at: pallishreerath@gmail.com.
READING ALOUD
When asked to read, some
children read softly and are
barely audible. They stumble
over many words and finally stop
reading. Instead of ridiculing
the child the teacher can say:
‘Reading English aloud is not
easy. There is fear of making
mistakes and of being laughed
at. It takes courage to stand up
and read. Thank you for trying’.
The teacher shows understanding
of his inner reality, deliberately
avoiding unhelpful praise and
empty encouragement.
MOTIVATE WRITING
Children often show apathy
towards writing. They avoid
writing or write too short.
Instead of criticising and
admonishing, the teacher says:
‘I found your writing very
interesting, tight and concise.
However when I finished it, I
wished there was more to read’.
My views on motivation can
be best summed up with the
following tale:
A fire broke out in a house. The
firemen who rushed to the rescue
found a man heavily asleep.
They tried to carry him down the
stairs but could not. Then the
chief arrived and said: ‘Wake him
up and he’ll save himself’.
The moral of the story is clear.
Children bored and asleep
will not be affected by a wellintentioned
rescuer. They need to
be awakened to their potential,
and they will save themselves.
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