What Keeps Kids Motivated to Learn?

When discussing important matters that impact our children - for example, their education, their career path, their friends and acquaintances - it can be easy for parents to overlook one major stakeholder, the child! It isn't that we don’t value the opinions of our children, but we just sometimes assume we know how they feel, or what they think. In doing so, we can miss some pretty insightful feedback. Just take a look at this article published on KQED.com (a public radio/media web site serving northern California), which shared the thoughts from 7 high achieving students on what matters to them in a learning environment.   The feedback from these students was really astonishing. One of the student panelists shared this profound statement, “Treat students like adults. If the students feel like they’re worth it they’ll act more like adults.” Hey - that's what we parents have been saying for years, right?! Among other things, these students wanted to see more hands-on activities in the classroom, more interesting and relevant topics of study, and greater opportunities for feedback. In addition, and perhaps most shocking, these students seemed to truly understand the benefit of failure. They recognized it as an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, and correct those mistakes going forward. In a parenting culture that generally tries to shield our children from ever experiencing the pain of failure, it's interesting to see that our kids actually want to experience it, and [gasp!] learn from it!   We think all parents and educators can learn from their students. We just have to remember to ask for their input, and give them a voice. Talk to your kids. Encourage them to share their thoughts, feelings, and input. Invite them to collaborate with you on the things that matter most, and we think you'll be surprised at how rewarding the experience can be for you both!