The key to life change is not the acts of the will but the loves of the heart. St. Augustine Teaching toward the long-term flourishing of our students means that, in many cases, we desire that the lives of our students will change. We hold both a high view of the impact we can have […]
student motivation
How to Become a More Credible Writing Teacher
One of the beliefs that motivates our kids to do the work we ask them to do, and to do it with care and attention, is teacher credibility. When kids believe that we’re good at our jobs, they’re more motivated. It’s well-vetted in the research (e.g., it appears high on John Hattie’s “visible learning” meta-analysis list), […]
Simple Interventions: Building Connections to Help Kids Value Coursework
In my last post, I argued that the best solution to student boredom is the simplest one that works. Additionally, I claimed that when we value a subject, we’re less likely to find it boring. (The Value belief is one of five I focus on here at the blog.) So, how do we help our […]
Beliefs and Boredom
When students get bored, they disengage from the task at hand. They either don’t do the work — of listening, of learning, of reading, of writing — or they do it with a very low level of attention and care. To remedy student boredom, I argue that the simplest solutions are the best ones. It’s […]
The Five Key Beliefs that Motivate Student Writers
The other day, I was preparing a two-hour keynote for a group of high school and college writing teachers in Hailey, Idaho. My initial plan was to focus on quantity and quality. The argument: first, that anything we undertake to improve writing outcomes must take into account the toll on teacher stress and workload; second, […]
