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Intrinsic Motivation

On August 14, 2012 / Learning

“Discipline and Parenting without Stress” is so successful because it is based on intrinsic motivation.

The validity of intrinsic motivation was highlighted, yet again, in a recent Parade Magazine article by Anne Murphy Paul, in which the following question was posed:

“Your son just started music lessons. To motivate himself to practice, he should:
(a) Promise himself a favorite video game if he completes his practice schedule.
(b) Choose pieces of music that he enjoys playing.

Answer: (b) As fun as that game sounds, research demonstrates we’re most engaged in learning when our motivation is intrinsic—stemming from the task itself rather than some external reward.

Every study on motivation demonstrates this truth. Yet, somehow, much of education and parenting … >>>

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Learning and Embarrassment

On August 1, 2012 / Learning

It is challenging for many people to separate themselves from what others may think about them. This is especially the case when it comes to learning.

Generally, people are not embarrassed to make mistakes when learning a musical instrument. We don’t give up when we play a wrong note on the piano—or in my case the Great Highland Bagpipes.

The same holds true in athletics. We don’t stop playing baseball when we strike out at bat, and we don’t stop shooting basketballs at the hoop when we miss it.

When it comes to mental learning, in contrast to kinesthetic or psychomotor learning, why is it that so many people would rather not engage in the process than make … >>>

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Reflection and Honesty

On July 30, 2012 / Learning

Dan Ariely has written a very interesting book entitled, “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How to Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves.” The book attempts to explain how people balance the two forces of being honest and the desire to benefit from dishonesty.

Among his conclusions is that people believe that if they cheat just a little, then they still consider themselves as being honest. For example, if pencils are taken home from the office, that’s O.K., but taking petty cash can’t be justified.

In a setting where free food is available for a private party, it is hard to be the first person who was not invited to the party to partake in some of the free food. However, as … >>>

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Learning and Technology

On July 27, 2012 / Learning

One of the beautiful aspects of being human is that we have the opportunity to continually learn. Unlike turtles, for example, who are born with everything they need to survive, our nature allows us to continually learn. To me, this is one of the joys of life.

In our technological age, learning is tantamount to being a part of modern society. How we take to technological learning is a reflection of our psychological approach. An external psychological approach can easily lead to victim-like feelings. In contrast, if you believe in an internal psychological approach—that regardless of the stimulation, situation, or urge—you have the ability to choose your response, then you are not a victim. The reason is that you control … >>>

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Bamboo Allergy

On July 25, 2012 / Learning

Our daughter gave me a Father’s Day gift “for the man who has everything.”

The toothpicks are harder than the ones I usually use, and I was delighted with them. I used them after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It never dawned on me that when I broke out in hives, which led to a rash, which inflamed into dermatitis that the cause could be an allergic reaction to my new toothpicks.

I saw a number of experts—allergy specialists, dermatologists, and other medical doctors—none of whom could find the cause.

I searched the Internet for answers. One medical doctor had even asked, “Do you believe in the Web or in your medical practitioner? (The answer, of course, is “Why not use … >>>

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Questions for Risk-Taking

On July 20, 2012 / Learning

A close relative of mine asked my counsel regarding a new job she had just accepted. Two of her friends had suggested that she not take the job—that it was too risky and that she may not succeed.

I asked her, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

She responded, “I could get fired.”

I asked, “Can you live with that?

She said, “Yes.”

I suggested that with the risk comes the reward and that if she stays positive and continues to reflect before she makes choices, she will succeed. However, if for some reason, she doesn’t, her life experiences will have been enhanced. Either way, she wins by taking the position.… >>>

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Learning, the Brain, and Technology

On July 18, 2012 / Learning

Technology is affecting our brains. It is controlling and enslaving those who have become addicted to ultra smart devices and virtual social networking.

People are drawn into the technology by the potential of short-term rewards. Every contact offers the potential for a social, sexual, or professional opportunity. The mini-reward is like a squirt of dopamine for answering the Pavlov bell.

There is no doubt that many are becoming impulsive.

A recent study at Case Western Reserve University correlated heavy texting and social media use with stress, depression, and suicidal thinking—especially among adolescents.

These depressed youth were the most intense web users, spending more hours on e-mail, chats, video games, and file sharing. They also opened, closed, and switched browser windows … >>>

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Learning, Reading, and Hearing

On July 11, 2012 / Learning

“The proper frame of mine,” being charged with a “mister meaner,” referring to an “Ivory League School,” complaining that a roommate was from “another dementian,” the school was in “secession year round,” “taken for granite,” and becoming “pregnant on that fetal night” were just a few of James Courter’s examples in his July 10 article of The Wall Street Journal.

Courter had recently retired from teaching composition to college freshman. His charge is that today’s young people don’t read. As a result, they sometimes have hilarious notions of how the written language represents what they hear.

We can only imagine what the English language writings will look like generations from now when … >>>

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Disadvantages of Punishments and Rewards

On July 9, 2012 / Learning, Parenting

I received an e-mail stating, ” I Googled ‘disadvantages of punishment and rewards’ and found your website.”

My website was the 28th website listed on Google. Needless to say, I was grateful for the person’s finding me and subscribing to my free, monthly newsletter, “Promoting Responsibility & Learning.”

In the future, there will be more and more sites devoted to the disadvantages of using punishments and rewards for teaching and parenting. The reason is that the more these external approaches are used, the more obvious they are seen as being coercive and ineffective in changing people’s long-term motivation.

Rewards ask, “What will I get for doing it?” and punishments ask, “What will you do to me if I don’t?” These … >>>

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Brain Myths

On July 6, 2012 / Learning

Knowledge about the brain has significantly increased in the last few years. Here are four myths about the brain and learning, each followed by a statement that reflects new findings.

1. You can’t change your brain.
The brain is constantly changing in response to thoughts and experiences. Changing our thinking and changing the way we behave induces changes in the brain.

2. We lose thousands of neurons every day.
Assuming that the brain remains healthy and disease free, the brain loses relatively few neurons with age.

3. The brain doesn’t make new brain cells.
Certain areas of the brain—such as the hippocampus and olfactory bulbs (the scent processing center)—regularly generate new neurons. And, as mentioned above, every time the … >>>

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Third Culture Korean Kids

On July 2, 2012 / Learning, Relationships

I received the following e-mail:

“I am doing a thesis on Third Culture Korean kids (graduate paper) as a requirement for my Master in TESOL/Adult Literacy. I would love to be in touch with you in order to gather some information from you. NO PRESSURE. I am merely asking this as a favor since you seem to have a grasp on this subject. Thank you ever so kindly.”

Of course, I responded that I would help in any way I could.

I made nine (9) presentations in South Korea and am familiar with “third culture Kids.” These are young people who were born to parents of one nationality and whose parents have taken positions in other than their native country.… >>>

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Rewarding Can Backfire

On June 29, 2012 / Discipline, Learning

It is counterproductive to give tangible rewards to young people for doing things that they should be doing.

This belief was reinforced by the following e-mail I received from someone who had just subscribed to my free monthly newsletter, Promoting Responsibility & Learning.

“I found out about you from another teacher who told me about your website. I called and got info on the phone about signing up for the newsletter. I also ordered your book from Amazon.

“I had a situation this year that I did not know how to deal with. I had a very bright class who were lazy. Usually I am a very motivational teacher and do not use bribes. However, this class had … >>>

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Classroom Management and Motivation

On June 20, 2012 / Discipline, Effectiveness, Learning

A common confusion of teachers and school leaders is that classroom management and motivation are the same.

Successful classroom management does not create motivation to learn. More and more teachers complain about the apathy of students to put forth effort in their learning. However, a teacher can have the most effective classroom management but still not prompt student effort. The reason is that classroom management has nothing to do with student motivation. Classroom management has to do with what the teacher does—specifically, the procedures taught, practiced, and reinforced to ensure that students understand how to implement what has been taught.

Motivation, in contrast to making instruction efficient, is about making instruction effective. What does the teacher do to … >>>

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God Bless the USA and American Values

On June 15, 2012 / Learning, Responsibility

After much practice, students at a New York City school were informed that they would not be allowed to sing “God Bless the U.S.A.” at a school performance. As far as can be determined, the school administration’s position was that, since there are so many different cultures represented at the school, some students would take offense at the lyrics:

God Bless The USA
by Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone, I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away.

Hey! And I’m proud to … >>>

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What to Do when PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) is Mandatded

On June 11, 2012 / Discipline, Learning

A teacher who still subscribes to the newsletter but changed her subscription from her school to her home e-mail address, informed me of the reason for the change. She wrote, “I still subscribe at my home e-mail; however, my school is totally into PBIS and therefore, I have to follow that program.”

Thousands of teachers in the United States are in this same situation. I understood her dilemma. I shared with her what others are doing to implement BPIS while using DWS.

PBIS does NOT mandate that the TEACHER is the one who MUST reinforce expected and appropriate behaviors with some form of “reward.” Have the students do it. They can appoint a committee to set the procedures, which may … >>>

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No Child Left Behind – A Faulty Foundation

On June 6, 2012 / Learning

The federal program referred to as “No Child Left Behind” is based on a faulty foundation. It is based on a negative approach—and no negative approach is long-lasting.

The federal legislation classifies students in six sub-categories: (1) black, (2) white, (3) Hispanic, (4) economically disadvantaged, (5) special education, and (6) English language learners. All must attain higher scores each year until 2014 when all schools across the U.S.A. reach a 100% pass rate.

It appears obvious to most people that many factors affect students’ learning—including socio-economic status, expectations of the parents regarding education, and genetic makeup.

Yet, despite these factors, the federal government has mandated that all schools will meet these arbitrary and unrealistic standards—or be labeled as failures.

The … >>>

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Standardized Tests and Education

On June 4, 2012 / Learning

Using standardized tests for student and teacher accountability continues to be headline news.

By definition, half the test scores on standardized test must be below average. If too many test takers score correctly on a test item, the item is eliminated because it does not differentiate enough. In addition, (1) standardized tests do not correlate with most school curriculums, (2) these tests are biased toward higher economic communities, and (3) they are not valid because they were not developed to assess if what has been taught has been learned. But there is another major problem with using standardized tests to assess schooling.

I think that most people would agree that what has been learned in school should be helpful in … >>>

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Teacher Evaluation Using Standardized Tests

On June 1, 2012 / Learning

It seems incomprehensible that educational leaders continue to allow political agencies (government) to manipulate school districts. I am referring to the national debate of requiring teachers to be evaluated based on student performance on standardized test scores.

The Obama administration has long sought to make “value-added” scores part of teacher evaluations. It requires that states seeking federal stimulus aid get rid of legal barriers that would prohibit tying the scores to teacher pay and retention. With this federal manipulation, school districts around the country are revamping the way teachers are evaluated—with many using student test scores as one measure of effectiveness.

The Los Angeles Times reported today (June 1, 2012) that one group in favor of this approach … >>>

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