Why should I learn this?

I feel like that question can be asked often in a boring class or while learning a principle that seems inapplicable.  The more I learn about how we learn and different teaching tactics, the more I look forward to investigating the common Hispanic methods of teaching in Mexico.  I had the chance to observe an elementary school science fait today and it blew my mind the kind of experiments these ten year old students had done.  What really hit me it the concept of motivation. I feel like whenever I study the learning presses, it always boils down to the underlining motivation factors.  It they are there, students will push through the learning process despite the difficulty, and if they are not there, well, teachers can try to force-feed knowledge but it is very ineffective.

In this entry I want to focus on one of the most powerful motivation factors that I plan to keep an eye on when observing schools in Mexico.  It is the factor of showing-off or publicizing your effort. This is probably the number one reason why some students are so passionate about sports and so indifferent about their schooling.  A high school football team works themselves to death just because every Friday half the school with be watching them and critiquing their skills. I was a wrestler in High school and let me tell you, I can’t think about anything more motivating than a one on one duel under a spotlight surrounded by a crowed of my friends and schoolmates.  I pushed myself farther than ever so I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.  But on the other side, when my performance was exceptional, there was no better reward than the public approval.   

Now I say this because at the science fair today I interviewed some ten year olds that were explaining principles in physics that I didn’t learn until my senior year at high school.  I saw kids who otherwise had little interest in science telling me about the science behind their favorite activities.  One young girl explained the importance of each ingredient in a chocolate cookie recipe. Another about the best type of protection to use to protect yourself from the UV rays when playing at the beach.  One boy tested all his model airplanes and explained why some flew better than others.  Not only were the subject matters focused on something they cared about, but as I approached each project board, the students were extremely giddy and anxious to explain to me what they had tested.  One team of young girls, all dressed in homemade matching shirts with the title of their project written across them, could not stop interrupting each other because they were so excited to explain to me what they had discovered about avalanches.

In Mexico I eager to see what are the motivation factors the schools used to promote learning. It’s possible that I find a lack of effective motivation, even still, that would be an important observation to report.