Encouraging Children to Learn

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Encouraging Children to Learn Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Motivation “ Imagine that you’ve just taken a job as a first grade teacher in a school were most (although not all) of the teachers are using an elaborate system of rewards for good behavior and academic performance. When a child completes the day’s assignments on time, a gold star appears next to his or her name on a large wall chart. If the child does the work correctly, that results in an extra star. Children get a sticker to take home each time they complete a new book of ten stars on the classroom chart. Children are also rewarded for being good listeners, keeping their desks neat, getting through a whole day without being disruptive in class, etc., the rewards include cookies, candy, hand stamps, and buttons to wear on their shirts.” Learning, as proposed by major theorists Thorndike, Watson and Skinner, is the result of the application of consequences, that is, learners begin to connect certain responses with certain stimuli. This connection causes the probability of the response to change (i.e. learning) occurs. Motivation is an internal state or condition that activates behavior and gives it direction. Motivation theorists assume that learned behavior will not occur unless it is energized. Encouragement gives children a sense that they have a place in society and, in turn, secures their investment in themselves and the group. With today’s rising levels of violence, depression, anxiety and suicide among youth, encouraging children to engage in learning assumes renewed, even increased, importance. Discouraged children often disengage from learning and from society. The classroom climate is important. If students experience the classroom as a caring, supportive place where there is a sense of belonging and everyone is valued and respected, they will tend to participate more fully in the process
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