Interest-ing

In week 3's seminar presentation, we learned about student development. The type of development that stuck out to me the most was social development. It seems very easy for students to go from positive growth, such as feeling more motivated and competent, to feelings of negative growth, such as feeling like they're not doing enough or they don't belong. In the Intermediate/Senior grades, students are going through a lot of social development, such as having identity crises or having fluctuating levels of confidence. As future educators, we need to be careful about our words and actions towards students. We need to celebrate students' efforts and progress and be there for our students to instill positive growth in them. Combined with this week's key workshop, student interest can also fluctuate as a person grows. I remember when I was in high school, sometimes I would suppress my interests, such as the music I wanted to listen to, or the classes I wanted to take in school. I did this because I wanted to fit in with my peers. Unfortunately, I felt more isolated as I was suppressing who I was. As future educators, it is important to encourage all of our students to pursue their interests and explore their own identity. Although it can be difficult, with the pressures of wanting to blend in and not stand out from the crowd, I liked the analogy that the seminar group used comparing identity to the Spice Girls. Realizing that each Spice Girl has a unique identity yet are able to work together was enlightening. I hope to share this analogy with my future students to show that we can be different and still succeed in life.

Another factor that future educators need to be careful about is extrinsic versus intrinsic rewards we give students. For example, extrinsic rewards were demonstrated to condition students to only be interested in something if there was a reward out of it. In class, most people would not write a 1000 page essay if an iPad was not given after. When the extrinsic reward disappears, so too does the interest. Encouraging student growth is already tricky to do. Avoiding bribery or short-term rewards will ensure students can be truly interested in the work that they do. Instead, teachers can allow students to choose what topic they want to do a project on. Teachers can invite guest speakers, such as experts in various fields, to get students interested in different topics. I remember in grade 5, my teacher brought in a scientist from the science centre to talk about pH levels. Even to this day, I remember being amazed at the pH indicators changing colour. This inspired me to take science classes later on in life. Although not every topic of interest might be in the curriculum, providing a range of perspectives allows students to gather the self-confidence and identity they need to succeed not just in school, but in life.

MeganC@OTU