Monday, May 26, 2008

Motivating the Unmotivated

On the weekend, I watched a touching bollywood movie(my favourite kind)named "Tare Zameen." It was about a kid who seemed completely and utterly unmotivated at school. He was ostracized by his peers, his teacher and even by his own parents due to his inability to read and be successful in school. The boy had become so overwhelmed with all the negativity that surrounded him that he withdrew into himself. Then came a teacher who recognized his inability as a symptom of dislexia. Often, students are not motivated to succeed for reasons other than "not trying" or "being lazy". In fact, some students just can't do it as much as they want to. It is the teacher's role to recognize this fact and create a supportive learning environment for the child that is conducive to success. Extra help, peer tutoring and teacher interventions can all help a child be successful. Ability and motivation are inextricably linked. Recognizing this fact will help more students succeed.

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