Motivation ebbs and flows for students just as it does for adults, says Nathan Holbert, an associate professor of communication, media and learning technology design at Columbia University, in an article in K-12 Dive.
“People like to learn, they just don’t like to learn necessarily in the form that we often ask them to do in a classroom,” says Holbert. “Young people can definitely find joy in learning, just like the rest of us do, but we need to sort of open up the space of what we think learning can be.”
It’s important to value young people and care for their well-being, not just their academic achievement, he says.
One way to accomplish this is to bring play into the classroom to make learning more engaging, says Natalia Ortiz, director of the Office of School and Community Partnerships at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
It’s wrong to think that play is no longer necessary as students transition out of elementary school, Ortiz says. She believes play is one of the best ways to foster joy in the classroom and joy for learning.
One form of play is providing opportunities for movement. Ortiz describes the “four corners” exercise, where each corner of the room or area is designated as “agree,” “strongly agree,” “disagree” or “strongly disagree.” A teacher then makes different statements, and students move to the corner that represents their opinion on each statement.
This gets students out of their seats, introduces content in an engaging way, and provides space for their opinions and encourages interaction with peers.
Music is another way to bring joy into the classroom. Create a classroom playlist with every student contributing a song to help them focus, says Ortiz. During independent work time, teachers can play the playlist in the background.
This gives students a sense of classroom community and boosts motivation during self-study time because they have contributed to the environment.
Ortiz ensures wellness spaces are available for her students during testing and midterm season. The first 15 minutes of class is set aside for students to partner in a relaxing and fun activity such as crossword or word search puzzles, origami and coloring books. In this space students laugh, talk and connect, she says. When it’s time to wrap up, they are ready to learn.
K-12 Dive
