March 7, 2023

Academic Innovations / Get Focused Stay Focused!

Survey: What Students Say Will Motivate Them to Work Harder

Motivation plays a big role in a student's academic success, and there are lots of strategies educators use to build supportive learning environments. But what do students feel would motivate them to work harder in school?

The EdWeek Research Center recently asked a nationally representative sample of 13- to 19-year-old students what would motivate them to do their best in school. The strategy students selected most out of 20+ options was the chance to redo assignments if they got a low grade. What a great way to help students understand the power of growth mindset, a somewhat complex concept that Nelson Mandela simplified beautifully when he said, "I never lose. I either win or learn."

Here are the top 10 strategies that students selected, all of which are supported by the Career Choices series and Get Focused Stay Focused curriculum:

Give me a chance to redo assignments if I get a low grade = 35%
Let me do assignments on topics that interest me if they are relevant to what we are learning = 29%
Incorporate more humor, fun, games into class = 29%
Offer more hands-on experiences including field trips, lab experiments, maker spaces, and internships = 29%
Provide more feedback so I know what to improve before we get our grades = 29%
Show me how I can use what I learn in my future career = 28%
Use teaching methods other than or in addition to lecturing to the class = 25%
Offer a choice of different ways I can demonstrate I have learned something = 24%
Take more time to get to know me as a person = 24%
Stop requiring assignments that feel like busywork = 24%

How GFSF Motivates Students

Career Planning Builds Teacher-Student Relationships at Orland High School

Since launching their own Career Choices series program, teachers at Orland High School are able to understand their students better because they know where they want to go in life, said Miranda Coughlin, an academic advisor at Orland High (2022 Career Choices Medal Winner).

“Where we’ve really seen it help is in the focus they’re going to take while they’re on our campus and then what their plan is after they graduate,” Coughlin said. “It’s just opened up a lot of conversations about what life after high school actually looks like.”

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Hosted at the University Center on the UCSB campus, the 2-day Get Focused Stay Focused Conference will present a curated selection of in-depth institute topics to help you enhance your current program or streamline the launch of a new program.

Space is limited, so you'll want to get your team registered soon. If you're not sure which institute will best meet your needs, just give us a call at (800) 967-8016.

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