Sure, you praise your kids. And they look at you with beaming little faces. Such a warm feeling, if only for a moment. But, is that all there is to praise? What’s simmering in the brain behind those sparkling eyes? It may well depend on the precise nature of the praise you … [Read more...] about How to Nurture Persistence with (the Right Kind of) Praise
Motivated to Fail: When Flunking Becomes an Ambition
What is the opposite of being motivated to succeed? Well, it must be lack of motivation. Or not caring. Because surely nobody is motivated to do poorly. Or are they? A study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology shows that in fact some students purposefully behave in ways … [Read more...] about Motivated to Fail: When Flunking Becomes an Ambition
Teach Your Teen How to Stop Procrastinating Homework (without Nagging)
“Trust me?” You send him off to school. Drive him to soccer practice. Then there’s dinner. And, you know, a little TV. Says he’s getting homework done. But there doesn’t seem to be that much. Gets it all done in school. Hmm. Trust me. Hmm. You want to trust him. You don’t have time to … [Read more...] about Teach Your Teen How to Stop Procrastinating Homework (without Nagging)
Motivating Teens: 3 Ways to Answer When Your Teen Claims School is Pointless
Imagine your son comes home from school. He’s frustrated about Biology. Today they covered, “balancing equations.” That completely drained his enthusiasm. Ouch. You haven’t got a clue what those are about. You don’t recall learning about them yourself. Never use them. You ask him what it … [Read more...] about Motivating Teens: 3 Ways to Answer When Your Teen Claims School is Pointless
What is Competence and Why is it Important?
Competence means that you have the ability to do something well. You are capable of performing a task or job effectively. Competence can include the knowledge and skills needed to solve a quadratic equation. Or, it can comprise the much larger and more diverse clusters of skills, or competencies, … [Read more...] about What is Competence and Why is it Important?
Teaching by Asking Questions: How Well Does it Work?
A great way to learn is by asking questions. A question begs to be answered. When you ask a question, your mind starts to explore information in new and purposeful ways. Research on questioning has shown that some forms of questioning work better than others. Questions that invite … [Read more...] about Teaching by Asking Questions: How Well Does it Work?