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- Title
Pathways From Discouragement to Courage.
- Authors
Van Bockern, Steve; Wenger, Laurie; Ashworth, Julie
- Abstract
This article describes the specific adult attitudes and actions that are essential in redirecting children and youth from destructive to productive life pathways. Motivation requires three key ingredients, such as expectations, value, and a safe climate. Humans need reasonable expectations, a sense that the work will benefit self or others, and that it will be accomplished in a secure environment. If any one of these three ingredients is missing, motivation wanes or disappears. For example, a child may value a math lesson and feel safe in the classroom, but if the expectations are beyond his capacity, motivation will be limited. If reasonable expectations are given in a safe environment, yet the child sees no purpose or relevancy, motivation suffers. Likewise, reasonable expectations valued by a student who is in a bullying atmosphere will be less motivated. Creating the right expectations is a difficult and time-consuming task for educators, requiring trial and error and support in order to modify the curriculum without over-simplifying and losing its value or expectations. As difficult as it can be, educators are obligated, ethically and in some cases by the law, to implement modifications in order to encourage the child to learn. Pathways to discouragement In the very first stage that an atmosphere of uncertainty develops, there is an intuitive sense that the child is different. An adult, usually the parent but often an observant teacher, will notice behavior that is outside the norm usually related to learning and social concerns.
- Subjects
ADULTS; ATTITUDE (Psychology); CHILDREN; MOTIVATION (Psychology); VALUES (Ethics)
- Publication
Reclaiming Children & Youth, 2004, Vol 13, Issue 3, p149
- ISSN
1089-5701
- Publication type
Article