THERE inevitably will be low achievers within any education system, regardless of how well developed and effective that system may be, because of obvious differences in parental upbringing, environment, heredity factors, poverty levels and motivation.
With regard to the last factor, education experts believe that fundamentally, the process of motivation stems from stimulation, which in turn is followed by an emotional reaction that leads to a specific behavioural response. In the classroom, if a student’s behaviour is regarded as desirable and is rewarded, the positive reinforcement stimulates the student to repeat the desirable behaviour.
Conversely, if a student’s behaviour is regarded as undesirable and the individual receives a response with a negative undertone, demotivation results. Furthermore, anxiety and frustration often result if behaviour thought to be positive does not lead to proper recognition, reinforcement and reward.
Basically, motivations stem from unsatisfied needs. However, it must be understood that individuals are motivated through a wide variety of needs. Some people are highly motivated by money, others by power, and other by praise.
Since teachers are not usually in a position to offer students money or power, their focus will be on praise. It should also be noted that some people are self-motivated and perform because they like challenge and want to perform. While educators can’t make or teach students to be self-motivated, they can encourage and promote this highly desirable personal trait.
Generally, students will show some self-motivation if they know what is expected of them, think the effort is worthwhile, and feel they will benefit through effective performance.
Unfortunately, some teachers feel that motivating students is really not one of their job responsibilities. Whether teachers like it or not, students are expecting and collecting feedback from their instructors. Teachers need to be very aware of the impact that their verbal comments and non-verbal body language have on their students’ motivation level. Below are some tips for being a motivator and not a de-motivator.
Within our education system we have a significant proportion of low achieving students and most commendably the Ministry of Education has been moving aggressively in the direction of reintroducing remedial classes during the school vacation periods.
Those days when it was felt that some people were cut out to become educated while others were not are long over and outmoded. The modern approach to education is that everyone can become educated regardless of ethnicity, class or social background once they are provided with the adequate opportunity to do so. And in any case, the reality of today’s world is that education is a necessity rather than an option.
On this score, Education Minister Shaik Baksh made an excellent suggestion recently when he appealed to university students to volunteer two hours of their time per week to work with low achievers to improve their literacy level.
Mr. Baksh said the Ministry of Education, through the National Literacy Unit, is committed to providing the necessary resources to support the initiative which he suggested can be convened at churches and public schools during the week and at weekends.
He stressed that apart from university students, the Rotary and other clubs, community leaders and more corporate members of the private sector should also come on board to support the proposed intervention.
Mr. Baksh said the move will significantly support the work of teachers in the school system, notably in helping pupils to “spell, write, read what they write, and understand what they read”.
The minister noted that literacy is a concern in developed and developing countries and locally, several measures have been instituted to address challenges confronting the education system in this regard.
Mr. Baksh is totally correct that the formal education system has to be supported by the work of the wider society as the former does not have the unilateral capacity to deal with all the problems, difficulties and challenges of the education system.
That is why the spirit of volunteerism, which has been waning in this society for some time now, must be rekindled.