Coming from a sporting background and then moving into teaching, I have always been intrigued with motivation. Many classes have left me wondering why some students have this drive to do their best, while others will do their best to avoid doing their best! I have come up with this model on motivation as a way of combining the knowledge I have gained from learning about psychology and cognitive science. I feel knowing these five principles are vital for understanding why people do what they do.
Tag: Learning environment
Mr Lee’s Top Teacher Takeaways for Sep 21
A monthly overview of the top things that I have read, listened to, seen on social media and learnt about teaching and education.
It’s not the footballers’ fault they make dumb decisions
Why do we continue to see young footballers making such poor decisions off the field? This article looks at why it is happening and what we can do to support them better.
Can students learn effectively from home?
This article looks at the difficulties that schools and families face during remote learning, as well as how we can help students learn more effectively from home.
Teacher attitudes towards professional learning
Teachers are passionate about learning, but not necessarily good at it. School leaders need to create the right culture and environment that enables teachers to learn. This article looks at how cognitive biases affect us all and where we sit on the Dunning-Kruger curve. How can we get The Personal Trainer, The Chef, The Train Driver, The Carpenter and The Card Collector all collaboratively working towards school improvement?
How to create a positive classroom culture
Part 1 – Curriculum design for the whole person Part 2 – Overcoming the barriers to learning: Creating a positive classroom culture If you’re reading this blog article, there’s a good chance that you’re a bit of a “learning-nerd” like me. You probably get excited over how you have just planned the perfect lesson with…
How I am teaching with more purpose and meaning this year – Part 1: Curriculum design for the whole person
In schools, we can fall into the trap of working in silos. That might be individually, only as Stage groups or in faculty teams. If this is the case, it is even more important that as a school, every teacher knows what the end goal is. What sort of person does our school want to have walking out the doors on their last day as a student? Importantly, do the school’s goals align with what the students want? Too often I have seen school leaders pushing for academic results when it is quite clear that the majority of the students are not that way inclined.
Learning = Superpower
A lot of focus in education is put on the curriculum, teaching methods, the ability of the student and behaviour management. However, what is often neglected is teaching kids how to actually learn. We go straight into teaching the content, without thinking about how the students are actually going to learn.
Learning is the infinite superpower that we all have. Amazingly, our brain is able to continually absorb new information, no matter how old we are. It can learn even better when we put the magic COAT on! COAT is the acronym that I have put together that will guide my teaching in order to ensure that my students learn!