January 2009 Archives

January 27, 2009

Musical Motivation

A group of kindergarteners in Schuylkill Valley Elementary School in Pennsylvania are doing something interesting this year—they're all learning how to play the violin. The hope is that the students will show how playing a musical instrument could boost academic performance and cognitive ability.

We talk a lot here at Motivation Matters about the importance of using classes in music and art to increase students' motivation levels, and this study aims to draw a direct research-based connection between the two. At least one other study (PDF) has found a relationship between students' motivation levels and the performing arts, according to the article.

This is an interesting initiative, and I'm curious to see how it turns out, but personally, I'm sure glad I'm not around to listen to 130 five-year-olds learning to play the violin.

Posted by Katie Ash at 1:11 PM | | 2 Comments | Recommend

January 21, 2009

Motivated to Volunteer

Although I didn't have a chance to volunteer on MLK Day this year (I spent the day traveling up and down the Columbia River Gorge right outside of Portland instead), the idea that it is intended to be a day of service is never far from my mind. And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that way. This AP article details how many people across the country spent Martin Luther King Day giving back to their communities.

Partly spurred by encouragement from (now) President Obama, some events, such as the Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service, experienced record high turnouts of volunteers. Others volunteered at homeless shelters or spent a few hours picking up trash.

It's easy to spend the extra day sleeping in and catching up on things you'd like to do—like I did, but inspiring to hear about the ways that others spent the day off doing something positive for their communities.

Looking ahead, it's worth asking: How can we use this new spirt of volunteerism to improve our schools? What kinds of volunteers do schools need the most?

Posted by Katie Ash at 9:12 AM | | 1 Comment | Recommend

January 16, 2009

The Importance of Art

We are mere days away from President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, and if there's one thing I learned from the story I just finished up about school construction and facilities, it's that a lot of people have high hopes for what he is going to do when he takes office. Already, the House has released a copy of an economic stimulus bill that would give schools up to $100 billion dollars for various programs—everything from bolstering technology in schools to supporting early-childhood education. And according to this article from the Christian-Science Monitor, the arts education world is also hoping to receive a boost from the plan.

Obama was the first presidential candidate to include an arts platform in his campaign, and leaders in the art world hope that, along with other factors, indicate that art and arts education will be a priority for him when he takes office, says the article. In an interview, Obama explained his concern for art and music education by saying, "When I was a kid, you always had an art teacher and a music teacher. Even in the poorest school districts, everyone had access to music and other arts."

"People understood that even though they hadn't done all the scientific research, children who learn music actually do better in math and kids whose imaginations are sparked by the arts are more engaged in school," he added.

One of the ideas that has been floated is an Arts Corps program, which would be similar to the Peace Corps in that it would encourage young citizens to engage in service aimed at promoting art and arts education in the U.S. for a certain amount of time. As someone who lives with two Americorps veterans, I can say that these programs have the ability to change lives—of the people who participate in them and those they work with. Especially at a time when school districts are making tough decisions about whether they can afford to keep art and music classes, this idea speaks to the importance of those subjects to students and to the community.

Posted by Katie Ash at 12:38 PM | | 2 Comments | Recommend

January 14, 2009

Sparking Science Interest Outside of School

This Education Week article about a new report put out by the the National Research Council discusses recent findings that informal science activities—such as visiting a museum, watching TV shows, and even conversations with family members—have the potential to improve students' learning and appreciation of science.

Although it is difficult to assess how much accurate information students do pick up from informal science activities, the researchers broke up the study into six categories:

They include building motivation to learn about the natural world; understanding scientific arguments, concepts, models, and facts; manipulating, testing, exploring, and questioning; understanding the nature of scientific knowledge, institutions, and processes; using scientific language and tools and working with one another; and thinking of themselves as science learners who can contribute to the field.

One point I found interesting was that educational TV shows were much more effective at conveying information about science than digital devices, games, or radio, although one science education expert said that conclusion makes sense, since research on those mediums is fairly new. He also said that it was hard to measure the "spark" that occurs when a student comes to a new understanding of what science is and what it is to think scientifically, which is the ultimate goal of many of these programs.

In my opinion, although it may be difficult to pinpoint, the more ways there are to generate that spark, and the more students are exposed to those opportunities—both in and out of school—the better.

Posted by Katie Ash at 12:19 PM | | 3 Comments | Recommend

January 12, 2009

People Are (Sort of) Reading More!

One of the first entries I ever wrote for Motivation Matters was about a report that said students, and people in general, were reading less. As I mentioned in that post, as a book lover and avid reader, that news was disheartening and—quite frankly—a little frightening.

It's been over a year since I wrote that post, and today a new report (PDF), which surveyed about 18,000 adults 18 and older, was released by the same organization—The National Endowment for the Arts—that says for the first time in 25 years, more people are reading literature. The overall rate of reading grew 7 percent, with the biggest gains in the 18-24 age group. Compared with statistics from 2002, members of that age group increased reading rates by 9 percent. The researchers attribute this growth to a renewed push for reading in schools.

However, I should point out that although more people report reading literature, the overall rates of people reading still fall short of the rates reported the first time the survey was done in 1982. Then, 57 percent of adults reported reading literature, while only 50 percent of adults today report reading literature in the past year. Sixty percent of the 18-24 age group reported reading in 1982 compared to 52 percent surveyed in 2008.

So while the rates are on the rise for the first time since the survey was started, those rates are still well below the data collected 26 years ago. But perhaps I shouldn't be so discouraged. The rates are going up, and that's a good thing.

There's plenty of information here to think about if you're a literature geek like me—such as how many people are reading fiction vs. poetry and plays. Also, there are statistics about how many people are reading articles, blogs, and information online. Interesting stuff that's worth checking out.

Posted by Katie Ash at 1:20 PM | | 5 Comments | Recommend

January 08, 2009

'Citizen Schools' Seek to Boost After School Learning

This program, Citizen Schools, combines a lot of factors we talk about here on Motivation Matters to help boost education in communities across the country. In an effort to decrease the number of dropouts in America, the after-school program hooks up volunteer experts—college students, young professionals, and adults—with middle school students to act as mentors and teachers. The volunteers are encouraged to share specialized skills with the students in hands-on learning environments. This model makes education relevant and fun for students, as well as provides them with support from another adult who wants them to be successful in school.

Started in Boston, Citizen Schools has since expanded to 44 sites in 7 different states, and it's currently in the running to be presented to the President-elect on inauguration day as a top idea to change the country.

Check out this animated film about the program:

Posted by Katie Ash at 12:28 PM | | 3 Comments | Recommend

January 06, 2009

Feedback Please!

Happy new year, everyone! We here at Motivation Matters wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks for all the thoughtful comments and suggestions we've received on this blog over the past year. As always, we want to make this blog a helpful and relevant resource for you, so if you have any topics that you'd like discussed or explored in the new year or suggestions on what we could do to improve the blog, please email me (kash@epe.org) or Kevin (kbushweller@epe.org) or leave us a comment!

To get the year started on an uplifting note, I thought I'd turn your attention to an AP story about how some schools are using mariachi education classes as a way to entice Hispanic students to stay in school and increase parental involvement.

With soaring dropout rates among Hispanic students, mariachi education programs, long popular in parts of South Texas and California, are springing up in schools across the country to help keep the nation's largest and fastest-growing ethnic group academically engaged.

Mariachi provides a strong cultural link between students and their parents or grandparents, says the article, in a way that traditional band or orchestra classes do not.

Encouraging parental participation and drawing a stronger connection between school and home life are both likely benefits of mariachi education, but I have a slightly harder time believing that mariachi classes will really persuade a student who is considering dropping out of school to stick it out. For a certain few perhaps, but for the vast majority, I don't think these classes are going to solve the dropout crisis.

However, I do think it's important for schools to adjust curriculum, particularly electives, to meet changing interests among their students. Keeping education relevant to students' lives is certainly an effective way of spurring motivation.

What do you think?

Posted by Katie Ash at 1:22 PM | | 2 Comments | Recommend

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