The 'Can Do' Mindset

Whilst going through the notes of some of the workshops I sat in years ago, I stumbled upon something that I wrote:

"Students live up to the expectations of teachers. Therefore, a teacher's behaviour towards the child will encourage the behaviour."

The words struck me as it jolted my memory of how I have set expectations on my own pupils. As humans, we all want others to think of us as abled people, having the ability to perform and learn independently. As humans who interact with others, it is inevitable that we may have unjust / unreasonable expectations on our pupils and this indirectly affects their motivation.

What behaviour do I want to encourage in my pupil? If my pupil were to live up to my expectations, would it be a positive or negative expectation that I am placing on him? Have I stumbled any pupil because of unreasonable expectations? How can I motivate a pupil whose motivation is already marred by an unreasonable expectation set by another?

Personally, the belief that any pupil who genuinely wants to try is already putting in effort is crucial. The pupil needs to know that you recognise that of him. Placing effort to try may come easier for some than others, yet it ought not be belittled by the teacher. It is still an effort. Based on that effort, this intrinsic motivation can be further encouraged through kind words of praise and setting of a personal goal to better in the coming attempt. Small steps lead to bigger ones... and eventually to the biggest dreams that once seemed impossible.

Recently, 2 pupils from my P6 Maths class were stunned when I shared with them that they can and have the ability to attain the grades they have never dreamt of, as long as they dared to. They were surprised that I had such hope and expectation on them. How? Of course that could not be achieved by plain talk. Exposure and problem solving skills have to be refined from time to time. Carelessness has to be minimised through thorough checking and adequate rest. The list goes on. They realised that it is not impossble to achieve. Not just self assurance and confidence but that given of the teacher is what is needed too in the spirit of motivation. I still believe that they can achieve what they have set themselves to. :)

Regardless of the pupil, motivation is a process that cannot be rushed. Yet it cannot take just one to clap. Both the teacher and the pupil need to have that 'can do' mindset. This principle applies to parents and their children too. Try it and you might just discover a miracle in your child!


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~