Aspiring to Inspire
Developing An Intrinsic love of Learning; 12 Thoughts to Consider
Somehow we’ve turned the corner into October, and as teachers, we already know which subjects and resources are either hitting the mark of inspiration, or crushing our student’s interest. If you find your students groaning when you pull out a certain book, or notice a student regularly staring off into space when you ask for a narration, or perhaps find yourself dreading a particular curriculum choice you once thought you’d love, this message is for you.
Recently, after struggling to spark that beautiful and desired intrinsic love of learning in my children, I began a deeper search to figure out why. Some of my students seemed to be thriving, while others were unengaged. I read all about (and loved) Charlotte Mason’s philosophical tools and her words describing education as “an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life”. But I was looking for just a few more specifics for those beautiful lofty principles, because in practice this wasn’t always my experience. In my search, I found at least twelve things which play a role in inspiring an intrinsic love of learning in children. I do believe that when our children are flourishing, with a genuine love of learning, one or more of these twelve areas is being applied well. If a child is struggling to enjoy a particular subject or resource (or learning in general), this list has been helpful to pinpoint particular areas which may need my attention.
These ideas come both from my own experience as well as my understanding of Mason’s philosophy and methodology. I have been working to condense related ideas on this topic from throughout her volumes as I try to promote (and not get in the way of) a genuine love of learning with my own students. I also recently hosted a gathering of seasoned home educating mothers sharing in a panel discussion on this very topic. The following are among the most important and prevalent ideas I have to share:
1-Depend on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our child’s ultimate teacher in all subject areas. He is also the teacher of teachers, so don’t forget to pray and depend on Him first and foremost. Because yes, even godly parents sometimes jump straight to worry and forget to pray.
2-Create a positive learning atmosphere. Is your home learning atmosphere respectful, caring, loving, safe, comfortable, and welcoming? Or, is it distracted, critical, or in some way unpleasant? Work hard and immediately to resolve any negative atmosphere concerns, or any relational issues impacting the learning atmosphere, to the best of your ability. The home atmosphere may seem inconsequential, but it is actually primary. Pay attention to your home’s learning atmosphere for each child.
3-Create a sense of anticipation and relevance for what will be learned. Share your excitement for the topic, why you chose the book, topic, or resource and what you are hoping to gain. Let your child in on that excitement and reasons for anticipation - both as you begin, and as you continue. Give students a vision for the relevance and value of the topics and ideas to their own lives and the lives to which they aspire.
4-Refrain from offering button and sticker rewards for learning efforts. I believe it is important to avoid rewards or bribes, coercion, or other forms of manipulation either as you set up your school year, or when you see anticipation or motivation waning. Though tempting, these only complicate and worsen things over time, distracting and detracting from the pure love of learning, which our children’s inquisitive minds naturally crave. Celebrate accomplishments and feel free to spice up lessons on occasion (adding in a fun game or perhaps a sweet snack), but avoid button and sticker reward systems. For more on this, see Mason’s thoughts in her 6th Volume, A Philosophy of Education, (particularly between pages 89-99). Alfie Kohn’s well researched book, Punished by Rewards also addresses this topic in great detail. Both Mason and Kohn discuss the effects of using external rewards to attempt to “motivate” children to want to learn. [Spoiler alert: They don’t work. In fact, they work against the goal of any intrinsic desire to learn].
5-Hold high expectations, yet with openly shared respect and confidence in your child’s personhood and ability to reach those expectations. Throughout her volumes, and within her top 20 Principles of Education, Charlotte Mason always promoted holding high respect for all children. She saw this as foundational to both teaching and learning. A more recent Stanford educational study by Geoffrey Cohen, published in 2014*, showed the positive impact teachers provided when they merely shared the brief feedback, “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them.” These simple words served to powerfully support the child’s own confidence and motivation to strive harder and longer in their learning efforts. Just knowing the teacher respected them and gently indicated an “I believe you can do this well” attitude, dramatically encouraged the child’s own intrinsic sense of agency, capability, and drive. Though we don’t want to persuade children to learn and/or work on their studies merely to please us, we do want to communicate, in some measure, that we respect them and have confidence in their abilities.
6-Let your students know you are committed to their success. Speak this aloud, and then be so; find ways to support them in the learning process. Be sure they know they are not alone and that you are available and eager to help them. Home-schooling does not mean alone-schooling. If they or you need help in a certain subject area, don’t be hesitant to look for outside sources and resources. Ask around and pray (as mentioned in list item #1). There are others who can help; seek them out. It is perfectly respectable and sometimes necessary to outsource a subject in which you struggle.
7-Foster curiosity and wonder - promoting their questions, active discovery on their part, and their thoughtful engagement, rather than just handing down dry facts from your research or textbooks. Teachers love to ask students questions (usually to discover what their students may have missed from the material); instead, let your students do some of the asking, topic digging, and discovering. Teach your students how to ask good questions themselves. Mason claims an engaged and questioning mind is key to lasting learning. If this is true, we ought to spend at least some time learning how to ask good questions. So take time to discuss models such as Bloom’s taxonomy of questions or Aristotle’s 5 topics, and learn how to lead your student’s minds toward deeper learning through active questioning.
8-Use the best, life-giving resources, opportunities, and topics available. We all have various limits given our specific circumstances, family, community, budgets, etc. Still, seek to find the best resources you can, keeping in mind that the scope you currently imagine may be broader than you think. Also realize what sparks interest in one child, may not in another; this isn’t a one-size-fits-all store. Feel free to scrap and replace the pricey, dull-as-bones curriculum that your best friend’s kids loved, but seems to be squeezing out every ounce of joy in the subject with your students. It takes discernment to decide when to quit a difficult book, but perseverance is not always the answer. You may need to find one that works better for you. This is one of the beauties of home education.
9-Share the subject matter in an age appropriate and engaging way - using resources, experiences, and “living” books, as Mason calls them, from authors that engage the senses and speak to both the heart and the mind. Find sources, (even additional sources from your main/spine resource) which include captivating stories whenever possible. Vary the day’s topics to engage different parts of the brain throughout the day (i.e. math, then music, science, then exercise) and keep lessons brief enough to fully hold your student’s attention. I often group some of our family subjects together across ages for things like picture studies, poetry, literature, etc., but sometimes this has resulted in reaching too far across the gap. If books are regularly over one child’s head (or too much below another), that child can easily develop the bad habit of tuning out. Make sure when combining, there is enough variety for everyone to feast - both young and old. Sometimes it is better to reach up to stretch imaginations, and often well done younger resources are captivating to all ages, but consider as you combine if you are reaching too high or too low too often.
10-Develop good study and learning habits. These would include developing the habit of attention, the habit of neatness, or the habit of following a regular routine and schedule. Careless attention, careless work, and irregularity can limit positive growth and intrinsic motivation to press on in nearly anything. So work on developing good habits of attention, best-effort, and consistency.
11-As a teacher, model before your students a love of learning yourself. This is truly contagious. But, so is its counter - if you hate math or writing or biographies (or whatever topic), and you make that attitude known, they will more often than not follow your example. As mentioned in point #6, find someone who excels in the areas you struggle to enjoy, and let their enthusiasm and knowledge carry your child forward more positively. But still, let your children see you enjoying learning regularly. Share with your children what is sparking you to learn and grow, remembering we don’t have to be experts in a subject to still enjoy further learning.
12-Nurture relationship. Our children will respond to our teaching and learn best when the parent/teacher/child relationship is generally healthy, positive and secure. When children feel safe and secure, they are able to comfortably reveal what they don’t know, ask questions, and risk vulnerability to make mistakes and actually learn. If the relationship is strained, the learning will be also. If this is the case, spend time outside of your teaching and learning experiences, working to shore up your relationship. Even small efforts can be powerful - play checkers or go for a walk together but do what it takes to mend and strengthen that bond. Miss Mason has famously expressed education as “the science of relations” seeing all subjects connect and interrelate, but the solid parent/child relationship is where it all begins.
As you’ve rounded the bend into this new month, I hope and pray you find this list a helpful gauge for evaluating and realigning - to find a more positive and captivating learning experience ahead for your family. If you have any further suggestions for this list, I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts!
Warmly, Anne
*https://ed.stanford.edu/in-the-media/how-motivate-students-work-harder-cites-research-geoffrey-cohen