Choices in the classroom motivate learning
Giving children some freedom in the learning process will inspire them to become self-starters, educators tell Mabel Sieh
Earlier this year, Primary Six pupils of Sun Fong Chung Primary School in Tai Po had fun organising their own Lunar New Year market. They made items such as beaded telephone straps for sale, and all transactions were conducted either in Putonghua or English - the main mediums of instruction at the school. All proceeds went towards an education fund.
"The students loved it," says Poon Tze-kin, chair of the school's English panel. "They got to decide what to make and sell, set prices and devise tactics to attract customers."
Poon and his colleagues adopt various ways to encourage students to learn in real life, visiting supermarkets for a module on food and nutrition, for example. "There's a bigger classroom outside the physical one, and children enjoy such experiences," he says.
Giving youngsters the freedom to decide how they learn is also a great motivator, says Deborah Stipek, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. "By giving students a choice, whether it is a big or small one, you give them a sense of control. You are teaching them to be responsible for their own learning and planning."
The author of Motivation to Learn: From Theory to Practice, among other books, Stipek was in Hong Kong to address a learning campaign organised by the charity Bring Me a Book Hong Kong. "You need to do it in small increments and see what choices you can allow for students. So you have to know your students," she says.
"Whenever you give an instruction, ask yourself: do I have to limit them so much? Can I give them some kind of choice? If you can give them a choice, their level of enthusiasm will grow tremendously."