Austin Scholar #111: How kids at Alpha learned half a grade level in two weeks
& how to get extrinsically motivated kids to crush school
Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: How to get extrinsically motivated kids to crush school
How kids at Alpha learned half a grade level in two weeks
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been up to…
My sister turned sixteen last Monday, and I got to help plan her party. Since her birthday was on the actual day of the eclipse, the party was Twilight-themed (for the book Eclipse) and we wore Jacob and Edward t-shirts and drank Gatorade out of blood bags. Celebrating her was a blast and I genuinely can’t believe she’s gotten so old!! It’s so lovely to watch my little sister grow up and become an incredible woman. I’m so proud <3
Austin’s Anecdote: How to get extrinsically motivated kids to crush school
Speaking of my sister…
When it comes to school, we aren’t exactly motivated in the same way.
I’m pretty internally motivated and tend to get most of my schoolwork done – and more – without being asked or monitored. I like doing things just for the sake of accomplishing them.
Because of this, the whole “learn on your own with online apps” thing works pretty well for me.
My sister, on the other hand, isn’t exactly motivated on her own. She’ll do the bare minimum she needs to not get in trouble, but doesn’t do much more than that.
Unless she has a reason to.
So my dad started to implement “challenges” for her. If she did something hard, like finish an entire grade level of math, start a TikTok account for Alpha School, or get 99th percentile on the MAP test, she’d get something she wanted (cash, usually).
Doing an entire grade level of math a year early would get her a new phone. Scoring in the 99th percentile of her grade level on a MAP test would get her money.
All of a sudden, my sister did extra schoolwork. She spent time studying for the MAP test and filmed videos of Alpha to post on TikTok.
Once she had a reason, she was unstoppable.
Whether your kid is like my sister or like me, what should you do to support them?
If your child is internally motivated, make sure you acknowledge when they do good work on their own volition. If they already strive for As and a 4.0 GPA, don’t let it become something that’s expected of them. Continue complimenting their work ethic and consider rewarding them with a nice dinner after a good report card, even if it would be more shocking if they didn’t have straight A+s.
Doing this will make sure they still see the value in every win.
And if they’re externally motivated to do school work (or anything else you wish they’d do), try asking them what they actually want.
You might not want to give it to them (cash, more freedoms, etc.), but it might be worth using to bargain for the work they’ll accomplish.
Here’s an example of how it could play out on a larger scale:
How kids at Alpha learned half a grade level in two weeks
If they’re properly motivated, kids can do 50% of an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL in TWO WEEKS.
(I know this sounds crazy. I’ll prove it in just a moment.)
Many of the education experts in America think the key to increased learning efficiency is to make the content super engaging, but that’s totally wrong.
It’s WAY easier than that.