Habits Of Learning: Motivation

I can move from external to internal motivation.

Motivation seems like a tough subject to teach, but with Habits of Learning lessons, motivation becomes a tangible skill with concrete ways to improve. During the Habits of Learning Motivation lessons, you will enjoy heroic stories, fun games, and a project that will change your life and the life of your students!

If you are just joining us, you might want to start at the beginning:

• Habits of Learning: The Ten Skills Needed For Lifelong Learning
• Habits of Learning: The Grid
• Habits of Learning: Responsibility
• Habits of Learning: Respect
• Habits of Learning: Organization
• Habits of Learning: Time Management
• Habits of Learning: Prioritization

This week’s lessons start are with a game, then move on to vision boards, inspirational stories, and a picture book that you will just love!

Sounds pretty great! If you are enjoying your Habits of Learning journey…

Join our community! After you complete a lesson, snap a picture and post it to Instagram! Use the hashtag #habitsoflearning and tag @aoneroomshoolhouse. Follow the Schoolhouse and our hashtag to join other Habits of Learning users!

Preparation

Once you have completed the last five weeks of lessons, you are ready to dive into week five Habits of Learning: Motivation. It is really important to have completed the Prioritization lessons before you start on these lessons. Here is all you need to do to get ready for this week:

• Download the lesson plan (link below), print it if desired.
• Bookmark this blog post that includes live links to use for each lesson containing a video.
• Print the Internal and External posters and the sorting cards.
• Print the Florence Chadwick story and vision board brainstorming sheet.
• Obtain a “board” (poster, cardboard, pinboard, whichever you have)
• Have glue and scissors on hand.
• Print and gather pictures and word phrases in areas of your student interests and dreams.
• Gather decorative materials you choose to supply like markers, colored paper, stickers, glitter, etc.
• Book: What Do You Do With An Idea

Now you are ready to go!

Remember to Practice

The general instructions for the Habits of Learning stay the same from week to week. This week (and from here on out) you will want to encourage your children to do the exploration activities from the previous week’s lesson.

This may be a copy sheet, hymn study, or memorization. Maybe they might like to read a book from the list or watch one of the video links. It does not matter which activity they do, what does matter is that they are still thinking about and learning about the previously studied habit.

Furthermore, make sure you are always looking for ways to praise your children as they progress in the previously studied habits. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO DO!

This focus on continual practice and praise will help further development and generalization. It reinforces the idea that we are always working to improve ourselves.

Special Elements

Below are some of the special elements that you might want to read about before completing the Habits of Learning: Motivation lessons.

Vision Board

A vision board or dream board is a “collage of images, pictures, and affirmations of one’s dreams and desires, designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.” (Wikipedia)

Dream boards are a place for you and your students to let their hearts and minds go wild. Think big! It’s time to imagine the future you want and bring it to life before your eyes.

Visualization is one of the most powerful life-changing exercises you can do. Psychology Today reports that “mental practice can get you closer to where you want to be in life, and it can prepare you for success!”

Brain studies reveal over and over again that visualization is as powerful as practice and practice combined with visualization can increase performance and skills by as much as 30%!

So, go ahead, dream big and make that vision a reality.

Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.” – Oprah Winfery

Goal Setting:     

(Read my full goal setting post here.)

I have always been a goal setter. It’s just how my brain works. I would like to share with you the goal-setting process that brought about A One-Room Schoolhouse. It is nothing too fancy, but this pattern of goal setting has been working successfully in my life for more than 25 years.

When I say “working successfully”, I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I have never completed 100% of my goals. I have never been perfect in my planning.

As a matter of fact, if you perfectly reach all of your goals, you weren’t aiming high enough. Goals should stretch you to be better. Sometimes that stretch is really hard and you don’t make it. The point is, however, that you stretched. You reached and when you reached you went farther than you would have if you never tried at all.

Reach for the stars and you never know, you might just touch the moon.

In Luke 2:52 it says: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

When I was a young teenager my older sister (then in her early 20’s) recommend I review Luke 2:52 as a blueprint for setting balanced goals. At the time I was a bit out of balance, putting way too much focus on academic success. In her wisdom, she could see my spirit and emotions were suffering.

My sister explained to me that this scripture gave a pattern of how Jesus developed. Well, if it worked for Jesus, it should work for me!

• Wisdom: Learning and education
• Stature: Physical health/wellness
• Favour with God: Spiritual development
• Favour with man: Social/emotional development

With these four areas in mind, I was able to create a balanced framework for my goal setting and life vision.

“What Do You Do With An Idea?”

In the beginning, I was terrified to tell anyone about my idea to start A One-Room Schoolhouse. Terrified! But I had an idea. I wanted to try something different. I just had to have the courage to say something.

Then, I stumbled upon this book, “What Do You Do With An Idea?” and it spoke to me.

Each word spoke to my journey of when I had my idea for A One-Room Schoolhouse, “I didn’t know what to do with it. So I just walked away from it. I acted like it didn’t belong to me.”

But as time went on, “it followed me!” and “I had to admit, I felt better and happier when it was around.”

Over time my ideas surrounding A One-Room Schoolhouse, “grew bigger.” and included Habits of Learning. But, I persisted with my idea. “I showed it to other people even though I was afraid.”

I have often thought about “giving up on my idea.” But I followed the advice of this book and my heart that it is “okay if it is different, and weird, and maybe a little crazy.”

But now, even if this is just for my students, “I couldn’t imagine my life without” A One-Room Schoolhouse and Habits of Learning.

The 20 Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill in a room of 200 people.

He asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this”, and he proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still the hands went up in the air.

“Well”, he replied, “What if I do this?” and he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

“Now, who still wants it?”

Still the hands went into the air.

“How come you still want it?” he asked.

“It is still worth $20”, came the answer.

“Then, my friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson,” said the speaker, “No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It is still worth $20.”

“Many times in our lives” he continued, “We are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are.”

Grow Our Community

We are growing rapidly and we are so pleased with your support. Keep tagging your friends, using our hashtag (#habitsoflearing), and sharing your Habits of Learning journey.

Let’s keep the social media ball rolling and share this program with your friends! Take pictures and videos of your Habits of Learning: Motivation lessons. Post these on Facebook or Instagram. Use the hashtag #habitsoflearning and tag @aoneroomshoolhouse. Follow the Schoolhouse and our hashtag to join other Habits of Learning users!

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