Motivation

 

In doing some research on academic excellence, I came across an article summarizing the main traits college students need in order to do well. Of course IQ is important, but another trait that determines whether a college student will succeed academically is intellectual curiosity. An article in the journal of Psychological Science reports that "a 'hungry mind' is a core determinant of individual differences in academic achievement." The authors of the research project suggest universities should encourage more curiosity in their students.

The problem, of course, is that it's difficult to force someone to want to learn. It's mostly an inherent trait. I think the best thing I can do as an educator is explain the purpose for each learning unit and use teaching methods students relate to that encourage questions and discussion. After that, it's up to each individual student to get out of their education what they put into it.