Here's a fun fact: Hard work can and should be fun. Why else would people play Dark Souls?
Don't be one of those sour lemons who automatically assume games are just for entertainment, and that life is serious and everyone should be serious. Those kinds of people completely ignored what we've learnt from every philosopher and psychologist on the planet.
i'm not saying everything has to be serious. the fun part is the reward!
You have a goal. Congratulations. Most people enter school because they HAVE to, not because they CHOOSE to. That's why we need to make the school create the motivation. It's great if you bring your motivations to the game, but if the game is presenting alternative motivations as well, even more people will want to compete and do well in the game for reasons they can agree with.
you actually have a point here. schools do a stuffty job at supporting a student's motivation to stay in school, especially if they're at a loss of what to do after high school. they could certainly work harder on giving students the option to choose classes.
my school currently has a credit system with only a few options. for example, you need three years of sciences. your options are agricultural, earth sciences, biology, physics, and chemistry. that's five options, but it would be great for kids to be able to have a wider selection. meteorology, astronomy, computer sciences, information technology, psychology. there needs to be a wider variety of options for kids to explore in schools to find their true passion. if they try out a class and find out they really like it, that could certainly get them motivated. however, this proves to be a greater expense for the school, requiring more teachers... but variety is the spice of life, after all.
So, if it's the student's job, why aren't they being paid? Why are we paying so we can waste our time? If I don't want to learn, I shouldn't be forced to go to school then.
you bring up another good point. not everybody is in it for the long-term effects. i will agree with you that a lot of students want shorter term rewards rather than a secure future. this is definitely something schoolboards need to pay attention to, because at the start of high school i honestly thought that securing a good college education was a bit of a downer for having to go through four whole years of high school. obviously, my views have changed, but it would be wrong of me to say they have for other students. schools do need to keep kids captivated. if it's not payment, then they should at least do something so students don't feel like they are wasting their time.
You seem to assume that it's so easy for everybody to just embrace hard work and see motivations easily and then act on them. Great little titbit for you; it's not. How am I supposed to be a great game designer when the college is making me do an IT class that doesn't teach any programming and only covers database entry? Even then, how am I supposed to know what I want to do out of high school? How will I even be able to compete with the thousands...millions of other students out there? See how easy doubts form?
you're right again. perhaps i'm a more straightforward and down-to-earth thinker and "harder work is always better", but i should have realized other students are not that enthusiastic. as for your personal classes, it's a bit odd that IT classes aren't offering programming skills. does your school only offer those database entry courses, or is it like a prerequisite for further classes?
and a lot of students are taught to follow what they're passionate about out of high school. however, i realize that a lot of these students don't really have a generalized passion and end up graduating unsure what to do. i know some schools try to employ these "career research surveys" or whatever, and i honestly think they're bullstuff. i got truck driver, and my true goal is astronaut. they need to devise a better way of aiding students into exploring what they want to do after high school. perhaps a form of career day, but instead of at the school, field trips? i took a field trip to an engineering firm and that's where i got my love from engineering from. it might work out for other students if more career field trips were offered, and even if a few found their true passion, it would be worth it. these don't have to be mandatory, though.
We don't have AP/Dual Enrollment/College Credit/Groups or Clubs for High School in Australia.
you don't?? these are kind of plentiful here in the US. i'm surprised australia doesn't offer any of these. they're very helpful at getting students a big boost in their education--credit-wise, at least.
Schools do not encourage students, outside of token "motivational speakers" who makes us care less about study, and more about dreaming about our future.
You have a choice to do all those things, but that choice is never made clear to you until you finish school and realise you were cheated. It is the fault of the teachers, the board of administrators and the Government for not looking at schools and witnessing failure rates. That failure rate isn't just because kids are inherently lazy. Kids are actually very active. The problem is that these groups have not attempted in any way, shape or form to entertain or engage their audience and make them want to participate and be better.
i agree with you. some high schools are good at saying "hey, these opportunities are available," but what would REALLY be helpful is to see them in action. honestly, i was told by my parents to seek these opportunities after they both flunked out of college and realized their missed opportunities. if a school could do that, they could affect a lot more people. i suppose i was wrong in saying it's not the school's job to motivate students. i realize that's a pretty important part of teaching, and i apologize.
@Flame:
The way that you're posting, it sounds like you're an elitist. You don't care that everyone else might be failing because the system sucks. So long as you're doing well, that's automatically proof that the system works.
this isn't what i was trying to say. i do care if others are failing, and my point was that there are opportunities out there. i'm not an elitist, but your post made me realize that schools are not giving these opportunities the attention they deserve. schools need to help students realize that there are opportunities out there, and i think that's one of the killing factors. i didn't say i don't care that everyone else might be failing, so i'm really sorry if i came off that way
What's supposed to be the end goal of education in general? Not just schools, but when we teach in general? To make people better. So why not use the tools at our disposal to make people better? Why use a broken tool, when we have better tools that are easier for everybody to hold available to use?
I hate Macs and Apple Devices, but I understand why they're popular and I wouldn't want their ultimate removal. They serve a good purpose.
this is what i believe. a lot of the tools in the educational arsenal go unused by students. i first thought it was because of the lack of motivation of students, but now i understand it's because of the schools not shedding enough light on them. thank you
you guys are replying faster than i can type, this message is going to be gargantuanAlso Flame you're not considering that some people just can't learn as easily as you might, some kids aren't offered the same opportunities, and a lot of kids have learning disabilities that go ignored in typical school settings. Just because you had a good experience does not mean everyone else can
Please stop with the whole "If you just tried harder you'd be more successful" because a lot of people are really trying their hardest or have other issues at hand besides school. They aren't doing poorly because they're lazy, they're doing poorly because the school system praises a certain type of teaching method that only works for a select few people.
i realize that, and i'm sorry for advocating the fact i thought the majority of student failures resulted from their lack of learning motivation. i realize that everyone is different, and i have supported the idea of schools adapting to everyone's needs 100%. i never meant to come off as if i believed school should be survival of the fittest or something
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