1 . Children are naturally curious beings, but getting them to study something they aren’t interested in can be a difficult task. Teachers often find themselves trying to reward in the _______ of stars or threat of punishment. But what if rewards and threats aren’t the _______?

Natural curiosity is sometimes referred to as “internal motivation”. Studies have found that children who see learning as _______ and important are better at it. And it’s easy to understand why — it’s difficult to study something we aren’t _______.

External motivation, things like rewards and punishment, does have its _______ too. Motives for achieving good grades or fear of being punished have been _______ to benefit older students. However, it seems that at an early age, it doesn’t have as much effect. So for this group, how can we stimulate that _______?

According to some experts, the key is to _______ some degree of freedom. Let the child see their learning as their _______ will. If you want to teach a child to read, let them choose which book they use. Whether it’s a comic book or classic literature — the aim of stimulating their desire for reading is still ________. Likewise, ________ a relationship with them as learners — listen to their negative feelings. Explain why an activity is valuable, even if it isn’t ________ fun.

So it seems that the most ________ way of motivating children, especially the young ones, might ________ stimulating that internal motivation. Maybe it’s time to release them from the reigns of threats and rewards, and give them a bit more ________ of how they learn.

4 . Teachers often can fall into the trap of teaching content, paying no attention to children. Many of us have the attitude that “we will put the information out there, and if they don’t get it, they are to blame.”

Several years ago, I had a student named Jeremy in 12th - grade English, in which British literature was taught. I struggled to find ways to make the content interesting. Jeremy didn’t care. Though Jeremy was classified as. gifted, he slept in class every day. I began to get really frustrated. I even began to dislike him.

High school teachers sometimes develop a hands-off attitude. I thought, “OK, Jeremy, if you want to fail my class, fine. I’ve tried everything.” As time went on, I ignored Jeremy. I didn’t ask him questions, or even make eye contact with him.

By accident, I found that Jeremy was capable of much more. One day, I went to the broadcasting classroom to edit a video. On this day, several students were working on an assignment. Then I heard a voice I recognized. I looked up and saw Jeremy was teaching his classmates energetically how to film. My first thought was that Jeremy must have a twin! Suddenly he realized I was sitting in the corner.

Our eyes met. “Mrs. Duff?” he asked with surprise. “You know how to edit video?”

“Yes. I had no idea you were a videographer!” At this, he smiled with pride and explained the project his group was working on. It was clear he had earned his classmates’ respect. And it was suddenly clear to me that I had not really made an effort to know Jeremy at all.

What happened next was amazing. In class, Jeremy stayed awake and completed his work. He passed my class with a B.

What happened? When Jeremy encountered me outside English class, it changed his perspective of me. He realized I wasn’t just some odd lady trying to force him to learn British poetry. Equally important, my perspective about him changed. He wasn’t just the kid who slept in my class.

I’m not proud that I didn’t make a better effort to know Jeremy before the encounter in the broadcast room. I told myself I had tried everything, but I had not stepped outside of my little English world at all.

5 . STEM vs. STEAM

STEM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The term was coined by Judith Ramaley while a director at National Science Foundation in 2001. Since then, STEM-focused education has been extended to many countries beyond the United States. However, education is a constantly evolving game.     1     One of the latest philosophies gaining steam is adding an arts component to the STEM educational focus, thus, creating the STEM vs. STEAM debate.

The believers in STEM education want the focus to remain on the core STEM principles.     2     Tasks involving product design encourage students to draw and create. Adding arts will take away from the original intention of focusing on the STEM disciplines.

    3     They argue that adding arts to STEM is a way to develop strong STEM students who think creatively. Several studies have shown that engaging students’ arts strength increases their motivation when it comes to STEM activities.     4     Furthermore, for kids who might be turned off from STEM subjects due to a dislike of numbers, highlighting the artistic component of lessons can reach out and draw them in.

While they seem to be opposed, both sides of this argument may have the right idea.     5     Consider the growing field of computer animation, where you must have both artistic abilities and strong technology fields. Also, the most basic of all children’s toys, wooden blocks, are an incredible example of STEAM exploration. They bring design, geometry, and engineering concepts to our youngest learners, setting them up for a lifetime of creative thinking.

6 . Our lives are full of habits. Unfortunately a great many of them are bad habits. One way to break these bad habits is to fill our lives with good habits. Most people decide one day that they need to make changes to their lives and then they go all out to make big sweeping changes. This may work for them for the first few days, but then they get burned out.     1     This is a very unproductive way to spend your time and energy.

    2     Say your goal is to get up an hour earlier every day. One day you start setting your alarm for an hour earlier and you keep this up for one week. Then because you are naturally resistant to change, you go back to your old habit. A better way is to set your alarm one minute earlier every day. After two months you are getting up an hour earlier and you will not even notice the change.     3    

This approach can work for just about anything. If you are exercising for half an hour every day and you want to increase that time to one hour then add a minute every day. After one month you will have reached your goal with very little resistance from your body and mind.     4    

This method of change is gentle, but very powerful. Think of everything you can accomplish if you just continuously improve a little at a time. The change itself creates the momentum (动力) you need to keep going.     5     What one minute change can you make to your life today?

Museums inspire dreams-to become an astronaut, an     1     (astronomy), or an aerospace engineer. But can they also help provide a pathway to those goals?

For students seeing everything     2     dinosaurs to distant galaxies (星系) on a museum visit, the real-life applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics are clear. The American Museum of Natural History doesn’t want to just impress students. It aims to make those “wow” moments the first step toward     3     (develop) the future STEM leaders.

    4     (start) building a career in STEM, students need hands-on experiences and a support network. They need a place     5     they feel comfortable while learning. AMNH uses its position as     6     out-of-school environment with collections, research tools, informal educators, and scientific staff. The museum trains its scientists to work with students     7     offers them year-long, scientist-mentored research opportunities. Students are provided with opportunities to present     8     (they) work to the public.

Students thrive in the program. To date, over 1,000 students     9     (participate) in NASA-themed Science Research Mentoring Program courses, and they have published their work in journals and at conferences. They have gone on to college at a rate of almost 100 percent, with many     10     (active) involved in research at their schools.

9 . Steps to Take to Become a Morning Person

The secret to becoming a morning person is exposure to bright light, says Jennifer Martin, president of the board of directors for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. That’s because light suppresses melatonin, a hormone that plays an important role in circadian rhythm.     1    

    2     You could force yourself to get up at your desired time every day, knowing that you’ll feel tired during the transition but will naturally start falling asleep earlier within a few weeks. But for some people — like those who need to drive long distances — those first few days of exhaustion from switching to a new schedule aren’t safe. In that case, Martin recommends gradually easing into the early-bird life. “What I’ll suggest to people is to shift half an hour, wait a few days, shift another half an hour, wait a few days, and then shift another half an hour,” she says.

A consistent bedtime isn’t as crucial as sticking to the same wake up time every day, but it’s still important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Most people should aim for at least seven hours a night — so you’ll probably need to inch your bedtime forward as you transition to a new schedule. Starting at least an hour before you hit the sack, cut back on how much exposure to bright light you’re getting, experts advise.     4    

    5       “Now is the time to go buy your favorite coffee or pick up some pastries to have when your alarm goes off at 5 a. m.,” she says. “You’re not dreading it if you think of that.”

10 . Jewel White, a 15-year-old student, gathers her books and signs herself out of a routine morning math class. She is not leaving school for the day, but is off to try some more challenging equations. This practice is not uncommon at Westmount Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where an unconventional learning approach is prevailing.

Westmount is one of the eight regular schools in the country where students work at their own pace and set their own direction, spending as much or as little time as they need on subjects. Teachers act as advisers. With the classroom teachers’ permission, students can sign out of a class to work on other materials or walk into another class to catch up on another subject. And every two weeks they make plans for their own learning time, with support from their adviser.

At a time when a shrinking student population is causing boards to close schools. Westmount sits at 30 percent overcapacity with 1,500 students. Its bursting number led education officials to consider expanding the program to other locations.

“If students are interested, we are going to do our best to provide that sort of programming,” said Todd White, chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

When students like Jewel are not in a classroom, they can usually be found in the school’s learning commons, a study area for all students. There are teachers available to help, but generally students are working on their own assignments or projects.

Jewel said Westmount’s self-paced style caught her attention when she was looking at high schools. Westmount is not the school close to her home. She said at elementary school she would often cause trouble in class because she would complete her work early and not have much else to do. “I find this kind of academic environment in Westmount is a lot better for me,” she said. “I like the thought of being able to work faster or slower if needed.”