Motivation in education: is pressure mandatory?
The Summerhill School is founded on the idea that humans are inherently curious. At Summerhill, a student does not have to attend any class. They can attend only if they want to, with no repercussions.
Jonathan Kozol is an American education who contributed significantly to a "free schools" movement in the US. His idea was that the Summerhill approach of zero pressure is not enough. We need students to learn how to read and write. He advocated for some kind of expectation rather than total lack of extrinsic motivation for young humans.
What do you think? Do we need to motivate students of any kind to learn or should we leave them alone to be curious and explore as desired?
Come to discuss!
Also, feel free to participate in our polis conversation: https://pol.is/4vd6nhx5fc
Location
We meet at Newspeak House in Shoreditch.
Address: 133 Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 7DG