Re-Thinking Schools: How To Motivate Students Today

The G-Star School of the Arts located in West Palm Beach, Florida was recently showcased on NBC's Today Show because of its innovative approach to education. It is re-thinking schools and re-defining how to motivate students. Take a look:

Here is another video on G-Star from a local news story in Florida where the school is located.

G-Star is a progressive charter school that allows students to pursue areas of study they are ACTUALLY interested in, providing students an opportunity to learn real-world skills and to gain real-world experiences. For example, students interested in film are able to actively participate in the production of commercials and other film related projects.

Allowing students to learn real skills in areas they are interested in serves to not only improve overall motivation, but also to increase focus in school leading to improved academic performance and graduation results.

We should consider how our system of education can be improved to compete with increasingly competitive nations worldwide. Student motivation and passionate learning require  specific skills that are fundamental for achieving higher academic performance. However, trying to apply a one-size fits all approach to education with increased testing separates students farther from their curriculum. Should we not stop to ask, "Is this really the best way?"

At Five Points Learning, our writing tutors and math tutors do an exceptional job of not only teaching students the critical skills necessary to achieve success, but also working hard to improve each student's motivation and interest in both math and writing. They do this by making the subjects relevant and by providing real world examples and applications of the skills they are learning. Our tutors are enthusiastic and passionate about their subject areas, and our students feed off of this energy and passion. In some cases, helping students to "connect the dots" in an enthusiastic manner has inspired students to pursue more in-depth studies in a particular subject area. This is what we strive to do each and every day.

The following video raises some interesting questions about the impact and effectiveness of our current system of education. Please comment and share your thoughts and ideas. Cheers!