Teacher Toms Blog

JUNE 19, 2025

His best known work, Deschooling Society , published in 1971 is a no holds barred critique of institutionalized, compulsory schooling, arguing that the overall effect is to alienate most children from their own learning. major illusion on which the school system rests is that most learning is the result of teaching. for their own good."

Motivation 101

Motivation Testing Failure Grades 101

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Failure can be a painful experience for anyone, but it is especially tough for teens who are still forming a sense of self. When people experience failure, they often report feelings of embarrassment, shame and depression. But, as many educators know, failure is an essential part of the learning process. Define failure.

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Failure Motivation Study Achievement 277

Edsurge

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Over the last five years, I have worked hard to teach my students that failure is a gift. This isn’t a new idea, but we still struggle with the idea that failure is a necessary component of success. Embracing failure can seem counterintuitive to students. They are loud, chaotic, and full of failure and growth.

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Failure Testing Beliefs Middle School 217

eSchool News

JANUARY 6, 2025

In a TEDx talk titled The Super Mario Effect–Tricking Your Brain into Learning More , Mark Rober highlighted how video games like Super Mario can motivate people to achieve their goals by viewing failures as learning opportunities. When done effectively, gamified learning can motivate even the most reluctant readers.

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Failure Motivation Gamification Cognitive Development 318

eSchool News

MAY 9, 2022

You feel like a failure, and you are starting to hate school. Second, low-proficiency readers struggle with motivation. Essentially, struggling readers have a low reading self-concept, which is linked to lower motivation. Given the high anxiety and low motivation, struggling readers only perform at a low reading level.

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Failure Motivation Science Reading 300

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

Here’s how schools and districts can help students begin learning to read on track and stay there to avoid retention. Retaining students based solely on their reading achievement is punishing them for a failure in a specific area, but the punishment will not have effects in that area alone, but in the rest of their lives.

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Failure Schools Motivation Reading 269

eSchool News

MARCH 26, 2025

Key points: Students who feel supported feel empowered to learn and achieve 3 critical areas necessary to boost student motivation Expanded learning can improve student well-being For more on student achievement, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub Every student should get to feel brilliant at school. But too often, they dont.

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Failure Math Achievement Beliefs 302

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 24, 2023

Sustaining that interest is important, too, particularly because girls and underrepresented minority groups quickly lose interest in STEM learning–and never regain motivation to pursue it. This motivates students to tackle more difficult challenges.

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STEM Learning Tools Critical Thinking Failure 300

eSchool News

OCTOBER 14, 2016

Jobs to be done hinges on the fact that consumers “hire” products and services to do a specific job in their lives, and that they are motivated to do so by particular circumstances. And over the years, we’ve also made our best guesses at some of K–12 students’ key jobs, particularly drawing on research on what motivates younger students.

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Schools Students Motivation Failure 247

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Many of our students entered the school year below grade level, and while achieving grade-level mastery is challenging, a growth mindset allows us to see their potential, celebrate progress, and plan for further successes amongst our students. Highlighting these successes motivates students and shows them that effort leads to results.

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Interdisciplinary English Math Failure 302

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

It promotes ownership of learning, motivating students to be more engaged, active participants in their education. It creates an environment where mistakes are seen not as failures but as opportunities for growth and exploration. The beauty of self-assessment lies in the empowerment it provides learners.

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Evaluation Assignments Failure Discussions 428

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

This use of AI at school will impact how students learn and use their creativity as innovation, which will be increasingly necessary in the future as even higher-order thinking skills become standard. Failure and criticism can lead to students abandoning their own ideas and relying too heavily on AI to be their brains, so to speak.

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Failure Students Skills Critical Thinking 303

eSchool News

APRIL 1, 2024

Inspiring district leaders, classroom teachers, and school staff have found unique and innovative ways to engage students in learning, motivating students to see beyond classroom walls and truly immerse themselves in learning. Read more about Ross-Kleinmann’s thoughts on AI in schools.

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Teaching STEM Education Learning 314

eSchool News

JUNE 1, 2018

Besides, high school and college classes give lots of homework. If I don’t give my students homework in 7th grade, am I setting them up for failure in their future advanced courses? I was the only teacher responsible for the math education of 180 students who were all trying to get into the best high school possible.

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Assignments Failure Math Motivation 267

eSchool News

JANUARY 30, 2023

Not only do they learn a language but they also have to deal with other school subjects in it. ESL students won’t be able to succeed at school or college if they can’t use the language well enough: Their grades and overall subject knowledge will suffer. And it becomes even more challenging for ESL learners.

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Writing Skills Essay Language 276

eSchool News

AUGUST 27, 2024

Key points: What priorities will be a focal point in the new school year? Vrain Valley School District, we will continue to provide our teachers with ample opportunities to collaborate, discuss, and share resources and strategies to enhance their understanding of AI and the potential benefits of AI tools. . This year at St.

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Schools Coaching STEM Evaluation 329

eSchool News

MAY 10, 2016

Great teachers have long known what research is beginning to prove: an individual’s mindset — as much, or even more so than ability — can have a profound impact on their success in school and beyond. That is beginning to change.

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Failure Beliefs Math Intelligence 275

Edsurge

JULY 7, 2021

Leadership has always been a bit messy, especially in schools, where leaders have always had to navigate ambiguity and complexity. There was an expectation of professionalism, and in some extreme cases, leaders were viewed as superheroes whose schools and organizations depended on them for survival.

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Coaching Schools Failure Testing 218

eSchool News

APRIL 3, 2025

Students, especially in the middle and high school years, have more opportunities than ever to cheat using AI tools, such as writing assistants or even text generators. When students fail to see the connection between what theyre learning and the real world, they lose motivation to engage meaningfully with the content.

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Academic Integrity Failure Students Culture 195

Edsurge

APRIL 2, 2024

As Joshua Eyler was researching a book on what brain science tells us about how to improve teaching , one issue kept coming up as an underlying problem: The way schools and colleges grade student work is at odds with effective teaching. Meanwhile, some schools have successfully made the switch, such as Santa Fe Public Schools.

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Grades Failure Motivation Science 215

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Reduces Fear of Failure When students receive feedback that focuses on the process rather than just the end result, they are less likely to fear failure. Process feedback is vital in enhancing student learning by honing their metacognitive skills , guiding their efforts, boosting motivation, and fostering a growth mindset.

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Feedback Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Failure 363

Faculty Focus

JULY 23, 2023

This essay provides tips which are backed by empirical research to help students who are facing challenges to stay motivated and focused when “Plan A” does not work out as planned. By customizing these students’ goals and planning, the students can increase their motivation and engagement in learning. 2020; Waltenbury et al.,

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Failure Students Achievement Motivation 98

Faculty Focus

JULY 23, 2023

This essay provides tips which are backed by empirical research to help students who are facing challenges to stay motivated and focused when “Plan A” does not work out as planned. By customizing these students’ goals and planning, the students can increase their motivation and engagement in learning. 2020; Waltenbury et al.,

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Failure Students Achievement Motivation 98

Edsurge

APRIL 28, 2023

It’s no secret that educators and school leaders endure a lot of stress, from managing classroom and school communities to monitoring staff and student morale. In schools, there’s a clear link between educator well-being and the way students experience school. When that stress mounts, negative feelings can shift inward.

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Education Motivation Failure Attention 206

eSchool News

DECEMBER 31, 2018

This is a good thing, because it will take motivation from all sides to achieve simpler data connections between systems. School-to-home communications has evolved through three phases. SEL will begin to affect school culture from the top-down, bringing about change in adults first and students second. Dr. Becky A.

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Failure Learning Outcomes Communication Activities 280

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Whether it’s through mental coaching, leaning on your team, or reframing the situation as an opportunity to rise to the occasion, pressure becomes a resource for strength and motivation. Embracing setbacks as vital parts of the process, rather than as failures, enables leaders to cultivate the mindset needed to lead with courage and optimism.

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Education Coaching Failure Fairness 294

eSchool News

OCTOBER 25, 2024

My motivation was simple: I wanted to help the class build confidence in teaching STEAM concepts. Fortunately, a year prior, one of my 4th-year senior capstone students had prior experience with high school robotics and was interested in finding a screen-free way to introduce robotics to Dean College’s Children’s Center.

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Teaching Teachers STEM Syllabus 269

eSchool News

OCTOBER 8, 2021

Here, eSchool News highlights Newark Public Schools–one of its K-12 Hero Awards finalists. Nominee : Newark Public Schools. We were using Core5 in just six of our elementary schools prior to the pandemic,” said Dr. Mary Ann Reilly, assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning. Nominated by : Lexia Learning.

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eLearning Elementary School Elementary School Learning 241

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

The first thing I noticed when we returned to school after remote learning was that my conversations with teachers got real deep real fast. Another teacher, Maria, confessed she was angry and bitter by the end of last school year. We must make schools human again. But we are not just educators, of course. We are human too.

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Teachers Coaching Schools Counselling 218

eSchool News

JANUARY 24, 2024

While many of my physics and astrophysics students at Chaparral High School here in Scottsdale Unified School District are already science enthusiasts, I understand how important it is to continue to find new ways to keep them inspired and engaged. Ironically, students seem to enjoy the failures even more than the successes.).

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STEM Science Failure History 276

Edsurge

JULY 31, 2019

During the first fifteen years or so, implementation of design thinking in K-12 schools was a slow, steady progression. The journey begins with empathy work—an opportunity for understanding the needs and motivations of a group of people (i.e., If you are doing and experimenting quickly, failure is merely a part of the experience.

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Failure Teaching Disabilities Curriculum 168

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

As the new school year gets into full swing, educators are likely to shift their focus from worrying about the depth of learning loss for students as a group, and begin zeroing in on where individual students are at. Sweden, for the most part, did not close its schools. did, closing school buildings and pivoting to remote learning.

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Failure Motivation Assistive Technology Reading 197

Edsurge

DECEMBER 5, 2016

And Chris himself was named one of the National School Boards Association's 2016 20 to Watch educators. Our vision was to create a platform giving students, teachers, school leaders, and families centralized tools and actionable insights into the learning of students. What motivates you, both as a teacher and an entrepreneur?

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Failure Motivation Writing Culture 161

Edsurge

DECEMBER 20, 2017

I do not believe we get to extraordinary excellence or equality through edtech,” says Moskowitz, who spoke alongside school leaders from BASIS Charter Schools and East High EPO. Nobody here would disagree that supporting teachers/motivating students is the first priority #nyedtechweek. In that sense, edtech is not the answer.”

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Educational Technologies Technology Failure Education 119

eSchool News

MARCH 26, 2019

Demographics: Hillsboro High School is part of the Hillsboro Independent School District in Hillsboro, Texas. Biggest challenge: Our school is required to enforce a series of standardized tests every year to assess a student’s achievements and knowledge learned in the grade level. Lessons learned: Confidence affects effort.

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Essay Failure Students Writing 183

Ask a Tech Teacher

MARCH 21, 2023

The skills required to succeed in your post-High School life, be it college, a vocational training program, the military, or a job, are surprisingly similar. From creating daily to-do lists, scheduling blocks of uninterrupted work time, and taking regular breaks, these strategies will keep you motivated and on track.

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Skills Failure Motivation Communication 186

Edsurge

OCTOBER 20, 2016

“School is a game,” says Barry Fishman, University of Michigan professor of education and information. GradeCraft is an award-winning, game-oriented LMS designed to boost student engagement and motivation. Gameful learning has a strong focus on students’ self-motivation. We don’t want you to be a failure. Gameful Design.

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Failure Assignments Quizzes Motivation 166