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Nekruz Ismoilov

President & CEO, NeksNuts, Inc.

TEDCRED 10+
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How do you think we can motivate young people to perceived and purposeful studying?

On the one hand, the flow of information nowadays is incredibly huge: you can choke on the TV programs, websites, newspapers and books. However, the most of these information flows are "yellow", useless and even worse - destructive. Tajikistan is a small country in Central Asia with a population of 7,000,000 people (2011).

Youth in Tajikistan in the 21st century has not enough useful and necessary information for the successful start in the life. After finishing a high school, most young people do not know what they can do. They have no idea what their lives devote to. At the same time the top for the most of the teenagers is to find a job in Russia. Making money in Russia became the main goal in youth’s and adults’ life. Children have no longer an enthusiasm to study at school and students remain at the Universities only "for parents".

- How do you think we can motivate young people to perceived and purposeful studying?
- How to start their internal "engine" for the acceleration to a successful life?
- What methods would be offered the Ministry of Education by you to implement into the system of education?

Related Talks:
Topics: Accountability: education enthusiasm high school learning youth
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    Ankit Kanojia

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    Jul 9 2012: Young generation is like Mud & We are Potter, like Potter provide a platform for creation of Pottery & give it a Shape, whatever He likes.

    I think, it is more important for us to provide our young ones, that platform, where they can become a good Pottery.

    Motivation & perception will come by it's own...!!

  • Naheem Bashir

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    Jul 8 2012: I think the answer is simple, let them do what they love. I find that too often kids are being forced to do things they have no passion for, everyone has that one (at least) trigger. It's a sad situation when schools and Universities are perceived to kill creativity. Innovation, passion and the room to utilise these have been key for me.

  • Daisuke Kazewa

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    Jul 7 2012: One of the questions you ask is "how we can motivate young people...". But we can't. We can show them the door to education, but it is up to them to open it.

    How do we spark their interest and curiosity? By letting them decide for themselves. Consider a liberal arts-based school system. Students will still have general requirements, but there should be more free realm to explore interests. School should help establish knowledge about the world as well as help give students an idea of what subject(s) they want to immerse themselves in. They can reevaluate themselves over again many times and jump subjects, or stay with a single area. Either way would help the student drastically, to become well rounded and skilled, choosing for themselves what to engage in.

    "Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself." - John Dewey.

    A big challenge in this is overcoming the values that have been deeply ingrained within us, the social pressures, of how we react to certain disciplines. Just as Ken stated in his video, there is a hierarchy, with arts at the bottom. Even if we did incorporate such a system, those values will still be expressed, and kids will still be socially pressured, especially if they are interested in a discipline lower down in the hierarchy.

    What we should strive for in our education is for a broadened mind that balances practicality, academic knowledge, technical ability, and we should be able to grasp other perspectives and ways to attack the same issue; "to be able to entertain a thought without [necessarily] accepting it." - Aristotle.

    Here is an interesting video to consider--"The surprising truth about what motivates us": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_kYOLaHA9g

  • walter crockett

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    Jul 6 2012: Don't even try. Did not work in the past and will not now. Children live for the now, not the future.

  • Barry Palmer 50+

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    Jul 6 2012: I don't know anything about your situation except what I read in your intro, so this suggestion is probably naive.

    Get one smart child and have her start a business. A real, profit making business. The profits can be small, but they have to be enough to make an impression on the other students, who will then want a business too. In the course of starting these businesses, the questions will flow. What makes a market? Use them to expand into other subjects, like the history of business in Tajikistan and Russia. The real opportunity is show them the value of education in running a business. These children need a reason for schooling, and that reason is the same one we all have, to make money.

    If everybody wants to go to Russia for a job, Tajikistan needs entrepreneurs.

  • Lance Shive

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    Jul 2 2012: Through epistemology, ethics, philosophy in general, and showing them the consequences of making bad judgement.
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    dean crawford

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    Jul 2 2012: How do linda. I will have to agree with your statement. I had 2 things to get me through the 9th to 12th grade. 1st carrying a perfect c average much harder than you would think and 2nd shop. In the 12th grade I was in 5 shop classes. Now I have a passel of nephews and a good group of grands and watching the demise of the american eduction system been hard. I was a screw off but I knew what I was going to do after school and didn't want or need the extra classes. Don't misunderstand I didn't stop my education just the one the shool offered. Now itseams they don't offer that any more and I'm sure there's still a few old school teachers that do get the chance to awaken some youngin. I am afarid the system broke and I wish some one would fix it. One more thing your exchange students that have that almost american atttitude have a large westeren influence in there home country. And that's a sad thing for US to be known for

  • Sean Champ

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    Jul 1 2012: I think it's important to find a personal sense of involvement and of focus, in regards to academic studies - but then again, personally, my parents were never academically supportive to me, and I had only limited interactions with the climate of the culture in which I grew up. I've only been able to develop a personal sense of focus, academically, in that much.

    I think it helps if one can envision some achievable and intriguing goals ahead, basically from school on into employment and broader life. A bit of creativity, a bit of knowledge, some sense of adaptability, and the confidence enough to not fall prey to pressures of disenfranchisement - I'm not sure if that could serve to address education at the organizational level, it's just my own personal point of view.

    Organizationally, perhaps a regional science center could serve to spark some interest? In a more immediate scope, then, perhaps some speeches in appearances from successful professionals? Something to showcase the strengths of the community and the climate, and of science itself, in a scientifically knowledgeable way, perhaps inspiring some rational confidence as well?

    If I may be so bold as to share a concept of precedent, the California Science Center comes to mind, as I was browsing their web site just earlier today ... http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/ - It seems that they're a bit more fiscally well endowed than the smaller center, near where I grew up as a child, Fresno's Discovery Center: http://www.thediscoverycenter.net/ but both, I think, serve roles in supporting interest in the sciences

    Please pardon the provincial nature of my comment ;) Cheers!

  • James McGuiness

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    Jul 1 2012: The model must change to address motivation so that education is not acquiescence to merely avoid consequence as it is for so many people. How do you address motivation? I think the way that would hit the most bases in one shot would be to make social development an imperative on par with the priority we have traditionally given to knowledge development. That can be done with new media and new forms of journalism. By neglecting social development we can't address motivation. We can't lead a person to decide their own picture of relevance from which to go and find all the knowledge that shows them the validity of their assumptions, who they are in relation to the world or what their next objective should be. We merely dictate most of the time what they must yield to and so we have a largely unmotivated product. People who emerge with good marks and success should not project their own experience on to others or the system. The fact is the system loses many people and NONE is acceptable. No failure should be deemed acccptable or inevitable.

  • N SHR

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    Jul 1 2012: It starts in early age. When parents talk about someone in an admiring way you learn that thing/job is good. My own parents always admired top scientists and engineers and university professors (as we saw them in tv programs and science news, and reports and stuff), and they never admired people who had gone to other countries/or done stuff just to get rich.. the priority of our family in me and my siblings' childhood was our school and education.. My primary school was pretty normal and boring actually, and if I didn't have the motivation to study well already, I wouldn't have gotten this far.
    It all begins in the family.
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    Casen Askew

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    Jul 1 2012: I find the two biggest challenges when schooling children, or anybody in grade school, are: 1. Finding a way to teach so that the kids comprehend, understand, learn, and enjoy learning. 2. Finding a way to combat the cultural pitfalls the kids face when trying to learn. The former is hard in itself, because it's difficult to generalize a group of individually thinking beings, regardless of age. While one child may be an auditory learner the other may be a visual learner while another may be a hands-on learner. The only way to reach out to each child is to identify his/her style of learning at an early age, and place him/her in a class designed to target that style of learning. Each class would be learning the same exact material, just in a way best suited to the students in each class. The latter of the two challenges is an even bigger obstacle than the former. My assumption, and it is nothing more than that so take it with a grain of salt, is that the cultural aspect of a child's upbringing plays a huge part in their opinion of school. If growing up, a child's parents never, not once, explain the significance of an education or show any interest for a child's school work, how could a child be expected to see school any differently? In my area, the Asian American students most often excel in school. It's ridiculous to believe that because they are Asian they are intellectually superior. Their IQ may be just as high as a C student that doesn't apply himself. The difference between the two students is cultural upbringing. In my Vietnamese friend's household, B's weren't acceptable. He was pushed to achieve A's. It wasn't requested of him, it was expected. So yes, you can find the perfect way to teach students, but it may not provide the solution you are seeking. Ultimately, you must change the culture of the society the students are brought up in as well. And this, you'll find, is a much greater challenge than the former.

  • Steve C

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    Jun 29 2012: The problem is not that we have reached the azimuth of science, but that we are past the pinnacle of empathy, (or we have been distracted from it).
    It may help to list here Gever Tulley's school; also could TED have that guy from FrogLogic (or Brene Brown) talk on why people (you, me) matter?

    I suppose that when a young person meets someone who is open-minded & open-hearted - who gives & asks-for help, when they can see for themselves that there is a natural purpose for them, then they will jump at it. I think it was a slow fall. It would be tough to rise again quickly. Deeper values must change.

    Where is the major "input" to peoples' values - t.v. What is (mainstream, 5-8:pm) t.v. saying to value - things, sex, money, dross. What gets devalued - fears, weaknesses, insecurities, loneliness.

    Build a strong base. Build with integrity. Value people enough to spend time with them doing nothing. ("The real test of friendship is: Can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy together those moments of life that are utterly simple?" ~Eugene Kennedy) That doesn't mean always do nothing, but that the option is still a great one.
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    Lejan . 30+

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    TED Translator
    Jun 27 2012: This is an interesting question you rose on which I like and try to share my thoughts. There has never been a time before were it was that easy for young people to get distracted from their own education as we are facing today. And as long 'learning' will stay less entertaining than TV shows, video-games or smartphones it will be difficult for this to change. Basically I believe, that no one can be convinced to get more interested in education, they got to be 'infected' by their own curiosity to keep going within. So by following this thought the question then would be - how could the educational system today become more infectious? In my eyes not without fundamental changes in itself and the society it is based on. And you got to start early with this infection, no, better to say, we should stop curing it the moment our children enter elementary school. By their given nature, children are naturally curious about and interested in almost anything yet we fail repeatingly to preserve this gift and in many cases it becomes almost impossible later to get them reinfected. So we as 'society' may reconsider the purpose of our educational systems towards the education of each individual of its own good, instead of 'growing' the need for their 'economical purposes' only. From there you would then 'only' need to question globally the necessity of unequally balanced chance and resources for the citizen of this world to be able to reconsider from there a more human reason for mankind and its existence. As long for many wealth is reason to aim for it only, and in fact we do not offer many alternatives at the moment, it may be difficult for any 'infection' to be self-sustained by its individual purpose. This sounds a bit socially critical and indeed it is. But where if not there do we have to start to change for a better? But can we achieve this? Well I think we can and one day we may have to. Till then we may ease symptoms by mimicking the temptation of modern media in .edu
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      Linda Woodard

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      Jun 27 2012: First Jan-Bernard, I adore your diction choice of "infected" when describing being interested in learning as that what it really is, and those who are truly immersed in it are almost like they have a fever which will not break until they reach their goal, and I love when that happens. But are you also saying that most German students are no longer motivated to learn due to technology and its distractions? OH NO, as from my experience, the smartest and most driven students I had were the foreign exchange students from Germany. And when they would share what their school was like with their American classmates, probably 98% of them would state that they would never do what they have to do to get good grades. So, then this problem is growing....
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        Lejan . 30+

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        TED Translator
        Jun 27 2012: I am afraid, Linda, the problem is growing in all so called modern societies and Germany is no exception from this and never was. The exchanage students you lectured have most likely been part of the German academic elite already, as the poor students usually stay 'at home', just as I did. :o)

        Retrospectively and by comparing oranges with oranges most of your American students may deserve rehabilitation I propose ... :o)

        Germany is struggling as well to maintain a high standard of education and keeps emphasising on forming elite Universities, which actually underlines the explosiveness of the situation. There is no shortage in students, on the contrary, there is inflation in value in earning a degree and this goes globally and because of it. In my view the society is changing rapidly towards a future which became to uncertain, to unstable due to the nervousness and instability of the global market. If you want to keep up, be quick, be better and don't worry about the details. Yet it may be in the details for those who adore knowledge and for what it can be. In my career I have seen most brilliant scientists, most beautiful and creative minds, which got thwarted by a new grown species which I call 'science manager'. Neither brilliant, nor smart yet aggressively effective in short turn achievements. Anyway, the speed and need of efficiency is rapidly increasing which will make it even more difficult to encourage young people to stay or to get 'infected' by their own curiosity. Creativity in all disciplines is shy in its very nature and if it is getting 'to loud' outhere it may not show up against a 'three year return on investment' judgement. So even for those who have this fever it may become more and more difficult for them just to follow their inner calling and not to streamline themselves towards the ideal candidates for human resources of global player companies. I truly hope I am mistaken and I am sorry not to have any optimistic news for you on this topic.
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    Linda Woodard

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    Jun 25 2012: Nekruz, first, I loved your diction choice of "choke" when talking about today's media as that is how I see it as well. But to address your topic, I don't know where to begin really as each country has its own educational system, culture and problems. What amazes me, though, is this whole idea of the world getting smaller as we are now able to open up and reveal ourselves with a click of a button and conversing in one language (which I hope will not lead to the demise of more). And what I am learning due to this, is that it seems more and more students are becoming less motivated. I hadn't really seen it when I taught in Europe in 2007 nor in any of my foreign exchange students as they outshone even my brightest students in class. But this trend is really becoming global.

    However, I think that one needs to look at where some of these countries are coming from, for I truly think that "we are what we were when" if you can follow that statement. Take for example your country. It came out of war & disintegration of a government that had been in place for decades. What had been the "status quo" for many was gone even if that was one of poverty and dependence on others. I know that my friends who are in Serbia are going through this as well. They went to school and were "Young Pioneers" believing in their country and their government. They began college and then " the wall" fell and holy hell broke loose in that area, and their lives were never the same. But add to this, the influence of America due to cable tv, music, and movies as well as the development of the mobile phone and net, and we have what we have today.

    I think it IS hard to motivate students today but the reasons in doing so vary, again due to where they live and how they live. You said that kids there want to move to Russia and make money, but you need to ask yourself, could they do that there in your country even with an education? To me that is the question that needs to be addressed first.
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      Debra Smith 200+

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      Jun 27 2012: I guess that I believe that it has always been a challenge to motivate students because they are finding their own way to their destination by following some inner voice and the noise we make often just distracts and annoys them.
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      Nekruz Ismoilov 10+

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      TED Translator
      Jun 27 2012: Thanks, Linda. Thank you very much! :)
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      dean crawford

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      Jul 2 2012: Mam I would like to apoligize for my delay in responding to you partly bad manners partly side tracked mostly sliping memory these 100+ days are tough angain I'm sorry
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    Debra Smith 200+

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    Jun 25 2012: Ghandi Ji did not motivate the world with words primarily- it was with example and by being willing to pay the price demanded by the corrupt if need be. Human conviction is inspiring and when it is in action deeply moving. I was the first in my family to get a degree. All five of my own kids went to university (and some are still going) at their own expense. I admire them.
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    Maria Alexandra Radu

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    Jun 24 2012: I think that the main problem nowadays is that children don't see education as something that really helps them in life and just see it as something that they have to do. Some decades ago, not all countries could or would offer their students the possibility of going to university, and those that did had to study hard but also were rewarded with a well-paid job and a respected position in society.
    I think this is the main issue that need to be resolved, children have to understand that education is what can make you overcome your condition, of course if you want to overcome it which is again something that needs shifting in their mentality. I often see my friends that have no concern regarding their future, they just live for the moment and usually wake up to the real life too late to actually choose a right path, ending up disappointed with their lives and wishing they studied more or took the right decisions at the right time.
    I think education should only be mandatory to those who want to study and want to improve their and other's lives, because all the funding that goes into supporting free education will be redirected to other areas and we will only support the people that want and deserve it. Free education, and by free I mean with unrestricted access not just referring to finances, is also good and bad, but I think that university studies should only be accessible to those that have a genuine interest and not to students that just go into higher education to get a piece of paper called diploma. Moreover, colleges and secondary schools should have technical and labour related profiles so that skilled workers in areas that are needed can come into work right after finishing them, to practice the skills they have acquired and not go into further education so all the nations become a population of educated unemployed people because the jobs are not destined for highly skilled individuals.
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      Jinlei Li

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      Jun 27 2012: Maria, i totally agree what you said. in my country ,the goverment has been investing much fund to the high education system in the past decades, which made more and more young people get the opportunity to go to colleges. however most of them face the same prolem now , they can't find the expected job after graduation.some reasons contribute to such situation, the main reason is that many students think they should deserve a well-paid job in the big city and don't want to acted as the skilled workers, thus led to the conflicton between different industries. at the same time many students begin to wonder whether it is neccessary to achieve high education.
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        Maria Alexandra Radu

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        Jun 27 2012: I know, this is the same problem in my country, since communism collapsed the number of students that could access higher education increased a lot, for example, in the past there were 100 places to study engineering in the whole country, whereas today there are like 10000 and this means the quality of education drops the number of graduates increases and the jobs remain the same. Also, I don't find it bad to work a job that you are over skilled for, after all you need to survive and if you are good at what you do you will have the chance to work your way up. I think that even agriculture is a good area to invest in and work in but you need money to start your own business so it is a little hard to do as a graduate, however, students nowadays find it shameful and want to have glamorous jobs in big cities which is regrettable.

        • Dylan Wang

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          Jun 27 2012: seems you are chinese like me according what you said above
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        Maria Alexandra Radu

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        Jun 27 2012: Me? I am Romanian, but Li Jinlei I think is Chinese judging by her name.

  • Cassandra Chan

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    Jun 23 2012: The two greatest influences in a child's life will be their peers and their parents.
    Having been raised by rather traditional Chinese parents and schooled in a Western institution, I can see how my values learned from home and from my social network have blended together. In matters of education, several issues have been brought up by others:
    1. In North American schools, the standard education system has not been greatly revised since the early 20th century.
    2. These schools prioritize analytical thought and tend to control the students' learning environment to a large degree.
    3. Teachers are often not respected as much as they should OR a few bad teachers tend to make the rest of the teaching staff seem incompetent, and thus lose respect from their students.
    4. Some children receive little encouragement and/or support for their "natural" talents in certain areas if it is something unconventional. (e.g. My parents would not want me to pursue a career as an artist, as it can be unstable.)
    5. Other children are spoiled too much by their parents and/or peer groups, and don't give themselves the chance to be uncomfortable and pursue something different that may interest them.

    One observation that I believe has an overwhelming consensus of agreement is that CURIOSITY must be tied back together with LEARNING. Active learning is what's missing from these passive education systems. It's a rather complex issue that cannot be solved by looking at one locus. On the bright side, I have seen great teachers inspire students to work harder, dream larger, and believe in greater possibilities for themselves and others. These hidden gems are the ones that breathe life into our dying education system. :)
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    Heather White 10+

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    Jun 22 2012: Having a good education is the best life insurance anyone can have - If life kicks you down and you lose your job, status or reputation you will still have your well trained mind to keep you going.
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    dean crawford

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    Jun 20 2012: It is easy to motivate the young. I believe the problem is the current education systems ablity to kill the natural curiosity and willingness to learn and explore. Our current school system are much more interested in passing a state mandated test to see if the can do a little math and reading. So they get there money next year. Well next there's high school where we repeat the same thing we just spent 9 years repeating to them. We do need to overhaul our education system here in the states. Then we would not have the need to motivate the young people. Now I don't think there's a snowballs chance in hell to motivate a vast majority of todays youth. What's left over just need a little push in the right direction. There's no way to generalize as to what would move them. The only common ground that we al have for motivation is a person that finally some how or another got through and awakened that drive to succed. We as the teachers,leaders, or elders how ever you want to look at it must put forth the effort to try and be the one that gets through to that youngin. We don't need to waste time on those that refuse to be anything a drain on society. There's always a few on the fence and those that just need a pat on the back to keep them moving. The fence riders need a push to see which way they will fall. Most will fall the way they are pushed so those our in our hands. I don't believe we can do any more than that to motivate the young. I also think I have to much common sense to tell any member of goverment or suggest to one how to fix a system they and those before them created
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      Linda Woodard

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      Jun 25 2012: Dean, I have been saying that we need to overhaul our educational system for decades as it just is not working. And as far as motivating our youth, I think we do try, but motivation to learn has to be intrinsic for it to really work (is Jack Andraka who discovered a diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer) as well has having parents, teachers, mentors as a SOCIETY to help guide and to model this motivation. In my opinion, we do not value learning nor education (true education) here in America. Just look around and see who is getting the "big bucks": those who can throw, pitch, catch, hit, or dunk a ball; those who can "sing"; those who can act...which in reality, does not help society move forward. Then add the apathy of students that seems to be much more prevalent than it was previously, and we have even bigger future problems.

      I was always amazed at my foreign exchange students and their drive to excel and for no credit (although I will admit that lately, their drive has diminished, too depending upon what country they are from), and I will never forget a German student I had a few years ago who continually got A's, and when I asked if I could tell the class that she had the top GPA in my class and wasn't even getting credit for it, the student in front of her turned around and asked her WHY she was even working. Her simple response was: TO learn. Imagine that. :-)

  • Gord G 30+

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    Jun 18 2012: These are difficult questions to answer from a western perspective, so instead I'll ask more questions. You mentioned that students graduating from high school are seeking jobs in Russia. What type of jobs? And why do they see this as a better alternative to higher education? Is this purely an economic decision or is it connected to how they perceive the current political climate? Is short term gratification, more enticing than long term uncertainties?

    I know students in North America grapple with a lot of the same issues when determining what they are truly passionate about. Students today are exposed to stories of success, but they're also exposed to the enumerable unfiltered stories of the disenfranchised. The rarity of the former may seem unattainable, while the prevalence of the latter may seem unavoidable. This is why it's difficult to give a blanketed response, considering the wide range of cultural factors.

    Motivation is directly connected to our faith in the outcome of our labours.

  • Scott Koenraadt

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    Jun 18 2012: I think we need to find a way to spark the need to learn in children, I wouldn't be against expanding our north american high schools another year that is entirely optional classes of different varieties, so the kids can find something that speaks to them.

  • Pavels Jelisejevs

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    Jun 15 2012: Studying is an investment and thus has to yield returns. First of all, you have to make sure that studying is actually worth it, and then demonstrate it to the people. If students don't invest time in studying, it may not be a motivational problem, but a problem of the market, or how the students see it.
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    Kevin Jacobson

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    Jun 14 2012: It all starts with the parents and at an early age. If parents start to educate their children at a young age, never introduce them to addictive video games and give to them the thought that academics is the most important thing in their childhood as well as high motivation, the next generation could almost all be geniuses.

  • M D

    • +6
    Jun 13 2012: We need to transmit the idea that education is not just to make you more knowledgable and give you a memory bank of information and skills that leed to a career/money; but that through the use of education you beome a more intelligent person, a deeper thinker, better able to express yourself, better able to understand all phenomena. We need to see education as being able to grow the mind, rather than fill it with data, quotations and formulae. We should seek to become authors, not books.

    • gerard3161 jones

      • +10
      Jun 24 2012: I fully agree with you and think that the current crisis shows us that we have to change our educationsystem and that everything has become interconnected. We cant make a move in one country without effecting the results on the other side of this planet.
      So I think that education has to develop in a way that the children of today become global citizens that feel responsibilty for eachother.
      This will awaken them to the laws of interdependency and able them to achieve new skills to handle with the global problems we are facing today.

      We have to educate a desire to stop global injustice and take responcibility to create a harmonious,sustainble,and peacefull life.
      Essential is the dialog between the cultures and find out what connects us instead what seperates us.
      When we see eachother as a large family we will treat eachother in that way and correct others if they are making actions wich not contribute to the whole of society.
      Living together requires social skills and not only insert data and tools how to make a lot of money on behalf of other people and think we have to educate this.
      We have to look as well on the influence of the media and ask the children how they percieve the world and what their interests are.
      Think conversation should be the main tool to educate the children of tomorrow.
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