第1633期:How to motivate children to succeed

Children are naturally curious, inquisitive beings, but getting them to study something they aren’t interested in can be a difficult task. Teachers and parents often find themselves resorting to rewards in the form of stars, promises of high grades and wonderful careers, or threats of punishment. But what if rewards and threats aren’t the answer?

孩子们天生好奇、好奇，但让他们学习他们不感兴趣的东西可能是一项艰巨的任务。老师和家长常常发现自己诉诸于星辰奖、高分和美好事业的承诺或惩罚的威胁。但是，如果奖励和威胁都不是答案呢？

Natural curiosity is sometimes referred to as ‘intrinsic motivation’. Studies have found that children who see learning as fun and important are better at it. And it’s easy to understand why – it’s difficult to study something we aren’t engaged with, and if we’re passionate about the info we’re digesting, it feels more fulfilling.

天生的好奇心有时被称为“内在动机”。研究发现，将学习视为有趣和重要的孩子更擅长学习。而且很容易理解为什么——研究我们不参与的东西是很困难的，如果我们对正在消化的信息充满热情，就会感觉更充实。

Extrinsic motivation, things like rewards and punishment, does have its uses too. Praise and stimulation based on achieving good grades or fear of reprisal has been acknowledged to motivate older students. However, it seems that at an early age, it doesn’t have as much effect. So, if it’s the case that natural curiosity is motivation for better learning, how can we stimulate that interest?

外在动机，比如奖励和惩罚，也有它的用途。基于取得好成绩或害怕报复的表扬和激励已被公认为可以激励年长学生。但是，似乎在很小的时候，它并没有太大的影响。那么，如果天生的好奇心是更好学习的动力，我们如何才能激发这种兴趣呢？

According to some experts, the key is to allow some degree of autonomy and freedom. Let the child see their learning as their free will. If you want to teach a child to read, let them choose which book they use. Whether it’s a graphic novel, TV guide or classic literature – the aim of stimulating their appetite for reading is still met. Likewise, build a relationship with them as learners – listen to their negative feelings. Explain why an activity is valuable, even if it isn’t exactly fun.

一些专家认为，关键是要允许一定程度的自治和自由。让孩子把他们的学习看作是他们的自由意志。如果你想教孩子阅读，让他们选择他们使用的书。无论是图画小说、电视指南还是经典文学作品——仍然可以满足激发他们阅读兴趣的目标。同样，作为学习者与他们建立关系——倾听他们的负面感受。解释为什么一项活动很有价值，即使它并不完全有趣。

So it seems that the key to motivating children, especially the young ones, might come from stimulating that intrinsic motivation. Maybe it’s time to unleash them from the reigns of threats and rewards, and give them a bit more choice of how they learn.

因此，似乎激励孩子，尤其是年幼的孩子的关键，可能来自于激发内在动力。也许是时候让他们摆脱威胁和奖励的束缚，让他们在学习方式上有更多选择。

词汇表

curious 好奇的
inquisitive 好问的，求知欲强的
task 任务
resort to 采用，诉诸于
intrinsic 内在的，固有的
info 信息
digest 吸收，理解（信息）
fulfilling 让人感到满足、有意义的
extrinsic 外部的，外在的
praise 表扬，赞美
reprisal 报复，惩罚
degree 程度
autonomy 自主
free will 自愿
appetite 欲望，渴求
unleash 释放，解除束缚