“Boredom hurts!” noted Richard Strong. He was referring to the origin of the word “boredom” from the 18th century medical practice of boring holes in the heads of those deemed mentally ill. But his declaration resonates with teachers as well. Reducing boredom is about increasing student effort, he said. When you're bored, you're not having fun, but you're not doing anything about it. In a session that was anything but dull, consultants Harvey Silver and Richard Strong shared their “window notes” strategy for tapping student motivation and reducing boredom.
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To get started using window notes, a teacher can draw a large box and divide it into four quadrants, labeling one quadrant “facts,” another “feelings,” another “questions,” and the last quadrant “ideas.” When students are working on a text they need to explore, the teacher can ask them to organize their notes in the shape of a window and use this graphic organizer to collect facts, feelings, questions, and ideas about what they are reading. Then the teacher can ask students to read their notes and discuss or write about what they have noticed.
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Windows Work
Why does this strategy increase achievement and decrease boredom? Reluctant learners believe no one's interested in what they think, said Strong. This strategy asks them what they think and lets them have their own opinions. Kids get bored when what they're learning doesn't relate to their lives or isn't deep enough, he asserted. Window notes challenge kids to go beyond the basic facts of what they're learning and push further, into self-discovery. The window-shaped structure explicitly lays out what they need to share.
All of these considerations relate to identifying and exploiting students' motivational styles. Strong and Silver contended that people lean toward one of four different motivational styles, or ways to show interest in the world. There are fact finders, feeling watchers, question seekers, and idea makers. The responsibility of the teacher is to build lessons with elements catering to each of these four types. “Why is it my responsibility to hold your attention?” Silver asked. “Because if there's no attention, there's no engagement, and that means no learning.”