Mind over matter - being grateful may be key to your success in education
Assessment time – a stressful period for high school and university students everywhere. For many, it can become very easy to lose motivation, with class work, assignments and exams seeming dauntingly unmanageable. But there may be a way to better succeed at your studies, and perhaps all it takes is a little gratitude. Dr Kerry Howells, lecturer at the University of Tasmania, has investigated how the notion of gratitude is integral to the learning process.
Dr Howells’ research was inspired by her passion for making schooling better for students, by pursuing gratitude as an alternative paradigm. She said, “I have always considered myself to be a change agent in education, questioning the status quo, believing we could do it so much better at its very core.” When working with university students, she discovered three things: students want to be engaged, they do not know how to be engaged, and they are looking at their educators to show them how.
So what prevents students from being engaged? Dr Howells says that disengagement is often caused by states that are the opposite of gratitude – a sense of entitlement, victim mentality and a negative attitude that results in complaint behaviour. Dr Howells applied the notion of gratitude and its applications in different educational contexts, from high school, to university students, and even teachers, academics and PhD students.
As a child, growing up with a roof over our heads, having a family, and living in a safe country are things that we are taught to be grateful for. We all remember our parents telling us not to complain about what is being cooked for dinner, "because there are starving children in the world who are not as lucky". But it can sometimes be hard to be grateful for these things that we take for granted.
Dr Howells argues that if students take a moment to reflect before they enter the classroom, to think about what they are going to get out of it and being thankful for that, then they will be more ‘awake’ in class. She calls it a state of preparedness. “While I am not sure if it is realistic to be completely engaged all the time, it is a good goal to aspire towards when you are wanting to gain something from your learning. It is also a good disposition to have when going into the workforce. For example, a surgeon cannot afford to not have this quality when operating.” She said.
Being grateful for learning, and giving back is what Dr Howells thinks is key to successful education. By motivating students to think about why it is important to be grateful for what they learn in the classroom, as well as being attentive in class as an acknowledgement of the teacher’s effort will help students in the long-run, according to Dr Howells.
Dr Howells has presented her research at eight different schools in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania – mainly to teachers. She was also invited to give a TedX talk in 2013. She said, “Implementing my teaching methods with the Department of Education would be a dream come true for me. However, I am still not sure how to go about it, as it is not mainstream.”
Dr Howells’ key advice to students everywhere is to make your learning important. She said, “Treasure each moment, by reflecting on the gold in the opportunities given. Give back, don't just receive in your learning, welcome adversity as a place to get strong and grow and learn. Notice small successes and celebrate these. Character development is just as important as success – in fact they cannot be separated.”
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