ABSTRACT

Star teachers conceive that their primary goal is turning kids on to learning—that is, engaging them in becoming independent learners. This does not mean that they do not care about student learning, but they use learning as an opportunity to create this higher goal of engagement. Star teachers hold an entirely different view of what they are doing. They are able, with painstaking effort that may take half the school year, to convince the children of their approach. Most teachers practice a system of external reinforcement for modifying children's behavior because they know of no other viable choices. Stars seek to convince their students that learning is itself the reward. They persist until their students also see learning as sufficient reason for being in school. In the teacher-control option, the children are really in control while the teacher only appears to be accountable.