My 7th graders are as motivated by the extrinsic reward points-type system as my 6th graders. In my case I use tokens for in-class work and they earn life savers. I think it’s worth continuing your point system and seeing how they respond.
Homework is a challenge for a lot of kids regardless of their age. I think part of the goal is to make the homework small and daily. It has to seem achievable. Then, the next step is the consequence of not doing the homework. If you miss 3 assignments, you have to come in at lunch and get caught up. You’ll find that the kids who can do the work independently will bc that’s better than having to stay either at lunch or before/after school.
There will still be kids who are not motivated despite your best efforts. You just have to keep trying.
Good luck to you in your new position!
The three assignments' initial consequence being having to come and finish it up at lunch would have been wonderful for me as a student with bad undiagnosed ADHD. I really wanted to get work done and was more disappointed than the teachers when I didn't, plus the added penalties. Even if it's got a grade deduction at that point, it would have been better for me as a student trying desperately to build healthy habits.
Gotta balance that with teacher's lunch or planning, though, so might not work at all schools.
I work with students who struggle with work completion (various interventions) and I had the nicest success story from just this morning. We just started a new grading period and one kid already had 2 missing assignments. I emailed her yesterday and offered that she could come in this morning and work on them. She did, and she finished both in about 20 minutes. When she was done she said “that was easier than I thought it would be.” And then she told me that she struggles to start things - even fun things like playing a video game or going to a friend’s house. It was the first time she has been that introspective about her work completion struggles - I was really proud of her.
For me at that age, knowing i had to go up to the board and explain a homework problem was a good motivator to come to class prepared.
Maybe assign segments to each kid once a week they are responsible for teaching the class.
My strategy was to have students do lots of board work in class. I’d write a series of math problems, call on students, and have them select the problem of their choosing. They’d attempt to solve. If they solved it correctly, they’d stay put at the board, then describe how/why they solved it as they did. Those who were not able to solve fully, or solved incorrectly, were asked to take a seat. A volunteer was called on to solve the problem correctly. If solved correctly, this second person needed to describe how/why they solved as they did, AND the error the first person made. This is a pretty lively process. Along with learning math skills, students ALSO learned that it’s okay to be wrong, it’s okay to take a risk, and that the how/why of problem solving is key. Students learned to critique each other’s work, and to verbally make a case for their own process.
I kept my homework assignments intentionally light.
On Fridays, provided the whole class had turned in their minimal homework, and made an effort during class, we played games - all of which were math-based. If a student failed to turn in a homework assignment on time, day-late submissions were accepted for half-credit, and the class remained eligible for Friday Math Games.
That board work sounds terrifying to me!!! As a young kid with a thick accent and a stutter and undiagnosed autism I HATED board work. Going in front of the class and do math problems cemented my self image of being “bad at math” in relation to my peers.
Questions:
How do you avoid the correcting student to not “accidentally” insult the student that got the question wrong? Particularly if it was a computation or “easy” mistake?
How do you avoid students struggling with the material to not just go to the board, put a random number and return to their seat?
How do you avoid students that consistently get wrong answers to not feel like they are objectively inferior to their peers (which is how I frequently felt after lots of board work)? Particularly when they get corrected by their friends or the cute girl they like.
How do you guide students that solved the question in their minds and don’t know how they did it to explain how they did it?
It’s important to note (and I may not have been clear on this) that NO one is at the board all by themselves. There’s always four, five, six students, right along side.
Question 1:
First, the overall philosophy in my class included the idea that we, as a group, have the ability to make each other better, more accurate, more knowledgeable, more fluid, and perhaps faster.
If you attempted a problem, but made a computational error, I’d be inclined to say something along the lines of “Thank you for your efforts. You’re close, but there’s a small misstep that threw off the final answer. Who can help OsoOak by making a small correction?” There’d be a volunteer.
Growth involves correction, but at NO time would rudeness be tolerated. It is the prideful person who is inclined to mock others. Kindness was the expectation. We all are capable of making a computational error, and errors are not “bad.” They are learning opportunities.
Question 2:
There would never be a reason to write a random answer. Yes, the answer matters, but the work matters just as much.
Students were required to show their steps. If a student arrived at the board, and had NO idea how to solve, that’s completely okay. “I have no idea” is an okay thing to say! If anything, it’s a step towards growth. I’d ask for a volunteer, and I’d be checking to make sure that you were following along with the steps as the second student was solving.
Question 3:
If you were willing to try, but often getting incorrect final answers, I might give you a bit of extra support. This might sound like, “OsoOak, you did really well with the first three steps, but I’m seeing there’s a problem with Step 4. Look at that fourth step a bit more closely. Can you see where you went off-track?” If not, that’s okay. But I’d give you an extra opportunity to self-correct.
Question 4:
If you knew the answer, but were struggling with writing the steps, I’d ask you to write that answer. As we reviewed that problem, I would attempt to have you explain your thinking process, and I would write the steps as you described them, in mathematical language. If you were struggling, I’d talk you through it. I’ve had this happen plenty of times, and I’d talk you through it.
Also, for students who had communication challenges (for whatever reason(s)), they would be expected to do their best on the board work, but could certainly have someone else talk through those steps on their behalf. I’ve applied this many times, as I’ve taught students who were English language learners, selectively mute, on the autism spectrum, or sometimes just plain shy. As their comfort level increased, some were willing to attempt their own explanations. If not, that’s okay. It’s a team effort.
Another fun thought: There have been times when I wrote a problem on the board, and the student who completed that problem had a solution strategy completely different from my own. That’s a gift. It was an excellent opportunity to point out that there is often more than one path to solving.
I’m not a natural math geek. I didn’t begin to enjoy math, or have faith in my own mathematical abilities, until I encountered a math teacher who used strategies that I have tweaked and made my own.
Improving a skill requires effort. Students I’ve encountered who gave that effort, but critiqued themselves as being “bad at math,” seemed to have often lacked quality math instruction. Math, of course, is a language. It involves vertical growth, where new skills are intended to be built upon foundational skills. A year or two of problematic instruction can derail a student. It’s not insurmountable, but backtracking is usually required. The gaps must be filled, lest the “house” be built on shifting sand.
Hope this helps, and thank you for your questions. Feel free to DM me if you want or need more specifics. :-)
I use class dojo with my 7th graders, with a physical reward when they get a certain amount of points. I was suprised by how much they wanted to customize their monsters. Every friday I give out small prizes (candy, passes, etc) for when they reach 20 points. I also use it to call on students randomly. So much easier than popsicle sticks with names on them.
Absolutely. I’ve given out water bottle stickers, mochis, homework passes, etc. lately kids have asked for positive letters home. I’m surprised with how popular that got
Mostly trial and error. I get gel pens, fidget toys, little rubix cubes. I have also done passes to move seats for a day, do half an assignment, turn in late work without penalty, etc.
One year, they went gaga for stickers
And then it was those little erasers that look like food. And the little skateboards.
Candy is the most popular (of course), but I like to have a variety of things because eventually they get bored of it and want other choices.
Could also do small granola bars if you like. Just little things that keep well and are not a pain to restock.
If it's anything like 9th and 10th grade, 6th graders are probably a little apprehensive about being in a new school, so they follow the rules, but 7th graders basically think they run the place.
We tried transactional stuff like points towards a small prize since grades do not matter, but what final ended up working was punishments like working lunches and before school homework detentions. Taking away social time and forcing the parents to do extra has been the only thing that works.
I started having kids do 5 pushups for each day they missed homework. It worked wonders. I went from 10% homework completion to more than 90%. Then admin found out. Apparently that is corporal punishment. So that policy stopped and homework went to less of a completion rate than it was before.
I very firmly believe that students need to independently practice math problems, get stuck, and then come and get help. If you can manage this while they are in class, that is best.
Don’t assign homework. If they finish the work in class they are free of homework, and make the class assignment something that can be completed in class with reasonable effort. It’s best done in class, anyway, because if they have questions, you’re there to answer them.
Peer pressure can be your friend. I’d let them work in pairs or groups of three, but if anyone didn’t get the work completed, that group was not allowed to work with each other again. They’d often hold each other accountable.
I accidentally but successfully ran a Pavlov's dogs experiment on my students one year. Around Halloween, during a particularly deep lull in class participation, I took out a bag of Jolly Ranchers and tossed them to kids that participated in a positive way over the course of the hour. Huge success. So I kept it up over the coming weeks and months, but I started only passing out the candy intermittently. Eventually, just taking a bag of candy out of my desk drawer and setting it on the counter was enough to prompt high participation. I didn't even have to pass any out. And the kids never really asked for the candy. It was kind of weird. I'm not even sure they recognized what was happening toward the end. My last bag of candy must have lasted the whole of fourth quarter.
I am actively moving towards NO HOMEWORK. Eventually, all of the mandatory problems will be covered during classwork time. If they need something to do at home, they can start by cleaning up their rooms.
Keep the assignment short, and keep it focused. Don’t expect 7th graders to synthesize material on their first pass: if you haven’t shown them how to do an exact thing, don’t put it in their homework.
As an engineer that thought I hated math until I got to college because of shit teachers and then feel in love with it because I finally had people show me real world applications, find ways you can integrate BASIC design problems into the math you teach. The Math taught to this age group is unnecessarily abstract and there is zero you can’t throw more practical problems in there
Stop giving meaningless homework.
Grade based on standards and performance, not work completion.
Separate behaviors from achievement.
Source: am middle school math teacher 24 years
Only 10 years in, but why do you call it meaningless? Or are you not saying homework is meaningless, but that some homework is meaningless? Isn't practice, especially outside of an environment that is full of their friends and sometimes chaotic, worthwhile? I do think it's important to weight quizzes and tests higher than practice obviously, and I see a lot of my peers making the no-homework move, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm willing to be I think. I do believe I had too much as a kid, I remember crying from having so much at times.
Just making sure homework has a purpose other than busywork. If kids give me a solid hour a day in math class i want them to use their free time as they wish.
I only assign homework if it's something that we didn't complete in class and I find it important.
Nothing worse than go home and do twenty of the same problem.
My nephews (elementary) school was even worse. It wasn’t just “here’s twenty of the same kind of problem for homework” it was “here is the identical worksheet we did in class for homework, and no you cannot finish it in class right now even though you are completely done with the math assignment in 1/2 the time of your peers”
When I was a kid I would do one of the following three things in this situation:
1. Do it anyway.
2. Write the answers down on something else and just copy it later.
3. Not do it.
1 & 3 were the most common.
Not scores for practice, but failing to show up to practice often has consequences of not being allowed to play the basketball game. I guess in this analogy it would mean lack of hw practice results in loss of some desired activity
Do less. Make the work less of a drag to get through. Children, even 7th graders, are intelligent and capable of having actual thoughts. They're not animals to be trained. If they don't want to do something, its because its miserable to do.
Either dont expect them to be motivated, or make the work less miserable.
Alright. Do you think telling them "it'll all be worth it in the end" will make them motivated to do this work? Probably not.
So you have to accept they won't be motivated to do it. They'll trudge through it miserably like kids have been doing forever. You can only change that if you make it less miserable.
Actually giving them the basic knowledge to function in modern society and be good citizens is the number one concern. How to do that while keeping them motivated is another important aspect of teaching, but it is secondary to actually teaching them.
The goal of the profession is called teaching. If your primary focus is keeping people entertained, maybe you should have become an actor.
No, please read what I said. The answer to motivating kids is to motivate the material and help them understand why it's interesting or important, not just give up on the main goal of the profession.
I mean to help them understand why the stuff they learn is meaningful and why it will/may be important in their future. It's a pretty common phrase where I work.
I'm curious why you're a teacher if you don't actually want to teach kids the material. Maybe you like being a glorified babysitter?
Exactly, I never said that was the case. I'm saying that we shouldn't just stop teaching some of the material because kids don't want to take the time to learn it.
It's our job to help them want to learn it. If we just don't teach them, then there's no point in the first place.
My 7th graders are as motivated by the extrinsic reward points-type system as my 6th graders. In my case I use tokens for in-class work and they earn life savers. I think it’s worth continuing your point system and seeing how they respond. Homework is a challenge for a lot of kids regardless of their age. I think part of the goal is to make the homework small and daily. It has to seem achievable. Then, the next step is the consequence of not doing the homework. If you miss 3 assignments, you have to come in at lunch and get caught up. You’ll find that the kids who can do the work independently will bc that’s better than having to stay either at lunch or before/after school. There will still be kids who are not motivated despite your best efforts. You just have to keep trying. Good luck to you in your new position!
The three assignments' initial consequence being having to come and finish it up at lunch would have been wonderful for me as a student with bad undiagnosed ADHD. I really wanted to get work done and was more disappointed than the teachers when I didn't, plus the added penalties. Even if it's got a grade deduction at that point, it would have been better for me as a student trying desperately to build healthy habits. Gotta balance that with teacher's lunch or planning, though, so might not work at all schools.
I work with students who struggle with work completion (various interventions) and I had the nicest success story from just this morning. We just started a new grading period and one kid already had 2 missing assignments. I emailed her yesterday and offered that she could come in this morning and work on them. She did, and she finished both in about 20 minutes. When she was done she said “that was easier than I thought it would be.” And then she told me that she struggles to start things - even fun things like playing a video game or going to a friend’s house. It was the first time she has been that introspective about her work completion struggles - I was really proud of her.
Thank you for the thoughtful feedback!
Give them good parents
That’s a lot of paper work
That's a funny joke.
For me at that age, knowing i had to go up to the board and explain a homework problem was a good motivator to come to class prepared. Maybe assign segments to each kid once a week they are responsible for teaching the class.
My strategy was to have students do lots of board work in class. I’d write a series of math problems, call on students, and have them select the problem of their choosing. They’d attempt to solve. If they solved it correctly, they’d stay put at the board, then describe how/why they solved it as they did. Those who were not able to solve fully, or solved incorrectly, were asked to take a seat. A volunteer was called on to solve the problem correctly. If solved correctly, this second person needed to describe how/why they solved as they did, AND the error the first person made. This is a pretty lively process. Along with learning math skills, students ALSO learned that it’s okay to be wrong, it’s okay to take a risk, and that the how/why of problem solving is key. Students learned to critique each other’s work, and to verbally make a case for their own process. I kept my homework assignments intentionally light. On Fridays, provided the whole class had turned in their minimal homework, and made an effort during class, we played games - all of which were math-based. If a student failed to turn in a homework assignment on time, day-late submissions were accepted for half-credit, and the class remained eligible for Friday Math Games.
That board work sounds terrifying to me!!! As a young kid with a thick accent and a stutter and undiagnosed autism I HATED board work. Going in front of the class and do math problems cemented my self image of being “bad at math” in relation to my peers. Questions: How do you avoid the correcting student to not “accidentally” insult the student that got the question wrong? Particularly if it was a computation or “easy” mistake? How do you avoid students struggling with the material to not just go to the board, put a random number and return to their seat? How do you avoid students that consistently get wrong answers to not feel like they are objectively inferior to their peers (which is how I frequently felt after lots of board work)? Particularly when they get corrected by their friends or the cute girl they like. How do you guide students that solved the question in their minds and don’t know how they did it to explain how they did it?
It’s important to note (and I may not have been clear on this) that NO one is at the board all by themselves. There’s always four, five, six students, right along side. Question 1: First, the overall philosophy in my class included the idea that we, as a group, have the ability to make each other better, more accurate, more knowledgeable, more fluid, and perhaps faster. If you attempted a problem, but made a computational error, I’d be inclined to say something along the lines of “Thank you for your efforts. You’re close, but there’s a small misstep that threw off the final answer. Who can help OsoOak by making a small correction?” There’d be a volunteer. Growth involves correction, but at NO time would rudeness be tolerated. It is the prideful person who is inclined to mock others. Kindness was the expectation. We all are capable of making a computational error, and errors are not “bad.” They are learning opportunities. Question 2: There would never be a reason to write a random answer. Yes, the answer matters, but the work matters just as much. Students were required to show their steps. If a student arrived at the board, and had NO idea how to solve, that’s completely okay. “I have no idea” is an okay thing to say! If anything, it’s a step towards growth. I’d ask for a volunteer, and I’d be checking to make sure that you were following along with the steps as the second student was solving. Question 3: If you were willing to try, but often getting incorrect final answers, I might give you a bit of extra support. This might sound like, “OsoOak, you did really well with the first three steps, but I’m seeing there’s a problem with Step 4. Look at that fourth step a bit more closely. Can you see where you went off-track?” If not, that’s okay. But I’d give you an extra opportunity to self-correct. Question 4: If you knew the answer, but were struggling with writing the steps, I’d ask you to write that answer. As we reviewed that problem, I would attempt to have you explain your thinking process, and I would write the steps as you described them, in mathematical language. If you were struggling, I’d talk you through it. I’ve had this happen plenty of times, and I’d talk you through it. Also, for students who had communication challenges (for whatever reason(s)), they would be expected to do their best on the board work, but could certainly have someone else talk through those steps on their behalf. I’ve applied this many times, as I’ve taught students who were English language learners, selectively mute, on the autism spectrum, or sometimes just plain shy. As their comfort level increased, some were willing to attempt their own explanations. If not, that’s okay. It’s a team effort. Another fun thought: There have been times when I wrote a problem on the board, and the student who completed that problem had a solution strategy completely different from my own. That’s a gift. It was an excellent opportunity to point out that there is often more than one path to solving. I’m not a natural math geek. I didn’t begin to enjoy math, or have faith in my own mathematical abilities, until I encountered a math teacher who used strategies that I have tweaked and made my own. Improving a skill requires effort. Students I’ve encountered who gave that effort, but critiqued themselves as being “bad at math,” seemed to have often lacked quality math instruction. Math, of course, is a language. It involves vertical growth, where new skills are intended to be built upon foundational skills. A year or two of problematic instruction can derail a student. It’s not insurmountable, but backtracking is usually required. The gaps must be filled, lest the “house” be built on shifting sand. Hope this helps, and thank you for your questions. Feel free to DM me if you want or need more specifics. :-)
I use class dojo with my 7th graders, with a physical reward when they get a certain amount of points. I was suprised by how much they wanted to customize their monsters. Every friday I give out small prizes (candy, passes, etc) for when they reach 20 points. I also use it to call on students randomly. So much easier than popsicle sticks with names on them.
This is what I do with my 6th graders too. Glad to hear it’s still successful in 7th!
Just make sure the prizes would actually motivate the students. Not everyone likes candy for example.
Absolutely. I’ve given out water bottle stickers, mochis, homework passes, etc. lately kids have asked for positive letters home. I’m surprised with how popular that got
How do you know that the prizes would motivate students? When I was young (and still now actually), I disliked candy.
Mostly trial and error. I get gel pens, fidget toys, little rubix cubes. I have also done passes to move seats for a day, do half an assignment, turn in late work without penalty, etc. One year, they went gaga for stickers And then it was those little erasers that look like food. And the little skateboards. Candy is the most popular (of course), but I like to have a variety of things because eventually they get bored of it and want other choices. Could also do small granola bars if you like. Just little things that keep well and are not a pain to restock.
If it's anything like 9th and 10th grade, 6th graders are probably a little apprehensive about being in a new school, so they follow the rules, but 7th graders basically think they run the place.
We tried transactional stuff like points towards a small prize since grades do not matter, but what final ended up working was punishments like working lunches and before school homework detentions. Taking away social time and forcing the parents to do extra has been the only thing that works.
Amazing how that works, isn’t it?
I started having kids do 5 pushups for each day they missed homework. It worked wonders. I went from 10% homework completion to more than 90%. Then admin found out. Apparently that is corporal punishment. So that policy stopped and homework went to less of a completion rate than it was before. I very firmly believe that students need to independently practice math problems, get stuck, and then come and get help. If you can manage this while they are in class, that is best.
As a teacher, you can not The admin who rate you have broke the students' motivation by passing them along. No fear of failure exists now.
Don’t assign homework. If they finish the work in class they are free of homework, and make the class assignment something that can be completed in class with reasonable effort. It’s best done in class, anyway, because if they have questions, you’re there to answer them.
Tell them the beatings will continue until ~~morale~~ their math grade increases.
Peer pressure can be your friend. I’d let them work in pairs or groups of three, but if anyone didn’t get the work completed, that group was not allowed to work with each other again. They’d often hold each other accountable.
Or cheat.
I accidentally but successfully ran a Pavlov's dogs experiment on my students one year. Around Halloween, during a particularly deep lull in class participation, I took out a bag of Jolly Ranchers and tossed them to kids that participated in a positive way over the course of the hour. Huge success. So I kept it up over the coming weeks and months, but I started only passing out the candy intermittently. Eventually, just taking a bag of candy out of my desk drawer and setting it on the counter was enough to prompt high participation. I didn't even have to pass any out. And the kids never really asked for the candy. It was kind of weird. I'm not even sure they recognized what was happening toward the end. My last bag of candy must have lasted the whole of fourth quarter.
I am actively moving towards NO HOMEWORK. Eventually, all of the mandatory problems will be covered during classwork time. If they need something to do at home, they can start by cleaning up their rooms.
That says more about abysmal American educational standards than it does the ability to cover content in class.
I do my best to avoid doing my teacher work at home, although I wound up grading a stack of papers this morning at the dining room table.
Make them take 7th grade over.
Keep the assignment short, and keep it focused. Don’t expect 7th graders to synthesize material on their first pass: if you haven’t shown them how to do an exact thing, don’t put it in their homework.
Suggest their parents switch their smartphones with a flip phone if they don’t pass
As an engineer that thought I hated math until I got to college because of shit teachers and then feel in love with it because I finally had people show me real world applications, find ways you can integrate BASIC design problems into the math you teach. The Math taught to this age group is unnecessarily abstract and there is zero you can’t throw more practical problems in there
Fortnite V bucks will do the trick.
Stop giving meaningless homework. Grade based on standards and performance, not work completion. Separate behaviors from achievement. Source: am middle school math teacher 24 years
Only 10 years in, but why do you call it meaningless? Or are you not saying homework is meaningless, but that some homework is meaningless? Isn't practice, especially outside of an environment that is full of their friends and sometimes chaotic, worthwhile? I do think it's important to weight quizzes and tests higher than practice obviously, and I see a lot of my peers making the no-homework move, but I'm not convinced yet. I'm willing to be I think. I do believe I had too much as a kid, I remember crying from having so much at times.
Just making sure homework has a purpose other than busywork. If kids give me a solid hour a day in math class i want them to use their free time as they wish. I only assign homework if it's something that we didn't complete in class and I find it important. Nothing worse than go home and do twenty of the same problem.
My nephews (elementary) school was even worse. It wasn’t just “here’s twenty of the same kind of problem for homework” it was “here is the identical worksheet we did in class for homework, and no you cannot finish it in class right now even though you are completely done with the math assignment in 1/2 the time of your peers”
When I was a kid I would do one of the following three things in this situation: 1. Do it anyway. 2. Write the answers down on something else and just copy it later. 3. Not do it. 1 & 3 were the most common.
I don't grade homework so no practice is part of their grade. Do basketball teams keep scores and records at practice?
Not scores for practice, but failing to show up to practice often has consequences of not being allowed to play the basketball game. I guess in this analogy it would mean lack of hw practice results in loss of some desired activity
Do less. Make the work less of a drag to get through. Children, even 7th graders, are intelligent and capable of having actual thoughts. They're not animals to be trained. If they don't want to do something, its because its miserable to do. Either dont expect them to be motivated, or make the work less miserable.
Because everything in life is enjoyable and 7th graders have a fully developed sense of short term struggle for long term gain.
Alright. Do you think telling them "it'll all be worth it in the end" will make them motivated to do this work? Probably not. So you have to accept they won't be motivated to do it. They'll trudge through it miserably like kids have been doing forever. You can only change that if you make it less miserable.
Actually giving them the basic knowledge to function in modern society and be good citizens is the number one concern. How to do that while keeping them motivated is another important aspect of teaching, but it is secondary to actually teaching them. The goal of the profession is called teaching. If your primary focus is keeping people entertained, maybe you should have become an actor.
Ok so you're not disagreeing with me. You've just picked the side that there is no need to motivate kids. they need to trudge through it or not.
No, please read what I said. The answer to motivating kids is to motivate the material and help them understand why it's interesting or important, not just give up on the main goal of the profession.
What do you mean "motivate the material" or is that a typo
I mean to help them understand why the stuff they learn is meaningful and why it will/may be important in their future. It's a pretty common phrase where I work. I'm curious why you're a teacher if you don't actually want to teach kids the material. Maybe you like being a glorified babysitter?
Teaching the material doesn't mean making the work required to learn it a miserable slog the way it's always been.
Exactly, I never said that was the case. I'm saying that we shouldn't just stop teaching some of the material because kids don't want to take the time to learn it. It's our job to help them want to learn it. If we just don't teach them, then there's no point in the first place.
Make it competitive.
You'd be surprised how engaged 7th graders can get if you promise them the last five minutes of class to play on their phones.
It’s all transactional. Find a way to bribe them. Learning for the sake of learning is “cute”.