Understanding a child’s social and emotional development supports educators and other experts to unpack the elements of motivation that are integral to success in the classroom. There are several factors that contribute to one’s motivation, like previous school experiences, attachment, trauma, as well as other factors.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, there are approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 13–18 suffer from mental illness and only 1 in 5 of those children who suffer from mental, emotional, or behavioral problems receive treatment. Half of those children will end up dropping out of high school. While those numbers are daunting, there are ways to motivate gifted+ children. According to 40 years of academic research, incentives—and disincentives—don’t normally work, and, often become the focal part of the classroom experience overshadowing the learning process.

Educators should aspire to motivate students intrinsically in order to support their appreciation of the learning process. An increased emphasis on preparing educators to utilize technology is driving the use of technology as an extrinsic motivator which creates a desire to do an activity for the sake of a reward. This it is not a sustainable model of motivation. Classroom tools, like mobile devices, open the door to countless opportunities for learning but there is a huge gap in social and emotional learning. There is not a learning tool that supports social and emotional learning like educators and other experts.

$30 SENG Members/$40 Non-Members

Deadline to Register: 12/13, 3 PM EDT

Click here for complete details.

Jeanette Salinas is the co-founder of The Journey School of Houston, the 2015 recipient of the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented Innovation in Gifted Award. The school is 1 of 8 schools accredited by the Alliance for Psychoanalytic Schools. The Journey School of Houston uses a psychodynamic approach to support children’s social-emotional development and facilitate the learning process. There is an understanding of feelings being central to all learning and that helping children and parents understand their feelings leads to growth. TJSH teachers have a deep understanding of child development with a working knowledge of how children learn. The student-teacher relationships are emotionally connective while teachers implement a curriculum which is specifically designed to enhance a child’s innate intelligence and creativity. Jeanette has a Master’s in Computer Science and Doctorate in Education which have supported her pursuits for researching the use of technology to support achievement and self-efficacy of at-risk gifted students.