Why Calvin Has This Pattern

Although Calvin has numerous developed interests outside of the classroom, Calvin has trouble gaining interest in the content at school because he doesn’t feel connected to the material. The content doesn’t connect to him on a personal level, whether that be emotionally, socially, or culturally.

Calvin's environment outside of school provides him with a supportive environment to embrace his curiosities and interests. He is given the chance to further explore his interests, whereas in school, his interests aren't supported or given the chance to be known and expanded upon.

The value of school and the value of the content being taught ultimately hasn’t been enforced in Calvin’s experience with his education. If Calvin doesn’t see any value in learning why should he be interested in the material?

When the time comes to test Calvin on the knowledge he “learned”, Ms. Wormwood fails to provide him with any interesting forms of assessment. Instead, standard tests related to facts and memorization are used. A limited amount of choices are offered to Calvin to express the knowledge he knows.

The idea of autonomy isn't represented within Calvin's classroom setting. Calvin and his peers aren't given the choice to choose what they are interested in and aren't allowed the opportunity to connect their interest to the content. Being in such a controlled and strict setting, Calvin is unable to show interest and motivation.

There doesn’t seem to be any ending goal that is relevant to his assignments and tests, which in turn decreases Calvin’s motivation and interest. The activities and learning in the classroom should provide an end goal, whether that be related to an interest or even a reward.

Calvin doesn’t have the opportunity to express his knowledge in a creative, fun, or hands-on way. As a result, Calvin isn’t interested in his assignments because he may not feel challenged or motivated enough to persist in his school work.

Within the environment of the classroom, the materials such as texts, videos, or worksheets provided to Calvin don't seem to contribute to his interest. The boring, possibly complex texts on the content pushes Calvin's attention further from the content and further from gaining interest in it.