Students like to win. I remember simple competitive games that totally changed the motivation and interest of my second graders many years ago. They focused differently, cheered for members of their team, and enjoyed the change of pace. The activities provided effective and efficient practice of math facts, spelling words, and social studies details. Because of the influence of video, computer, and online games and competition TV shows, today’s students want to win more than mine did. More importantly, perhaps, they may mistakenly believe they’re entitled to win. What if their fear about losing coupled with their entitlement mindset causes young people to cheat to win? They copy and paste someone else’s work into theirs to … [Read more...]