This blog entry is due no later than 3:00 on Wednesday October 28.
Please reflect on the following passage from the Motivation Breakthrough by Richard Lavoie.
Just as each student learns in their own unique way, each child is motivated in a way that is unique. The key to developing long term motivational strategies is to analyze each child's motivational needs and design curricula and management techniques that are responsible to those needs.
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29 comments:
As I mentioned in class, we need to tell students when information is important. An example of this is when they will be tested on it. In my current teaching assignment, my master teacher tells her students when to highlight words and when things are “important” so they will know what to study. Many of the students we will be serving have non-traditional homes and many times unforgiving parents thinking they are lazy and will “come around” when they want to. In order to combat this, we need to demystify their caregivers and show them methods to assist in their learning. Motivation comes from the home. Motivation comes from parents and caregivers. If the environment the student is residing in is not conducive to his/her education, it makes the job of the instructor that much more difficult because the student is less motivated. How can we motivate such students who do not come from backgrounds that promote and/or value their education? One way is by assessing their interests and what they want to learn about. If students like particular sports, we can give math problems focused on those sports. My students love when I ask them what we are going to associate or base our lesson on for that day. They participate because their opinions matter. They need to know that their opinions matter in their classroom community and it is our jobs to show them.
-Jennifer Pershes
Melissa, I love your post and could not agree more. Motivation is one of the most important keys to success. It is really crucial that as teachers we find what our students are passionate about and develop their interest through motivation. Each student will have an affinity for one subject over another and although they must learn all of the subjects taught at school, it is important to recognize their strengths and interests and motivate them through those. Perhaps there would be a way for us to develop curricula based on each students interest, and thus get them more involved in their education.
This may seem like more work that feels daunting, but I think it may be the best prescription we have for motivating our students.
~Tova Leibovic
I think that educators should spend more time trying to find out what motivates their students. I have seen many teachers use reward systems, such as giving a child a sticker for good behavior, or a prize for turning in homework. These strategies might work for the moment, but they are not very meaningful. They might motivate the child to finish his/her work, but they don't motivate him/her to actually learn the material.
Motivational strategies should be related to students' interests, and teachers need to try to find out what motivates students intrinsically. Students need to care about what they are doing, and understand why they need to learn certain things. As Lavoie says in his quote, each child's motivational needs are unique. We can learn about individual students by talking to them, observing them, or even having them fill out interest surveys about what they like or what they want to be. We should use this information to really engage students in what they are learning.
The more work we put in to engaging students in the curriculum, the more they will get out of it now and in the long run. By showing students that learning can be fun and meaningful, it teaches them to seek out more knowledge, and to take responsibility for their own learning and their own behaviors.
- Kristen Hellwig
This passage makes me think of our ongoing class discussion about different learning styles, and the importance of working to meet diverse needs. Why should motivation be any different? Certainly different students are motivated by different things. A curriculum should reflect this, and take into account that motivations change--something that motivates a student today may not continue to motivate them long-term. I think Dr. Goldman is right to stress the importance of the role that classroom teachers play in IEP meetings, and just general classroom planning. We are the people that see students every day, and that have the best insight into the ways in which they learn and the things that motivate them. We are the people that can successfully create motivational strategies that target specific needs and that change as these needs change. This passage is a good reminder of that aspect of teaching. Jenny Graham
I'm sorry for using folklore, idioms and children's story analogies to help me talk about student motivation and teaching strategies but if the shoe fits.. Everyone knows the saying you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink, right? I think Lavoie's quote about motivation is talking about exposing students to their own wells of sustenance. Teachers can lead their students to what they need. While instructors can not force students to drink, they can show and expose them where to find what they seek.
But that may be only half the challenge. Teachers must also find out what are the individual motivational needs of each student. What works for one student may be completely different to another. Goldilocks had to find the porridge that was just right for her (Sorry). As educators, it is important to encourage and expose students to the things and interests that fulfill their individual needs. Yes, you can't make em drink, but a teacher can show a student where their well is.
It seems we all agree that our role as educators is to lead the horse to water and hope that he/she will drink. The trick is getting them to the water. As some of you mentioned, motivating them through their interests is the key. A vivid memory came to me as I read the blogs, although it is not from a teaching experience it has influenced me as a teacher. I was a dance therapist on an adolescent psychiatric unit, and had a group of about five boys. Some were there because it was court ordered and others had been tricked in to being admitted. They did not want to be there. The way I was able to get them to participate in movement therapy, was to use what was meaningful to them. During this session, they made up a rap song expressing how they felt about being in the hospital, and we made a dance to go with it. They were fully engaged and able to express their feelings without being judged. I will continue to utilize this approach, and I plan be more familiar with the community in which I teach,in order to be able to relate their experiences to my lessons. In addition, I believe it is important to have some idea of our student’s individual interests, that way we have information that we can use to motivate them whenever necessary.
Adriana Gomez
Just as each student learns in their own unique way, each child is motivated in a way that is unique. The key to developing long term motivational strategies is to analyze each child's motivational needs and design curricula and management techniques that are responsible to those needs.
It is essential to identify what motivates a person so that they can find fulfilling careers and identify goals in life that are appropriate to their needs. As teachers we are responsible for not only getting to know the interests of our students, but for helping them fulfill their goals and continue to learn about their strengths and weaknesses. It is vital for students to know how they can motivate themselves in order to achieve their goals, but it is just as important or possibly even more important to help students gain the confidence to start creating goals and start looking towards their future with motivation. Beyond incorporating student interests into lesson plans our role as educators should also be to foster interests in learning about their unique strengths, weaknesses and furture goals, specifically how they all connect with their future goals and how they can motivate themselves to succeed in their goals. Beyond that it is also essential for students to understand that without their motivation success in life and exploring their role in this world, is simply not possible.
It has long been a personal goal of mine to use motivation as a key to success. It is only logical to be able to succeed in something when you are looking forward to the outcome. I believe that, like many of the ND constructs, a reflective teacher should individualize the child’s education, so that it serves each student properly; In this case, its motivation. This entire program is structure around the idea that we are to teach to the student strengths; if we find a way to motivate the students by using their strengths and interests then I do not see where a teacher can go wrong.
The above passage serves as a way for perspective teachers to realize just how important their job is. We not only have to teach the required curriculum to students, we must find a way for them to learn it. Motivation, either by telling the kids why the curriculum is so important, or by rewarding them with something in the end, works to help students learn; that is the most important part of our job.
~Michelle Estrada
The first step to achieving this goal is creating an accurate IEP. Student knowledge is the most critical component in the ability to develop strategies and curriculum that cater to a child's affinities. When armed with knowledge of our student's interests and abilities, we can create an accurate class profile to create more specific lesson plans. We as teachers need to converse with all students and parents if possible in order to effectively design engaging lessons while at the same time addressing content standards. If we are diligent in our efforts to get to know all of our students, we will realize the ability to properly create and implement individual strategies that will not only work for the individual, but also the class as a whole.
-Michael Crawford
I am going to make a case, based on actual, recent events. I'm going to leverage the basic motivational need for affiliation (Ormrod text). I'm not going to do this for one student, but for an entire class!
Perhaps success in school must precede motivation, as Dr. Levine expounds. If a student is attracted to the goal, then there is motivation. The student must believe that the goal is attainable. So motivation is not open-ended; it is goal-directed. I've said before that everyone likes success. and this can be as simple as a teacher checking on the progress of a student and saying, "Good." Even where there is no internal motivation, there can still be reward. The teacher can open the eyes of students so they can see the importance of an academic endeavor. Not only can this involve the entire class at once, but a sense of cohesiveness or team-spirit can blossom. A classroom climate can be created which emphasizes the success of the class and the value of each member of the group working for accomplishments. The students who already have a particular interest or talent in the subject or activity are "icing on the cake" and they can be utilized as leaders and role-models. Teach students that the goal and the rewards come from the effort and the work habits.
Teachers need to do many things to motivate their students to learn. The job of the teacher is very diverse and motivating student is often a difficult task. That doesn’t mean the teacher gives up but that the teacher finds new ways to deliver the message so it reaches the students. First, the teacher needs to set the environment in the classroom where every student feels they are welcome, feels a sense of belonging and feels they will be able to succeed. The teacher must differentiate instruction especially when the learners are diverse so each student is successful at the task given because the teacher has tailored instructions in that manner. Motivation is very cyclical in that way, if a student feels successful in the task the teacher has given, and then the student will want to succeed again and be motivated. The teacher has to realize each child has a different reality; the child’s culture and many other factors need to be considered when expecting the student to be successful and motivated in school.
When students receive positive feedback from the teacher and the teacher actively makes learning fun, is flexible and creative towards their craft, the students’ motivations will increase. The teacher has to be well organized and have a routine established in the classroom, this way no matter how chaotic a students life is outside of the classroom, the student can feel they are part of a community of learners and part of something static and stable when in school. This sense of balance is very important for the students’ success. If a teacher gives out rewards to students who follow the rules and when the rules were made by the students in the classroom, student are more likely to be intrinsically motivated because they see the teacher values their input. This way students have ownership of their learning and will be more motivated to do well and succeed in school.
Silvee Islam
Finding different ways to motivate students academically should be a class of it's own. The college of education should offer a semester long class discussing this topic.
My brother Aaron and I have completely different personalities from one another. I was always an extrovert growing up and he was an introvert. Just like our personalities were different, so too were our motivations for doing things. For Aaron, there wasn't a better motivational strategy then my parents expressing their disappointment in him. If he got a bad grade in school our parents would pour on the guilt trip. For me however, I was impervious to their guilt techniques. My parents had to learn what unique interests and motivating factors worked to influence me. They found that I was motivated best by external rewards. The point that I am trying to illustrate is that just like two brothers have different motivations for doing things, so too, do our students. By better understanding our students we will begin to understand their motivations.
Jason Justin
Motivation plays a key role in whether a student feels the need to perform academically. When they are disinterested, due to lack of engagement, students tend to shy away from class activities, assignments, and discussions. Teachers need to be aware of students leaning toward this behavior and look to get them involved in the work. As teachers we need to be aware of individuals motivation and learning needs to accommodate children during a lesson. Teachers are not required to give individual lesson plans to children because they each learn differently. However, students can be paired by learning comprehension and ability so work can be broken down to engage students with similar interests. Also encouragement and a safe environment needs to be provided to make students feel comfortable to try even if they fail.
- Sherwin Kim
I agree with this statement. When I read this it makes me think how much influence an educator has over their students. The students we will encounter will come to us with all levels of motivation just as in their learning abilities. As educators we need to find way to engage all students. Educators can influence students’ motivation for the better or worse. As educators we can give our student s positive feedback so that they know that they are doing well. In addition we should give students work that is feasible so that they feel successful. We need to get to know our students and use their interests to motivate and engage them in the curriculum.
E.Chavelas
I think it is important to promote the student's intrinsic motivation to learn instead of relying on purely extrintsic motivators like rewards.We can give students the strategies and tools to succeed and when they succeed this reinforces their self confidence and positive self image.Per Ormrod base grades on many sources not just one or two big tests.Provide scaffolding with pretests and feedback.Encourage students'best efforts without creating anxiety about doing poorly.
Deborah Drucker
In any subject and/or circumstances, i think motivation is key, and possibly one of the most essential components in teaching a lesson to a child. Just as many classmates already mentioned, I think it's important for the motivational strategies to be properly stated on the IEPs. IEP will not only help the teachers and paraeducators how to "connect" with the students, but also reinforce what they already know about the student and their strengths and needs. Finding out what specific thing interests our students and utilizing that affinity to incorporate it as a motivational tool will keep the student engaged and interested. (I've been learning in my fieldwork that this is even more essential to students with autism).For teachers to show interest and respect on the students' affinities, will help them gain the same level of interest and respect for the students also. I believe that as teachers, it is our job to not only educate the students academically, but educating them in life, and keeping them motivated to be lifelong learners.
-Julie Kim
I strongly agree and believe that knowing what motivating factors drive a student to achieve facilitates the process with much more ease. If we really think about it we all have motivation factors that drive us to do what is required in order to get what we want. Sometimes we may not agree or enjoy the process but we are able to look at the “Big Picture “ and see the end results. I think this concept is sometimes hard for kids to truly understand and make sense of it. So by being able to understand and know what some motivational factors are for a particular child that we may use to employ as leverage in helping them achieve is very important. Laura Lozano
I do subscribe to that way of thinking to a point. I think that teachers should have some method of analyzing each student by looking at their records (kids with IEPs give you a big jump on that), finding a way to do writing exercises and quizzes in a way that is fun and explores ways to get to know the child without them overtly knowing that you are doing it, and just a lot of discussion time when the year begins so you can begin to brainstorm strategies that will help everyone in the class be motivated to do well in class and life. I think motivation is a critical life needo but there must be a way to lump some of the needs of the children together so that finding the key doesnt get too overwhelming.
Each individual has different motivations; therefore people behave in various ways to achieve their goals. For some people, they like to work because they enjoy having social relationships with other people. For some individuals, working is their living. For other people, their experience and knowledge are gained through working. As students, their learning can be motivated by other's judgments, self determination, or their well being in the future. Understanding students' desires and needs can help them to learn effectively by utilizing their motivations. Providing visual cues, models, and diagrams to get a student's attention and involvement in a task helps the student to make a connection to the material and have a deeper understanding. Practical motivations require the emphasis on practical ideas and reasons. While pure intellectual motivations might require the emphasis on more theory.
Hanh Tran
I agree with the statement above. Every child is unique, every child has different needs and different motivations. I believe it is important to analyze a class as a whole and use techniques that would work for them. From there differentiate the strategies to accommodate each child specific needs. An easy way to accomplish this is to find out what your students like to do within the classroom and let them earn time at that activity. In my classroom students choose from pictures of preferred activities posted on a wall. It is similar to PECS. They carry this picture to their center and when they complete their activity they are given time at that activity or tangible items (candy, cereal or pretzels) for completing their work. The visual of their chosen activity helps keep the students on task.
Once again, I think that it is essential that teachers get to know their students. We have already discussed how important it is for teachers to know their students' strengths and weaknesses, their learning styles, and now what motivates them. I believe that it is challenging to keep all of the students interested in what is being taught during class. However, if there are specific students in a classroom that do not participate, and you have already incorporated the IEP instruction, finding out what motivates them can be used to get them to participate and do their work. For instance, if you know that a student responds to compliments, then you can try to motivate them by complimenting them more often. If you learn that a student is motivated by rewards, then you can implement a reward system to motivate them to do their work. Overall, I think that knowing what motivates students, will help the educators, because they can plan how to engagement with their students knowing what motivates them. As we have discussed in class before, one important way to keep students interested is by making connections to what they are learning. This is another way to motivate them because it brings meaning to what they are learning, and they can make connections. This also helps them understand and learn. Which will help students remain motivated to learn.
Olga Collins
I see the issue of Motivation in the students of my class as having more weight than almost any other factor of their success and, more often, their failure. I have an opportunity to talk to them individually as I take them to the Dean's office. Since most are going there at different times, I have talked with many of them. Some have described homes in which there is no one around. A father who yells, doesn't care or isn't home alot, a mother who is moving out of town with another man, a grandmother who doesn't believe in school authority, a sister who has never been met because she's much older and already moved on...whether these are actual facts, or not, they are the reality as described by the child and a part of his motivating aspect. Who cares? What's the reward? Does anyone see me? Am I worth it? Is this all too hard? Am I liked more when I fail? What gets me attention? I'm stupid. I'm my own boss at home so who is this teacher to boss me around here? External motivation, stickers, etc., only go so far if at all. Without intrinsic motivation, or drive, there is no behavior.
Designing both curriculum and management must be differentiated to each student. What works for one doesn't always work for all. I liked the example in Chapter 15 with the teacher having students copy and learn about moving the decimal point. Just because rote learning and the strategy of moving the decimal one or two places, was motivation for this teacher, it may not be what drives the students. Are they just out to please the teacher? Do they only want to get a good grade? Are they busy thinking about lunch or friends? Do they need more stimulation so are busy passing notes and not paying attention? Are they angry and defiant and motivated by self-handicapping? Like all the other topics in previous chapters, Ormrod shows us that learning is an individual activity and each aspect of how someone learns is an individual trait. When we accept that motivation is another important and individual force of learning, it makes sense to adjust accordingly. Just spend a moment talking to a student to realize what motivates might be completely different than what you would assume. I agree with this blog statement that curriculum and management must reflect a teacher's understanding of all students as individuals, taking into account what is their driving motivation and what parameters they use to define their success.
I agree that each child is different and require different motivations. I believe that finding what motivates each student will help increase achievement. The first step is to view the class as a group of unique individuals. Learning about each child's preferences, interests and strengths helps the teacher incorporate these needs in to the lessons. As a teacher analyzes each child's motivational needs, they can provide opportunities for varied experiences. Helping students become motivated about learning also incorporates active involvement, positive feedback by the teacher, building teamwork and helping students find enjoyment in success.
We also have to understand that maybe at one a time the student did have intrinsic motivation and "schooling" diminished what the student once had. Talking to the parents about the child helps gather information in regards to his/her motivations. A constructivist approach to teaching helps builds the child's natural inquiry, develop problem solving strategies and build meaningful understanding of the curricula.
I definitely agree that motivation is key to success. I also agree that every child has different motivational needs. When I became a behavioral therapist I quickly learned of the difference between extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. I was taught that in order to get children to comply with targeted programs during a session, extrinsic motivators would probably be necessary. For example I work with one particular young girl. One of her programs involves learning how to brush her teeth. She is extremely task avoidant. When it comes time to have to get to work, the begins to get very violent. She will pull hair or kick to get out of doing work. In order to stop the task avoidant behavior, I use extrinsic motivators to get her attention. In situations when she is being violent due to task avoidance, I show her a preferred item and instruct her to use nice hands and to complete the task. She immediately understands what I am asking of her and she complies. However, I was also taught that we should not let children get too dependent on these extrinsic motivators, because the key to ensuring that they succeed permanently is teaching them intrinsic motivation techniques. For this, I always try to have conversations with the child on the importance of doing things on own will. She has a chart that monitors every time she completes a task without me having to prompt her. When she completes the chart she is allowed to pick activities for us to do during a session. By doing this, the child is learning to remind herself to have intrinsic motivation to do things independently without my extrinsic motivators. This seems to be working because she has learned how to independently complete certain tasks in the morning without having mom help her or remind her. With the example of this young girls I see that it is essential for teachers to notice what motivates each student. However, a teacher should beware of letting students become dependent on stickers and prizes. Teacher should always have intrinsic motivation in mind for all students.
In my opinion motivation is one of the key factors to the success of students. If a student isn’t motivated and see no point to the lessons that are taught in school then it doesn’t matter how capable a student is they will not use their full potential. I feel students need to have a reason and purpose to attend and do well, and without these there will be no point in really trying. It is also important to remember that each student is very different and unique, what motivates one students may not motivate another. Also the motivations of students can change from day to day. So what motivates them today may have little to no affect on another day. This basically means that as a educator you need to have different ideas and tactics to motivate and get students involved.
I love this article - I totally understand what Richard is getting across.
I have never been a big fan of 'rewards' because it assumes that the student is not trying !!
Rewards also give the illusion that for everything you'll do in your life - you'll get a reward - Not TRUE !
Competition is great in some circles but only as long as you think you can win !!
My big catchphrase attached to all of this is ...
"Education without motivation is useless..."
For more stuff like this just contact us at ...
www.thebigpicture.eu.com
This quote truly allows for us to revisit the notion of a balanced profile; but more importantly to understand that children are individuals to be developed, rather than problems to be solved. Often time we linger on the idea that children don’t want to learn, when in actuality they are not motivated to do so. In my experience and from observing in different classrooms, children need to have external motivators; this idea that students only need to have intrinsic motivation does not rest easy with me and more importantly sounds a bit like disarming a student. I would venture to say that while individualizing instruction, we need to take into account the different ways to motivate our children. Some might include instilling competition, basing it on children’s individual interest, assigning them roles, or validating even the most ridiculous comment (via rewording and making their comments relatable). HOWEVER, before any of this can be possible, I feel that teachers must establish a meaningful relationship with their students; a relationship that embeds a culture of teamwork and fostered in a positive learning environment.
Jose Chavez
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