In the United States, grades 4-9, how do I encourage students to be motivated, interested, and active in what is being taught?
1. Physical
Everyone goes through puberty as a child some faster than others. Girls typically hit their growth spurt earlier than boys. Girls start noticing differences at age 10 where boys start noticing changes at age 12 and half. Puberty also brings improvement on gross motor skills and differ with girls and boys. Girls are slow and gradual while boys have a fast spurt in strength, speed, and endurance. Boys tend to be faster and stronger because of their self-esteem and peer interaction. Sports and exercise become important to most boys which influences their social and cognitive develop such as learning team work and solving problems. Primary and secondary characteristics include the reproductive organs and pubic hair and breast development. Girls start their period around 10 1/2-15 1/2. Their first period is called menarche. For boys their testes get bigger and the penis and pubic hair grow also. Boys start this process at around 14. Heredity also has a huge factor in pubertal changes along with poverty regions where girls periods start later, family environment is also a factor where if a child feels they are in a safe place they reproduce later than children who have a rough family life. Brain development is also an important characteristic in the physical development of a child. The brain starts to develop more and their cognitive skills increase such as attention, memory, planning, and self-regulation. Adolescents react more intensely to stressful situations due to the neurotransmitters during puberty. It is important for parents to teach and help them through this big change in their lives. Without their parents help they could feel lost and embarrassed. It is important for children to understand what is going on with them at this crucial time in their lives. Puberty can affect their motivation to want to learn because it if a student feels uncomfortable or "different" from their peers then they will more focus on that rather than the task at hand. If you want your students to be motivated they have to be in a safe and comfortable environment where they don't feel judged. Students can also be uncomfortable because of what physically happens such as a period or a erection that happens out of the blue. If they constantly worry that something is going to happen they will be unmotivated to do the work because their focus will be on what if something happens.
2. Cognitive
Information processing was a big topic in the cognitive chapter. It examines separate aspects of thinking such as attention and memory which is the underlining act of cognition. In middle school attention becomes more selective, flexible, and accommodating. Children attend and pay more attention to what their goals are personally and adapt their attention to task requirements. They also become good at planning and making decisions which is good for motivation. If they are willing to take the time to plan they are willing to stay on task. We want our students to have their attention be more adaptable and broad so that they feel motivated to do the work. Memory is also important in the cognitive aspect. Middle school students learn how to do memory strategies, such as rehearsal and organization where they group related items together. Using these strategies require time and effort. One difficult strategy that we strive our students to succeed is elaboration where they create a relationship between two or more pieces of information that aren't in the same category. During this time of their life they are learning more and more about concepts and strategies on how to do well in school. These strategies will be used in the real world when they get out of school. Students who don't do these things may need extra help in getting there. These may be the ones who aren't motivated to do their school work because they don't know how to be organized or they don't have the attention span to accomplish a task. As a teacher we have to teach strategies and help those that need a little extra help.
3. Emotional
Problems of development can cause students to be unmotivated which in return makes them do poorly. One problem is depression where an individual feels sad, frustrated, hopeless, ect. which causes lack of sleep and appetite. This in return can cause students to loose motivation in which their depression may worsen. It is important as teachers to watch for this in the classroom so that you can help them and give them the resources they need. Other emotional characteristics lie within friendships and family members. These two things are important for children to have while growing because it gives them stability and influences them on how they are going to behave and act. This also can affect their motivation in school because if they have friends and actively engage with one another it will most likely motivate them to want to learn. Family is also a huge part in motivation because if their family life is good they will most likely do well in school but if it is bad it will affect their motivation to learn.
4. Social
Kohlberg's Theory is crucial for the social development of a child. He has three different levels, the pre-conventional, the conventional, and the post-conventional. The pre-conventional level is where children accept the rules of authority figures and realize their consequences based on their own decisions. At the conventional level the individual thinks that the social rules are important but not for reasons for themselves.They want to be a "good person" with the approval of their friends and family. At the post-conventional level individuals choosing to follow the law and rules because it reflects them and the people around them. These levels have to do with my inquiry question because this can affect how much they are motivated by maybe being stuck in one of these levels and not getting along with the people around them because of how they act. If students are still in a stage where they shouldn't be then they will act differently than their peers who are in the level they are supposed to be in. Most students in middle childhood should be in the post-conventional level.
Kilgour Elementary is a Cincinnati Public School in Hyde Park that holds grades Kindergarten through sixth grade. Their mission statement "is to challenge each student to exceed the state academic standards and become responsible contributors in this progressive world." Their school has been rated as an Excellent with Distinction from 2007-2009. Their school's goals are to maintain and improve academic success, improve student attendance, to understand different cultures and maintain "racial balance," and to increase student, teacher, parent, and school involvement within the school and community. There are many qualities to the school that make it an excellent school. There is team teaching where teachers get together in each grade level and talk about what the year is going to be like with all subject areas. There are also intervention specialist that help students who struggle in school using cooperative groups and one on one instruction and also a gifted program for students who need to be challenged more intellectually. Overall, this school strives to make a safe and comfortable learning environment where all students have the opportunity to flourish.
I am observing a 5th grade Language Arts classroom where there are 25 students and one teacher in the class. I will be looking for ways in which students are motivated, whether it is extrinsically and intrinsically. I will also see how often students participate and how active they are in what is being taught. I will be observing how the teacher interacts with students and how they react to her and whether that's a factor in their motivation. I will also be interviewing five students on what is important to them and how they are motivated or not motivated to learn. It is important to me to find out what motivates students to want to learn so that I can use this knowledge in my own classroom.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit: An hour and a half
The first day I observed the students were being taught Latin. A guy comes in and teaches Latin in her classroom every 3rd Monday of the Month. As a teacher I am not sure I would like this because that whole Monday she isn't teaching, but the students love it learn a whole new language which is really important. As students were coming into the class, they were asked to walk in silently and get out their folder, notebook, pencil, and their name card. Most did this but some were behind in getting what they needed so it took up some class time. It made me wonder why for some students it was difficult to get what they needed and be ready to learn while others were ready to go. Was it because of lack of motivation, lack of interest, or are they just slow at getting materials they need to start class? I wasn't sure. When everyone was ready he started the lesson by reviewing what they went over last class which was counting to ten in Latin. Everyone was repeating what the numbers were aloud but some didn't get the pronunciation in which he reiterated how to pronounce it. An interesting question came from a student where he asked how do you say 0 in Latin. He explained that there is no 0. They see it as less rather than none. I was interested in this student and the question he asked because it was something no one really thought about. Was he motivated to learn more material than just what was being taught? Or was it just out of curiosity? The teacher explained this to the class in more depth of why this was which interested most children from what I could see by their body language and facial expressions.This helped all the students master the numbers in Latin before he moved onto the next concept which was action words in Latin. They went over some action words on the same day they learned the numbers 1-10 so they reviewed those and then moved onto other ones. The action words that day were walk, come, run,stop, go, up, and jump. The students learned these action words by actually doing them in the class. All of the students wanted a turn to do this activity. Students were motivated because they were able to do something out of the ordinary and get out of their seats. When it got too rowdy the teacher asked them to calm down. This shows motivation because students are wanting a turn to show what they know. Some students didn't know what to do because they didn't know the word very well so they had the help or their peers and the teacher. They weren't embarrassed and didn't give up. They were interested in what was being taught which I thought was great. The teacher was able to engage students to learn new words in Latin in a fun and exciting way which I feel like motivates students extrinsically and intrinsically. The last activity he did was read a story about Greeks and the gods and goddesses and what role they had in that culture. Students were also interested in being read to and most were fully engaged in what was being read to them. The teacher made sure everyone was listening by asking them questions and elaborating on information from the text. Students seemed to really enjoy this. I feel like students are interested and active when it isn't strictly lecture where they sit and listen to the teacher. We as teachers should incorporate fun activities for students because it motivates them to want to learn and to try hard. I know that there is going to be lecture some of the time, but you as the teacher can make it interesting and engage students. If students aren't interested in what you are teaching then they wont be motivated.
I also sat down with the teacher after class while the students were at lunch to talk about what kinds of things she does to motivate students. One thing she does is Motivational Monday Journal where the class mascot (a walrus) "says" a quote and they have to reflect on what what the motivational quote means. This is a great way to get the "wheels spinning" by thinking outside of the box and it teaches them valuable lessons.
Another thing is Go Green Fridays where students are able to dress up a certain way according to what the theme is if they have met there goal as how well they behaved and that they stayed on "green" the whole week. (The whole grade participates)
The Mystery Chair is also another form to motivate students where a person is randomly picked from the popsicle sticks and if they are good the whole day they get a piece of candy and the next day they get sit in a special chair. (Extrinsic Motivation) This is a great way to motivate all students to do what they are supposed to throughout the day because no one knows who she picked so they all try to be "good" students so that if they were picked they could get the incentives.
They also have student of the week if they behave and do the daily expectations. If they meet all the requirements of being a student who is engaged and behaving, they are then put up on the wall where they display a picture and something interesting about themselves. This motivates students because everyone wants to be on the wall to show they have done well. It is good to use for their self-esteem also. (Extrinsic Motivation)
The teacher also said that through conversation they are also motivated, such as telling them the procedures and expectations they are to follow. She said that you must be consistent with the students otherwise your class management will fall apart. (Intrinsic Motivation)
2nd visit: An hour
Today students came in the classroom quietly and did their daily routine where they do the idiom of the day while the teacher checks their reading log to see if it is signed. When they are done with the idiom they are to read silently. During this process one student got in trouble for talking so he had to change his color to yellow. The discipline chart is that of colors. Blue: Majestic Mustang is five points where the student goes above and beyond. If they reach blue then they are able to have lunch with the teacher. Green is worth four points where this is also a good place to be. Most students fall in this category. Yellow is make better choices and a warning. Orange is think about it worth one point and a time out for reflection. Red is zero points and a trip to the office. Reasons that colors change include talking in the hallway or class, being unprepared for class, disrupting the learning environment, not on task, being disrespectful, lying, and not taking responsibility for your choices. This behavior chart helps motivate students to behave properly and do what they are asked. It is also a visual for them to see how they are acting and what they are doing well and what they need to work on. As a class they also have a point system where they start out with five points each day and if they aren't meeting the expectations or procedures then they loose points. They can always gain points too if they are doing well as a class. Whichever class has the most at the end of the week gets a special treat. These are a few ways in which the teacher can monitor their behavior. These ways are using extrinsic motivation to make sure students are doing what they are supposed to.
Posters and quotes around the room are great way to promote motivation. Some quotes included, "Actions Speak louder than words," and "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed is the only thing that ever has." -Margret Mead. The posters were colorful and thought provoking. Some examples included "One thing you can't recycle is wasted time" and "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -Linos Pauling. These posters can create motivation in the students because it has quotes that allow them to think about it and inspire them to do well. I know in my classroom I will have a lot of quotes and posters because I think it will capture their attention and be very helpful for their motivation.
Today consisted of the teacher reading a book called Sadako. They were asked to listen carefully and think about what the main idea is. Throughout the time of reading the book she asks questions so that they can start generating ideas about what is being read. After she read a chapter they filled out their summary sheet where she used transition words such as but, so, and then. Students were so into it they convinced her to read another chapter. This shows that the students were interested in what she was reading and they were actively engaged in this activity. As a teacher you need to come up with different ideas so that students are interested and motivated to do what is asked. After they were done reading they did get in trouble for calling out to much so they lost one point from the five points. You could tell it bothered the students especially students who weren't doing anything. The point system shows that it is everyone's duty to behave and do what is expected. The students who weren't doing anything can promote this. To motivate students you have to keep them interested while monitoring their behavior and what is expected of them.
3rd visit: An hour
Today students were asked to get in comprehension stations quickly and quietly if they weren't done with it. The stations were different activities where the students would do something related to comprehension such as reading a story and picking out the main ideas or looking at the characters. In the stations they were able to work as a group and help each other. I found that students really liked working in groups because they were able to guide each other and discuss questions that they didn't know. Two boys I saw specifically were in a deep discussion about what the answer was to a specific question on personification. i found that when working in cooperative groups it is more fun and you get a better experience rather than working by your self. This also motivates students because they are able to talk and discuss the work that needs to be done together which makes it a more fun and entertaining experience. The students who were done were able to get on the computers to finish their benchmark assessments or work on enrichment worksheets and activities or read a book. The benchmark assessments are practice tests that they have to accomplish each week for practice for the the OAA in the Spring. I noticed a lot of students sighed when going over to the computers. It is something they have to do but they but they may not motivated to do it and not do their best on it. Tests can take the fun out of school but if you as the teacher tell them the importance then they may be motivated to do it.
I was able to ask questions some students regarding their motivation in school. The first student I talked to was a girl who was very shy and reserved. She didn't participate much but she did what she was asked. I asked what her favorite classes were and she said she liked all of them because they were interesting and you learn different things. When I asked her about the teachers and who she liked best she said all of them because she liked their personalities and find most of their lessons fun. Her favorite is when the teachers reads aloud to the class. This student seemed to be motivated because she was interested in her teachers and what was being taught. She also mentioned that she liked goal green Friday and the mystery person because it is fun and something different from the instruction. I asked her why school was important to her and she said that she wants to succeed and that learning is important for not just her but for everyone. I found this student to be very motivated because of what she thought school was all about. She was more intrinsically motivated which is where you want most of your students to be.
4th visit: An hour
Today they did their daily routine where they do the idiom and read while the teacher checks their planner and reading log for a signature. They then get started on the lesson which was about synonyms, antonyms, and homophones. I really liked that the teacher wrote down the standard/objective on the board which shows students what they will be doing that day. They reviewed what they learned the day before about synonyms and antonyms and they did an activity called round robin. In their groups they had to tell a synonym of a certain word they were given the day before, each one telling the word and synonym. These words were words that they use frequently such as happy, good, nice, etc. When they were done they had to put a thumbs up in the middle. This was a fun and engaging activity where students would feel motivated because they were able to talk to each other and give each other ideas. Again, it is important to keep your lessons fun and not just lecture the whole time. They then wrote down three of the synonyms of the word they were given on popsicle sticks where they will be hung up on the wall in holders. This allows students to show what they came up with and give others the opportunity to use them in their papers. This is another way the teacher motivated them because it allowed them to show their work where they feel like they are helping other classmates out. After these activities she then gave a lecture on what homophones were but she was also actively engaging the students by asking questions and giving examples. I really liked these activities because they were more intrinsically motivated by being active and talking among classmates.
I interviewed a another student who was a boy and I got different answers than the girl which I found interesting. I asked what his favorite classes were and he said math, gym, and homeroom before they leave to go home. I chuckled at his response because it is what I expected him to say just by observing him in the classroom. He was kind of the class clown and was well liked by most of his peers. I asked how is favorite teacher was and he said his math teacher. I assumed he would say that because he likes the subject math and usually when you like a class you like it as a whole such as the teacher and activities. He did say he liked school especially when he worked in groups and was able to talk to his friends. He said that getting good grades to make his parents happy and to get a good job. I found this boy to be motivated for the most part because he did actively participate and was engaged in what was being asked of him.
5th visit: An hour and a half
Today they did their warm-up and reviewed synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs. While reviewing she had them all say allowed the definitions of each and then had some give examples. She then did a game called quiz, quiz, trade where they each had a homophone and they had to get their partners homophone and spell it and visversa. When they were done with their partner they were to move to the center and find a different partner. Students loved this activity because it was a good way to quiz what they knew while also having a bit of fun. This is a great motivator because students are up and moving but also learning. After this activity was done they had to take a quiz independently to test what they knew about homophones. After they were done with the quiz thy were able to get in stations and work independently today. These stations consisted of grammar, focus skills, non-fiction, etc. It seemed that a lot of students would rather work together which in return motivates them to finish it. When they worked by themselves they see,ed to get side tracked and less motivated to do their work. The teacher gave them more than half the class to work in the stations and then she moved onto the next activity. She explained what they will be doing on their Thanksgiving break which was to create a turkey in disguise. She gave them a turkey template where they would create a turkey using different materials as a something different than a turkey. the object was to disguise the turkey because they would be eaten if they weren't. They were then told that they had to persuade the reader that they weren't a turkey. They were to be descriptive and creative. She showed examples which got the kids really excited to do this assignment. Their eyes lit up when they were asked to create a disguised turkey. As teachers you should not only make your lessons fun and exciting, but also your assignments because it motivates students to want to do it and to do it well.
D. Summarize and describe your experience in relation to the concepts in our textbook
Physical
Students in the fifth grade are going through changes, such as puberty, which in relation could affect their motivation. It is important that teachers know their students well to understand what they are going through physically, so that the teacher can help the student if need be. Students could also be developing health issues such as illnesses, obesity, etc. It is the teachers job to learn these and to be sure you are accommodating them such as them needing to go to the nurse or you needing food in the classroom for diabetics. If a student doesn't have their basic needs met then they will not be motivated to do any work. As a teacher it is important to be aware of everyone's needs. In my observation most students seemed to have their basic needs met. There was one girl I observed and noticed she was a lot bigger than most girls. She seemed to have developed a lot faster. She was tall and started to develop breasts. She seemed very quiet and didn't talk much to her peers. As a teacher it is important to recognize that and to approach her to make sure everything was okay and that it is okay to be developing faster than your other peers.
Page Numbers: 226-229, 283,284,
Cognitive
In middle school students seem to have a difficult time focusing on their work and getting it done. Children attend and pay more attention to what their goals are personally and adapt their attention to task requirements. They also become good at planning and making decisions. If they are willing to take the time to plan they are willing to stay on task and be organized. We want our students to have their attention be more adaptable so that they feel motivated to do the work. Memory was also an important concept in cognitive development. Middle school students learn how to do memory strategies, such as rehearsal and organization where they group related items together. Using these strategies require time and effort. During this time of their life they are learning more and more about concepts and strategies on how to do well in school. These strategies will be used in the real world when they get out of school. Students who don't do these things may need extra help in getting there. These may be the ones who aren't motivated to do their school work because they don't know how to be organized or they don't have the attention span to accomplish a task. As a teacher we have to teach strategies that are fun and engaging. In my observation I saw that the teacher tried to keep all of her students organized by labeling folders and keeping their papers in the right place. If students are organized they will do well in school because they will have all of their materials which will make them get better grades which in return increases their motivation. To make children pay attention the teacher would play music during assignments and warm up to keep them focused on what they were doing.
Numbers: 235, 246, 247, 250, 237
Emotional
Children in middle school are trying to find themselves and fit in with everyone. Erikson's theory, identity versus role confusion, is a great explanation of what these kids go through during middle school. Identity crisis is a period of time when children experiment with different alternatives such as deciding whether to play a certain sport or hobby before coming up with set goals and values. Children in middle school are starting to organize and refine their identity with self-esteem coming into play. For most children their self-esteem will rise but for some it will decline. As a teacher it is important to not yell at certain students all the time. It can lower their self esteem and effect their motivation to learn. In my observation I noticed the teacher would get frustrated at particular students and tell them to change their card. You could tell it affected them because they weren't participating and kept quiet. If you as a teacher keep yelling at the same kid they will eventually not want to do anything for you.
Page Numbers: 257, 314-316
Social
Teachers need to understand where their students fall socially. During this young age they are starting to form social groups, peer groups, cliques, ect. to try and fit in with the crowd. They are also trying to be sure they are finding the "right" friends, friends who are loyal and are like them. When a child gets in the wrong group it can be detrimental and affect their motivation. If they fall into the wrong crowd they are mostly likely going to be distracted by other things that aren't good. As a teacher you need to make sure everyone is being treated fairly by their peers and that they are staying focused more on school then their relationships with their friends. During this time it can be really hard for a student who doesn't fit in. The teacher needs to make a safe and caring environment in the classroom and also be cognoscente of social relationships. In my observation there was one child who had mild autism. He didn't seem to fit in with his peers because he was different than the others. They didn't talk to him much and didn't engage him conversations. He seemed to be in his own world and that's what the students assumed. He probably feels left out but goes along with his peers and their thoughts about him. He was very intelligent but had minor social issues which could effect his motivation.
Page Numbers: 264-270, 326
Revisiting Your Curiosities
W: What you want to know (curiosities) 1.In the United States, grades 4-9, how do I encourage students to be motivated, interested, and active in what is being taught?
In doing my observation at Kilgour Elementary, I have learned a lot about what motivates students, whether it be extrinsic or intrinsic. I found that extrinsic motivation (getting rewards) seems to be the most prevalent between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. As a teacher you want to motivate your students intrinsically where they are motivated by their inner self. Intrinsic motivators want to succeed in school to get the satisfaction of learning and to acquire the knowledge they need for their future without the use of rewards. When I was observing I saw that teachers mostly use extrinsic motivation by giving students candy, having them be in a special chair, or letting them dress crazy on Friday's. When I did my student interviews that's when I saw the intrinsic motivation. I feel that extrinsic motivation is more tangible while intrinsic motivation is harder to see or use. During the interviews I concluded that since these students are in fifth grade they are still interested in school and really like to learn new things. I feel like when you go into the higher grades you lose interest and don't seem to be motivated anymore. The fifth graders liked most of their teachers and liked the activities that they did as a class which in return motivated them to want to learn. As a teacher, I need to make sure that I am well liked by my students, make a safe environment where all students feel comfortable, and engage students in fun and interesting activities.
4. What new question emerge for you as a future teacher?
How do you as a teacher make students more intrinsically motivated rather than using rewards (extrinsic motivation)? I know that students need both when they are younger especially, but I would like some strategies on how to intrinsically motivate students.
Article 1
The Development and Correlates of Academic Interests from Childhood through Adolescence
Crouter, Ann and Dotterer, Aryn and McHale, Susan. The Development and Correlates of Academic Interests from Childhood through Adolescence. 2009. Journal of Educational Psychology. 101(2). 509-519.
Summary
The purpose of this research was to see academic interests from middle childhood through late adolescence and to look at junior high transitions, parents expectations, interests, and education that were related to changes in their academics. Participants were mothers, fathers, and two siblings from white, working, middle class families who were interviewed on nine occasions. Overall they found that interests declined throughout the years and it was more prevalent in boys to have less interests in academics. Mother's educational expectations were found to have positive effects on their interests and also when the father had an education himself it had positive effects. The children's declined interests reflected their grades in school and this shows they had little motivation to get good grades and be successful.
Response
In this research we see that academic interests decline as they get older because their interests change. They may be more focused on extracurricular activities such as sports or they have hobbies that are more interesting and thus putting more time into these rather than school. When their interests declines that's when the teacher needs to step in and make school more fun and interesting. We should incorporate what the students like into our lessons rather than going by the book. This would motivate students to want to do well and succeed in school. We as teachers also have to show the importance of school rather then assuming they know why they go to school. Another factor that keeps popping up is parental contribution. If the parents are involved they are more likely to succeed.
Article 2
Academic and Social Motivational Influences on Students' Academic Performance
Wentzel, Kathryn and Wigfield, Allan. Academic and Social Motivational Influences on Students' Academic Performance. 1998. Educational Psychology Review. Vol. 10. No. 2.
Summary In this article it tells us that students learning will be achieved when both social and academic motivational processes are taken into consideration, meaning their relationships with their peers and teachers are at their satisfaction. It talks about teachers educational practices and interpersonal relationships with the students is crucial for students to be motivated. The article also "review(s) work on crucial academic and social motivational constructs that relate to and predict students' persistence, choice of academic activities to pursue, and academic performance" (Wentzel, Wigfield 2). All of these concepts are important on their motivation. Theories related to academic motivation that this article looks at is competence-related beliefs which includes the children's ability to believe, what they expect for success, and self-efficacy. Another theory is the control beliefs which include the internal and external locus of control where internal control is when students control the outcome and external control is when the student relies on others or the environment to control the outcome. There is also the social motivation that comes into play which has been studied in the areas of physiological process that promote social behavior and social experiences that influence motivation.
Response I learned a lot from this article because it not only talked about the academic part, but also the social part of motivation. It is important for students to build a relationship with the teacher because it allows both of you to get to know each other and come up with ideas on how to teach to them and how they best learn, which in return can reflect their motivation to want to do well in school. It is also important for students to build relationships with their peer because without that, the student may feel left out and not welcomed. As a teacher you have to be sure to create a safe and caring environment because it can affect the students' motivation to want to learn. One thing that really stuck out was that students need to believe that they can do work on their own and that it is up to them to succeed. The teacher is just there to help guide them through the experience.
Article 3
Continuity of Academic Intrinsic Motivation From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study
Fleming, James and Gottfried Adele and Allen. Continuity of Academic Intrinsic Motivation From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Educational Psychology. 2001. Vol. 93. No. 1, 3-13.
Summary The purpose of this article is to investigate the continuity of intrinsic motivation in a longitudinal study from middle childhood to high school. The reason why they want to investigate intrinsic motivation and the continuity of it is because it really hasn't been done and it will give us a deeper understanding of academic intrinsic motivation, which can then help in the classroom. The article explains that intrinsic motivation "concerns the performance of activities for their own sake, in which pleasure is inherent in the activity itself" (Gottfried, Laptook 1). There have been many other definitions that research likes to use but this one was the general idea of them all. The study consisted of children who were 9 years old and older because the instrument they use is the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) would only suit 9 and up. The ages they used were 9, 10, 13, 16, and 17. They found out that it wasn't just the younger you are the more motivation you will have and as you get older you loose motivation, but it really depended on the subject area and socioeconomic status.
Response I really liked this study because we all assume that the younger the students the more they will be motivated because they still really like school and the teachers. In this study we see that it really just depends if they are interested in a subject area. As a teacher we have to be sure we are making the lesson fun and interesting so all students can actively participate and feel motivated to do so. Socioeconomic status was also a factor in intrinsic motivation. Depending on your environment at home would determine how motivated you were. If you were in a home where your parents encourage you and thought school was important then those children would be more motivated, but if you are in a family where the parents are home and they don't care about your schooling then they will feel less motivated. I feel bad for students who are disadvantaged from the beginning because of their home life that's why teachers are there to help them be motivated and show the importance of school.
Article 4
Interpersonal Relationships, Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement: Yields for Theory, Current Issues, and Educational Practice
Dowson, Martin and Martin, Andrew. Interpersonal Relationships, Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement: Yields for Theory, Current Issues, and Educational Practice. Review of Educational Research. Spring 2009. Vol. 79. No. 1. 327-365.
Summary
In this article it talks about the concept of interpersonal relationships. It gives us the definition of relationship which is the connection between people, especially emotionally. Relationships coincide with relational and relatedness processes. The article says, "through relationships, individuals receive instrumental help for tasks and challenges, emotional support in their daily lives, and companionship in shared activities" (Martin, Dowson). Social interactions also teach children about themselves and what is needed to have a healthy relationship. This article defines motivation as a set of beliefs and emotions that reflect behavior. Relationships affect motivation because if you are not in a stable relationship then your emotions will not be stable thus affecting your motivation. This article also goes into detail about many theories such as attribution theory, how much individuals attribute to their work, expectancy theory, self-efficacy, what one believes they can achieve, self-worth, and much more.
Response
I liked this article because it look closely at peer relationships and how it affects their motivation. I liked that they explained what relationships do for people. Relationships affect motivation because without any, individuals feel an emotional imbalance thus effecting how they do in school. Students need to acquire friends who like similar activities so that they can get a long and help each other grow. I am not saying that they have to like all the activities their friend likes because you want different likes and interests; it keeps things interesting and a unique friendship. The article also talked about teacher and parent relationships which is also crucial for student motivation. It is important to have a rapport with the teacher and to have a good relationship with your parents. Relationships are an important aspect for motivation in students.
1) First of all, I just wanted to say that I really like your topic/inquiry question. It is a very interesting topic to me and I think all teachers should focus of how to motivate their students to get them active in learning and get them to want to learn what is being taught in class. If you look on page 269 and 270 it talks about family issues such as only children, divorce, and having problems with siblings. It talks about what kids go through emotionally when they deal with different family issues. It is important to know about these family issues because it can lower a child's self-esteem which can lead to low motivation. I think in order to know how to encourage students to be motivated, it is important to know where that lack of motivation comes from.
2) Pg. 306 talks about school transitions whether this be from grade school to high school or from one school in high school to a new high school. It is important to make students feel comfortable and free to express their feelings to the teacher. This will make those students feel more relaxed and confident which will make them be more motivated to do well in school.
3) Pg. 261 and 262 talks about self esteem and self-regulation. "When emotional self-regulation has developed well, school-age children acquire a sense of emotional self-efficacy-a feeling of being in control of their emotional experience." High self-esteem yield highly motivated children because they feel purpose and a yearn to learn!
4) You may find this website helpful when coming to your conclusions: http://teach.com/motivating-students
Overall though, I love your project topic and I think this is very useful for teachers to know how to get their students motivated for school. I think if a teacher can get all of their student's motivated then that is a huge achievement! Great job on your project!
Name of Student: Paige Holmes
Table of Contents
W: What you want to know (curiosities)
In the United States, grades 4-9, how do I encourage students to be motivated, interested, and active in what is being taught?1. Physical
Everyone goes through puberty as a child some faster than others. Girls typically hit their growth spurt earlier than boys. Girls start noticing differences at age 10 where boys start noticing changes at age 12 and half. Puberty also brings improvement on gross motor skills and differ with girls and boys. Girls are slow and gradual while boys have a fast spurt in strength, speed, and endurance. Boys tend to be faster and stronger because of their self-esteem and peer interaction. Sports and exercise become important to most boys which influences their social and cognitive develop such as learning team work and solving problems. Primary and secondary characteristics include the reproductive organs and pubic hair and breast development. Girls start their period around 10 1/2-15 1/2. Their first period is called menarche. For boys their testes get bigger and the penis and pubic hair grow also. Boys start this process at around 14. Heredity also has a huge factor in pubertal changes along with poverty regions where girls periods start later, family environment is also a factor where if a child feels they are in a safe place they reproduce later than children who have a rough family life. Brain development is also an important characteristic in the physical development of a child. The brain starts to develop more and their cognitive skills increase such as attention, memory, planning, and self-regulation. Adolescents react more intensely to stressful situations due to the neurotransmitters during puberty. It is important for parents to teach and help them through this big change in their lives. Without their parents help they could feel lost and embarrassed. It is important for children to understand what is going on with them at this crucial time in their lives. Puberty can affect their motivation to want to learn because it if a student feels uncomfortable or "different" from their peers then they will more focus on that rather than the task at hand. If you want your students to be motivated they have to be in a safe and comfortable environment where they don't feel judged. Students can also be uncomfortable because of what physically happens such as a period or a erection that happens out of the blue. If they constantly worry that something is going to happen they will be unmotivated to do the work because their focus will be on what if something happens.2. Cognitive
Information processing was a big topic in the cognitive chapter. It examines separate aspects of thinking such as attention and memory which is the underlining act of cognition. In middle school attention becomes more selective, flexible, and accommodating. Children attend and pay more attention to what their goals are personally and adapt their attention to task requirements. They also become good at planning and making decisions which is good for motivation. If they are willing to take the time to plan they are willing to stay on task. We want our students to have their attention be more adaptable and broad so that they feel motivated to do the work. Memory is also important in the cognitive aspect. Middle school students learn how to do memory strategies, such as rehearsal and organization where they group related items together. Using these strategies require time and effort. One difficult strategy that we strive our students to succeed is elaboration where they create a relationship between two or more pieces of information that aren't in the same category. During this time of their life they are learning more and more about concepts and strategies on how to do well in school. These strategies will be used in the real world when they get out of school. Students who don't do these things may need extra help in getting there. These may be the ones who aren't motivated to do their school work because they don't know how to be organized or they don't have the attention span to accomplish a task. As a teacher we have to teach strategies and help those that need a little extra help.3. Emotional
Problems of development can cause students to be unmotivated which in return makes them do poorly. One problem is depression where an individual feels sad, frustrated, hopeless, ect. which causes lack of sleep and appetite. This in return can cause students to loose motivation in which their depression may worsen. It is important as teachers to watch for this in the classroom so that you can help them and give them the resources they need. Other emotional characteristics lie within friendships and family members. These two things are important for children to have while growing because it gives them stability and influences them on how they are going to behave and act. This also can affect their motivation in school because if they have friends and actively engage with one another it will most likely motivate them to want to learn. Family is also a huge part in motivation because if their family life is good they will most likely do well in school but if it is bad it will affect their motivation to learn.4. Social
Kohlberg's Theory is crucial for the social development of a child. He has three different levels, the pre-conventional, the conventional, and the post-conventional. The pre-conventional level is where children accept the rules of authority figures and realize their consequences based on their own decisions. At the conventional level the individual thinks that the social rules are important but not for reasons for themselves.They want to be a "good person" with the approval of their friends and family. At the post-conventional level individuals choosing to follow the law and rules because it reflects them and the people around them. These levels have to do with my inquiry question because this can affect how much they are motivated by maybe being stuck in one of these levels and not getting along with the people around them because of how they act. If students are still in a stage where they shouldn't be then they will act differently than their peers who are in the level they are supposed to be in. Most students in middle childhood should be in the post-conventional level.Observation Site Information
A. Site details:
B. Describe your setting
Kilgour Elementary is a Cincinnati Public School in Hyde Park that holds grades Kindergarten through sixth grade. Their mission statement "is to challenge each student to exceed the state academic standards and become responsible contributors in this progressive world." Their school has been rated as an Excellent with Distinction from 2007-2009. Their school's goals are to maintain and improve academic success, improve student attendance, to understand different cultures and maintain "racial balance," and to increase student, teacher, parent, and school involvement within the school and community. There are many qualities to the school that make it an excellent school. There is team teaching where teachers get together in each grade level and talk about what the year is going to be like with all subject areas. There are also intervention specialist that help students who struggle in school using cooperative groups and one on one instruction and also a gifted program for students who need to be challenged more intellectually. Overall, this school strives to make a safe and comfortable learning environment where all students have the opportunity to flourish.I am observing a 5th grade Language Arts classroom where there are 25 students and one teacher in the class. I will be looking for ways in which students are motivated, whether it is extrinsically and intrinsically. I will also see how often students participate and how active they are in what is being taught. I will be observing how the teacher interacts with students and how they react to her and whether that's a factor in their motivation. I will also be interviewing five students on what is important to them and how they are motivated or not motivated to learn. It is important to me to find out what motivates students to want to learn so that I can use this knowledge in my own classroom.
C. Describe what you did at the site (free-write/journal formatting)
1st visit: An hour and a halfThe first day I observed the students were being taught Latin. A guy comes in and teaches Latin in her classroom every 3rd Monday of the Month. As a teacher I am not sure I would like this because that whole Monday she isn't teaching, but the students love it learn a whole new language which is really important. As students were coming into the class, they were asked to walk in silently and get out their folder, notebook, pencil, and their name card. Most did this but some were behind in getting what they needed so it took up some class time. It made me wonder why for some students it was difficult to get what they needed and be ready to learn while others were ready to go. Was it because of lack of motivation, lack of interest, or are they just slow at getting materials they need to start class? I wasn't sure. When everyone was ready he started the lesson by reviewing what they went over last class which was counting to ten in Latin. Everyone was repeating what the numbers were aloud but some didn't get the pronunciation in which he reiterated how to pronounce it. An interesting question came from a student where he asked how do you say 0 in Latin. He explained that there is no 0. They see it as less rather than none. I was interested in this student and the question he asked because it was something no one really thought about. Was he motivated to learn more material than just what was being taught? Or was it just out of curiosity? The teacher explained this to the class in more depth of why this was which interested most children from what I could see by their body language and facial expressions.This helped all the students master the numbers in Latin before he moved onto the next concept which was action words in Latin. They went over some action words on the same day they learned the numbers 1-10 so they reviewed those and then moved onto other ones. The action words that day were walk, come, run,stop, go, up, and jump. The students learned these action words by actually doing them in the class. All of the students wanted a turn to do this activity. Students were motivated because they were able to do something out of the ordinary and get out of their seats. When it got too rowdy the teacher asked them to calm down. This shows motivation because students are wanting a turn to show what they know. Some students didn't know what to do because they didn't know the word very well so they had the help or their peers and the teacher. They weren't embarrassed and didn't give up. They were interested in what was being taught which I thought was great. The teacher was able to engage students to learn new words in Latin in a fun and exciting way which I feel like motivates students extrinsically and intrinsically. The last activity he did was read a story about Greeks and the gods and goddesses and what role they had in that culture. Students were also interested in being read to and most were fully engaged in what was being read to them. The teacher made sure everyone was listening by asking them questions and elaborating on information from the text. Students seemed to really enjoy this. I feel like students are interested and active when it isn't strictly lecture where they sit and listen to the teacher. We as teachers should incorporate fun activities for students because it motivates them to want to learn and to try hard. I know that there is going to be lecture some of the time, but you as the teacher can make it interesting and engage students. If students aren't interested in what you are teaching then they wont be motivated.
I also sat down with the teacher after class while the students were at lunch to talk about what kinds of things she does to motivate students. One thing she does is Motivational Monday Journal where the class mascot (a walrus) "says" a quote and they have to reflect on what what the motivational quote means. This is a great way to get the "wheels spinning" by thinking outside of the box and it teaches them valuable lessons.
Another thing is Go Green Fridays where students are able to dress up a certain way according to what the theme is if they have met there goal as how well they behaved and that they stayed on "green" the whole week. (The whole grade participates)
The Mystery Chair is also another form to motivate students where a person is randomly picked from the popsicle sticks and if they are good the whole day they get a piece of candy and the next day they get sit in a special chair. (Extrinsic Motivation) This is a great way to motivate all students to do what they are supposed to throughout the day because no one knows who she picked so they all try to be "good" students so that if they were picked they could get the incentives.
They also have student of the week if they behave and do the daily expectations. If they meet all the requirements of being a student who is engaged and behaving, they are then put up on the wall where they display a picture and something interesting about themselves. This motivates students because everyone wants to be on the wall to show they have done well. It is good to use for their self-esteem also. (Extrinsic Motivation)
The teacher also said that through conversation they are also motivated, such as telling them the procedures and expectations they are to follow. She said that you must be consistent with the students otherwise your class management will fall apart. (Intrinsic Motivation)
2nd visit: An hour
Today students came in the classroom quietly and did their daily routine where they do the idiom of the day while the teacher checks their reading log to see if it is signed. When they are done with the idiom they are to read silently. During this process one student got in trouble for talking so he had to change his color to yellow. The discipline chart is that of colors. Blue: Majestic Mustang is five points where the student goes above and beyond. If they reach blue then they are able to have lunch with the teacher. Green is worth four points where this is also a good place to be. Most students fall in this category. Yellow is make better choices and a warning. Orange is think about it worth one point and a time out for reflection. Red is zero points and a trip to the office. Reasons that colors change include talking in the hallway or class, being unprepared for class, disrupting the learning environment, not on task, being disrespectful, lying, and not taking responsibility for your choices. This behavior chart helps motivate students to behave properly and do what they are asked. It is also a visual for them to see how they are acting and what they are doing well and what they need to work on. As a class they also have a point system where they start out with five points each day and if they aren't meeting the expectations or procedures then they loose points. They can always gain points too if they are doing well as a class. Whichever class has the most at the end of the week gets a special treat. These are a few ways in which the teacher can monitor their behavior. These ways are using extrinsic motivation to make sure students are doing what they are supposed to.
Posters and quotes around the room are great way to promote motivation. Some quotes included, "Actions Speak louder than words," and "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed is the only thing that ever has." -Margret Mead. The posters were colorful and thought provoking. Some examples included "One thing you can't recycle is wasted time" and "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." -Linos Pauling. These posters can create motivation in the students because it has quotes that allow them to think about it and inspire them to do well. I know in my classroom I will have a lot of quotes and posters because I think it will capture their attention and be very helpful for their motivation.
Today consisted of the teacher reading a book called Sadako. They were asked to listen carefully and think about what the main idea is. Throughout the time of reading the book she asks questions so that they can start generating ideas about what is being read. After she read a chapter they filled out their summary sheet where she used transition words such as but, so, and then. Students were so into it they convinced her to read another chapter. This shows that the students were interested in what she was reading and they were actively engaged in this activity. As a teacher you need to come up with different ideas so that students are interested and motivated to do what is asked. After they were done reading they did get in trouble for calling out to much so they lost one point from the five points. You could tell it bothered the students especially students who weren't doing anything. The point system shows that it is everyone's duty to behave and do what is expected. The students who weren't doing anything can promote this. To motivate students you have to keep them interested while monitoring their behavior and what is expected of them.
3rd visit: An hour
Today students were asked to get in comprehension stations quickly and quietly if they weren't done with it. The stations were different activities where the students would do something related to comprehension such as reading a story and picking out the main ideas or looking at the characters. In the stations they were able to work as a group and help each other. I found that students really liked working in groups because they were able to guide each other and discuss questions that they didn't know. Two boys I saw specifically were in a deep discussion about what the answer was to a specific question on personification. i found that when working in cooperative groups it is more fun and you get a better experience rather than working by your self. This also motivates students because they are able to talk and discuss the work that needs to be done together which makes it a more fun and entertaining experience. The students who were done were able to get on the computers to finish their benchmark assessments or work on enrichment worksheets and activities or read a book. The benchmark assessments are practice tests that they have to accomplish each week for practice for the the OAA in the Spring. I noticed a lot of students sighed when going over to the computers. It is something they have to do but they but they may not motivated to do it and not do their best on it. Tests can take the fun out of school but if you as the teacher tell them the importance then they may be motivated to do it.
I was able to ask questions some students regarding their motivation in school. The first student I talked to was a girl who was very shy and reserved. She didn't participate much but she did what she was asked. I asked what her favorite classes were and she said she liked all of them because they were interesting and you learn different things. When I asked her about the teachers and who she liked best she said all of them because she liked their personalities and find most of their lessons fun. Her favorite is when the teachers reads aloud to the class. This student seemed to be motivated because she was interested in her teachers and what was being taught. She also mentioned that she liked goal green Friday and the mystery person because it is fun and something different from the instruction. I asked her why school was important to her and she said that she wants to succeed and that learning is important for not just her but for everyone. I found this student to be very motivated because of what she thought school was all about. She was more intrinsically motivated which is where you want most of your students to be.
4th visit: An hour
Today they did their daily routine where they do the idiom and read while the teacher checks their planner and reading log for a signature. They then get started on the lesson which was about synonyms, antonyms, and homophones. I really liked that the teacher wrote down the standard/objective on the board which shows students what they will be doing that day. They reviewed what they learned the day before about synonyms and antonyms and they did an activity called round robin. In their groups they had to tell a synonym of a certain word they were given the day before, each one telling the word and synonym. These words were words that they use frequently such as happy, good, nice, etc. When they were done they had to put a thumbs up in the middle. This was a fun and engaging activity where students would feel motivated because they were able to talk to each other and give each other ideas. Again, it is important to keep your lessons fun and not just lecture the whole time. They then wrote down three of the synonyms of the word they were given on popsicle sticks where they will be hung up on the wall in holders. This allows students to show what they came up with and give others the opportunity to use them in their papers. This is another way the teacher motivated them because it allowed them to show their work where they feel like they are helping other classmates out. After these activities she then gave a lecture on what homophones were but she was also actively engaging the students by asking questions and giving examples. I really liked these activities because they were more intrinsically motivated by being active and talking among classmates.
I interviewed a another student who was a boy and I got different answers than the girl which I found interesting. I asked what his favorite classes were and he said math, gym, and homeroom before they leave to go home. I chuckled at his response because it is what I expected him to say just by observing him in the classroom. He was kind of the class clown and was well liked by most of his peers. I asked how is favorite teacher was and he said his math teacher. I assumed he would say that because he likes the subject math and usually when you like a class you like it as a whole such as the teacher and activities. He did say he liked school especially when he worked in groups and was able to talk to his friends. He said that getting good grades to make his parents happy and to get a good job. I found this boy to be motivated for the most part because he did actively participate and was engaged in what was being asked of him.
5th visit: An hour and a half
Today they did their warm-up and reviewed synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs. While reviewing she had them all say allowed the definitions of each and then had some give examples. She then did a game called quiz, quiz, trade where they each had a homophone and they had to get their partners homophone and spell it and visversa. When they were done with their partner they were to move to the center and find a different partner. Students loved this activity because it was a good way to quiz what they knew while also having a bit of fun. This is a great motivator because students are up and moving but also learning. After this activity was done they had to take a quiz independently to test what they knew about homophones. After they were done with the quiz thy were able to get in stations and work independently today. These stations consisted of grammar, focus skills, non-fiction, etc. It seemed that a lot of students would rather work together which in return motivates them to finish it. When they worked by themselves they see,ed to get side tracked and less motivated to do their work. The teacher gave them more than half the class to work in the stations and then she moved onto the next activity. She explained what they will be doing on their Thanksgiving break which was to create a turkey in disguise. She gave them a turkey template where they would create a turkey using different materials as a something different than a turkey. the object was to disguise the turkey because they would be eaten if they weren't. They were then told that they had to persuade the reader that they weren't a turkey. They were to be descriptive and creative. She showed examples which got the kids really excited to do this assignment. Their eyes lit up when they were asked to create a disguised turkey. As teachers you should not only make your lessons fun and exciting, but also your assignments because it motivates students to want to do it and to do it well.
D. Summarize and describe your experience in relation to the concepts in our textbook
Physical
Students in the fifth grade are going through changes, such as puberty, which in relation could affect their motivation. It is important that teachers know their students well to understand what they are going through physically, so that the teacher can help the student if need be. Students could also be developing health issues such as illnesses, obesity, etc. It is the teachers job to learn these and to be sure you are accommodating them such as them needing to go to the nurse or you needing food in the classroom for diabetics. If a student doesn't have their basic needs met then they will not be motivated to do any work. As a teacher it is important to be aware of everyone's needs. In my observation most students seemed to have their basic needs met. There was one girl I observed and noticed she was a lot bigger than most girls. She seemed to have developed a lot faster. She was tall and started to develop breasts. She seemed very quiet and didn't talk much to her peers. As a teacher it is important to recognize that and to approach her to make sure everything was okay and that it is okay to be developing faster than your other peers.
Page Numbers: 226-229, 283,284,
Cognitive
In middle school students seem to have a difficult time focusing on their work and getting it done. Children attend and pay more attention to what their goals are personally and adapt their attention to task requirements. They also become good at planning and making decisions. If they are willing to take the time to plan they are willing to stay on task and be organized. We want our students to have their attention be more adaptable so that they feel motivated to do the work. Memory was also an important concept in cognitive development. Middle school students learn how to do memory strategies, such as rehearsal and organization where they group related items together. Using these strategies require time and effort. During this time of their life they are learning more and more about concepts and strategies on how to do well in school. These strategies will be used in the real world when they get out of school. Students who don't do these things may need extra help in getting there. These may be the ones who aren't motivated to do their school work because they don't know how to be organized or they don't have the attention span to accomplish a task. As a teacher we have to teach strategies that are fun and engaging. In my observation I saw that the teacher tried to keep all of her students organized by labeling folders and keeping their papers in the right place. If students are organized they will do well in school because they will have all of their materials which will make them get better grades which in return increases their motivation. To make children pay attention the teacher would play music during assignments and warm up to keep them focused on what they were doing.Numbers: 235, 246, 247, 250, 237
Emotional
Children in middle school are trying to find themselves and fit in with everyone. Erikson's theory, identity versus role confusion, is a great explanation of what these kids go through during middle school. Identity crisis is a period of time when children experiment with different alternatives such as deciding whether to play a certain sport or hobby before coming up with set goals and values. Children in middle school are starting to organize and refine their identity with self-esteem coming into play. For most children their self-esteem will rise but for some it will decline. As a teacher it is important to not yell at certain students all the time. It can lower their self esteem and effect their motivation to learn. In my observation I noticed the teacher would get frustrated at particular students and tell them to change their card. You could tell it affected them because they weren't participating and kept quiet. If you as a teacher keep yelling at the same kid they will eventually not want to do anything for you.Page Numbers: 257, 314-316
Social
Teachers need to understand where their students fall socially. During this young age they are starting to form social groups, peer groups, cliques, ect. to try and fit in with the crowd. They are also trying to be sure they are finding the "right" friends, friends who are loyal and are like them. When a child gets in the wrong group it can be detrimental and affect their motivation. If they fall into the wrong crowd they are mostly likely going to be distracted by other things that aren't good. As a teacher you need to make sure everyone is being treated fairly by their peers and that they are staying focused more on school then their relationships with their friends. During this time it can be really hard for a student who doesn't fit in. The teacher needs to make a safe and caring environment in the classroom and also be cognoscente of social relationships. In my observation there was one child who had mild autism. He didn't seem to fit in with his peers because he was different than the others. They didn't talk to him much and didn't engage him conversations. He seemed to be in his own world and that's what the students assumed. He probably feels left out but goes along with his peers and their thoughts about him. He was very intelligent but had minor social issues which could effect his motivation.Page Numbers: 264-270, 326
Revisiting Your Curiosities
W: What you want to know (curiosities)1. In the United States, grades 4-9, how do I encourage students to be motivated, interested, and active in what is being taught?
In doing my observation at Kilgour Elementary, I have learned a lot about what motivates students, whether it be extrinsic or intrinsic. I found that extrinsic motivation (getting rewards) seems to be the most prevalent between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. As a teacher you want to motivate your students intrinsically where they are motivated by their inner self. Intrinsic motivators want to succeed in school to get the satisfaction of learning and to acquire the knowledge they need for their future without the use of rewards. When I was observing I saw that teachers mostly use extrinsic motivation by giving students candy, having them be in a special chair, or letting them dress crazy on Friday's. When I did my student interviews that's when I saw the intrinsic motivation. I feel that extrinsic motivation is more tangible while intrinsic motivation is harder to see or use. During the interviews I concluded that since these students are in fifth grade they are still interested in school and really like to learn new things. I feel like when you go into the higher grades you lose interest and don't seem to be motivated anymore. The fifth graders liked most of their teachers and liked the activities that they did as a class which in return motivated them to want to learn. As a teacher, I need to make sure that I am well liked by my students, make a safe environment where all students feel comfortable, and engage students in fun and interesting activities.
4. What new question emerge for you as a future teacher?
How do you as a teacher make students more intrinsically motivated rather than using rewards (extrinsic motivation)? I know that students need both when they are younger especially, but I would like some strategies on how to intrinsically motivate students.
Article 1
The Development and Correlates of Academic Interests from Childhood through Adolescencehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3253708/
Crouter, Ann and Dotterer, Aryn and McHale, Susan. The Development and Correlates of Academic Interests from Childhood through Adolescence. 2009. Journal of Educational Psychology. 101(2). 509-519.
Summary
The purpose of this research was to see academic interests from middle childhood through late adolescence and to look at junior high transitions, parents expectations, interests, and education that were related to changes in their academics. Participants were mothers, fathers, and two siblings from white, working, middle class families who were interviewed on nine occasions. Overall they found that interests declined throughout the years and it was more prevalent in boys to have less interests in academics. Mother's educational expectations were found to have positive effects on their interests and also when the father had an education himself it had positive effects. The children's declined interests reflected their grades in school and this shows they had little motivation to get good grades and be successful.
Response
In this research we see that academic interests decline as they get older because their interests change. They may be more focused on extracurricular activities such as sports or they have hobbies that are more interesting and thus putting more time into these rather than school. When their interests declines that's when the teacher needs to step in and make school more fun and interesting. We should incorporate what the students like into our lessons rather than going by the book. This would motivate students to want to do well and succeed in school. We as teachers also have to show the importance of school rather then assuming they know why they go to school. Another factor that keeps popping up is parental contribution. If the parents are involved they are more likely to succeed.
Article 2
Academic and Social Motivational Influences on Students' Academic Performancehttp://www.ou.edu/cls/online/lstd3673/pdf/socialgoals.pdf
Wentzel, Kathryn and Wigfield, Allan. Academic and Social Motivational Influences on Students' Academic Performance. 1998. Educational Psychology Review. Vol. 10. No. 2.
Summary
In this article it tells us that students learning will be achieved when both social and academic motivational processes are taken into consideration, meaning their relationships with their peers and teachers are at their satisfaction. It talks about teachers educational practices and interpersonal relationships with the students is crucial for students to be motivated. The article also "review(s) work on crucial academic and social motivational constructs that relate to and predict students' persistence, choice of academic activities to pursue, and academic performance" (Wentzel, Wigfield 2). All of these concepts are important on their motivation. Theories related to academic motivation that this article looks at is competence-related beliefs which includes the children's ability to believe, what they expect for success, and self-efficacy. Another theory is the control beliefs which include the internal and external locus of control where internal control is when students control the outcome and external control is when the student relies on others or the environment to control the outcome. There is also the social motivation that comes into play which has been studied in the areas of physiological process that promote social behavior and social experiences that influence motivation.
Response
I learned a lot from this article because it not only talked about the academic part, but also the social part of motivation. It is important for students to build a relationship with the teacher because it allows both of you to get to know each other and come up with ideas on how to teach to them and how they best learn, which in return can reflect their motivation to want to do well in school. It is also important for students to build relationships with their peer because without that, the student may feel left out and not welcomed. As a teacher you have to be sure to create a safe and caring environment because it can affect the students' motivation to want to learn. One thing that really stuck out was that students need to believe that they can do work on their own and that it is up to them to succeed. The teacher is just there to help guide them through the experience.
Article 3
Continuity of Academic Intrinsic Motivation From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Studyhttp://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/ewaters/552-04/slide%20sets/becca_laptook/gottfried_achiev_motiv.pdf
Fleming, James and Gottfried Adele and Allen. Continuity of Academic Intrinsic Motivation From Childhood Through Late Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Educational Psychology. 2001. Vol. 93. No. 1, 3-13.
Summary
The purpose of this article is to investigate the continuity of intrinsic motivation in a longitudinal study from middle childhood to high school. The reason why they want to investigate intrinsic motivation and the continuity of it is because it really hasn't been done and it will give us a deeper understanding of academic intrinsic motivation, which can then help in the classroom. The article explains that intrinsic motivation "concerns the performance of activities for their own sake, in which pleasure is inherent in the activity itself" (Gottfried, Laptook 1). There have been many other definitions that research likes to use but this one was the general idea of them all. The study consisted of children who were 9 years old and older because the instrument they use is the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (CAIMI) would only suit 9 and up. The ages they used were 9, 10, 13, 16, and 17. They found out that it wasn't just the younger you are the more motivation you will have and as you get older you loose motivation, but it really depended on the subject area and socioeconomic status.
Response
I really liked this study because we all assume that the younger the students the more they will be motivated because they still really like school and the teachers. In this study we see that it really just depends if they are interested in a subject area. As a teacher we have to be sure we are making the lesson fun and interesting so all students can actively participate and feel motivated to do so. Socioeconomic status was also a factor in intrinsic motivation. Depending on your environment at home would determine how motivated you were. If you were in a home where your parents encourage you and thought school was important then those children would be more motivated, but if you are in a family where the parents are home and they don't care about your schooling then they will feel less motivated. I feel bad for students who are disadvantaged from the beginning because of their home life that's why teachers are there to help them be motivated and show the importance of school.
Article 4
Interpersonal Relationships, Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement: Yields for Theory, Current Issues, and Educational Practicehttp://edci6300introresearch.pbworks.com/f/Martin+and+dowson+2009+interpersonal+relationships.pdf
Dowson, Martin and Martin, Andrew. Interpersonal Relationships, Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement: Yields for Theory, Current Issues, and Educational Practice. Review of Educational Research. Spring 2009. Vol. 79. No. 1. 327-365.
Summary
In this article it talks about the concept of interpersonal relationships. It gives us the definition of relationship which is the connection between people, especially emotionally. Relationships coincide with relational and relatedness processes. The article says, "through relationships, individuals receive instrumental help for tasks and challenges, emotional support in their daily lives, and companionship in shared activities" (Martin, Dowson). Social interactions also teach children about themselves and what is needed to have a healthy relationship. This article defines motivation as a set of beliefs and emotions that reflect behavior. Relationships affect motivation because if you are not in a stable relationship then your emotions will not be stable thus affecting your motivation. This article also goes into detail about many theories such as attribution theory, how much individuals attribute to their work, expectancy theory, self-efficacy, what one believes they can achieve, self-worth, and much more.
Response
I liked this article because it look closely at peer relationships and how it affects their motivation. I liked that they explained what relationships do for people. Relationships affect motivation because without any, individuals feel an emotional imbalance thus effecting how they do in school. Students need to acquire friends who like similar activities so that they can get a long and help each other grow. I am not saying that they have to like all the activities their friend likes because you want different likes and interests; it keeps things interesting and a unique friendship. The article also talked about teacher and parent relationships which is also crucial for student motivation. It is important to have a rapport with the teacher and to have a good relationship with your parents. Relationships are an important aspect for motivation in students.
Inquiry Poster
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Child Development Poster.pptx
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Peer Review: by Susan Gillespie
1) First of all, I just wanted to say that I really like your topic/inquiry question. It is a very interesting topic to me and I think all teachers should focus of how to motivate their students to get them active in learning and get them to want to learn what is being taught in class. If you look on page 269 and 270 it talks about family issues such as only children, divorce, and having problems with siblings. It talks about what kids go through emotionally when they deal with different family issues. It is important to know about these family issues because it can lower a child's self-esteem which can lead to low motivation. I think in order to know how to encourage students to be motivated, it is important to know where that lack of motivation comes from.2) Pg. 306 talks about school transitions whether this be from grade school to high school or from one school in high school to a new high school. It is important to make students feel comfortable and free to express their feelings to the teacher. This will make those students feel more relaxed and confident which will make them be more motivated to do well in school.
3) Pg. 261 and 262 talks about self esteem and self-regulation. "When emotional self-regulation has developed well, school-age children acquire a sense of emotional self-efficacy-a feeling of being in control of their emotional experience." High self-esteem yield highly motivated children because they feel purpose and a yearn to learn!
4) You may find this website helpful when coming to your conclusions: http://teach.com/motivating-students
Overall though, I love your project topic and I think this is very useful for teachers to know how to get their students motivated for school. I think if a teacher can get all of their student's motivated then that is a huge achievement! Great job on your project!
Susan Gillespie