Patricia Klein
3001 Jordan Grove
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Classroom Motivation: Engaging Students in Learning
Distance Learning Course ED 506
CSU-Pueblo
April-May, 2011
1. Imagine you have just completed a school year, quarter, or semester with your students.
What have your students accomplished, how have they changed, and what have they learned
from you?
As I approach the end of this school year, I am reflecting back on how I have affected
my students, and effected changes in them. I am a guidance counselor at a K-6 elementary
school; I do not have a classroom of my own, but rather, six hundred and fifty students who
rely on my support and counsel, as well as a large staff of teachers who look to me for
direction and assistance. My hope is that I have contributed toward instilling a joy of
learning in my students, and assisted teachers in helping their students feel successful at
school.
As a counselor, I am concerned with my student’s academic, personal, and social
development. Over the past year, my wish is to have built a personal connection with those
students in need. I also wish to have given unconditional acceptance of each individual, and
built a level of trust with them. I am fortunate that with each successive year, I can maintain
and build on the relationships I form with students. My wish, also, is for my students to
learn from me and instill in themselves the concepts I have taught and modeled.
For any classroom teacher, having a class of students is a pleasure as well as a
responsibility. Each teacher must have a vision for their class, and my vision is that a class
should start to feel like a family as they work toward shared goals. In forming a bond with
each student, a classroom teacher must find ways to reach out to each child. It is also vital
to form partnerships with parents and to reach out to families. Students who realize that
parents and teachers are working hand-in-hand will feel more secure and supported,
knowing that the adults around them are helping them to learn and grow.
Every student in my classroom should know that following the “golden rule” and
being respectful of others is imperative; respectful behavior contributes to harmony in the
classroom. Students should also know that hard work will lead to success, and success is
achieved one step at a time. Hard work should be rewarded by a child’s teacher, through
encouragement, kind words, and acceptance.
One student of mine who stands out in my mind is a fifth grade boy named James.
James came to us at the start of this year as a new student; he had experienced failure at his
previous school, and also suffered from anxiety and ADHD symptoms. His parents were
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divorced, and, unfortunately, were not at all consistent in their parenting styles. James had
many characteristics of an underachiever; he was not performing in many areas at a fifth
grade level, even though his aptitude was very high.
As we come to the end of James’ first year at Westridge, his teacher and I have
determined that we have many things to celebrate with James. His anxiety, through
collaboration with parents and James’ physician, is under control. We have met several
times with both parents, brainstormed for ideas to help James, and asked them to try to
maintain similar, consistent rules for James with regard to his work completion and
homework. We have formulated a 504 plan addressing such factors as planner checks by
his teachers and parents, and ensuring that materials go home when necessary. James’
parents needed to be advised that encouraging James to independently complete his work
was beneficial and our ultimate goal. Although he still requires some support, he has
become an independent learner and has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in his
abilities.
2. How diverse is your classroom in regard to ethnicity, gender, culture, and ability level?
What do you currently do to recognize this diversity and does the diversity in your classroom
instruction match the diversity of the students you teach?
West Des Moines, Iowa has a much less diverse ethnic population compared with
many other areas of the country. Our school demographics show a great majority of white,
middle class households. We have almost equal gender populations, and high ability levels.
Statistically, we have less than 10% free and reduced lunch students. For the past two
years, however, our student’s ITBS scores have exceeded all other district scores, even
though we have higher levels of free and reduced lunches and more ethnic diversity than
other schools. The academic expectations and rigor at Westridge are very high; therefore,
when we have a student with poor work habits, poor motivation and low scores, they do
stand out.
As a staff, we recognize that over the past ten years our demographics have
changed, and that we need to address these changes. While previously we had very few
families living in poverty, we now have over 9% free and reduced families – an increase,
since ten years ago those rates were closer to 3%. We have purchased curriculum materials
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which reflect national demographic statistics and address all ethnicities in stories and
pictures. This helps instill a sense of belonging in students with diverse backgrounds. The
West Des Moines Community School District offers two courses in “Understanding
Poverty”. These are designed to demonstrate and teach the differences between children
who are brought up in an environment of poverty, compared to children from middle or
upper middle class families, and give specific areas where we might have to address issues:
past experiences, family values, educational backgrounds and contact with educators. Most
importantly, we have recognized the importance of developing a relationship with
students, as well as their families. I am part of a newly-formed committee at Westridge that
specifically targets families, and encourages parents to participate in their children’s
educational process.
Our first task in this committee involved making changes that would make our
school “welcoming” to all families, regardless of background or ethnicity. We are in the
process of redecorating our lobby to help direct families to the office, and building
attractive cabinetry to showcase student achievements and accomplishments. We are
changing the signs outside to better instruct families in finding their way to the office. Most
importantly, we are identifying procedures that will help both new and returning families
to feel a sense of welcome and belonging to our school. At present, I am working on a
check-list that we will implement next year for new families. All classroom teachers will be
expected to complete the following New Student Orientation form:
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NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
 Teacher makes a phone call home to parents welcoming them and asking questions
they would at the I-I Conference.
 Set up a partnership between new student and an ambassador. The student
ambassador will help the student meet others, learn about classroom procedures
and school routines.
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 Teacher will assess student’s reading, writing, and math skills within the first week
of their arrival. (Teacher may use support teachers to assist – i.e. reading teachers).
 Add student name to rosters, lockers, etc.
 Send home packet of class information – same packet you send home with parents
during I-I conferences, Meet the Teacher Night.
 Introduce new student to the following adults in the building:
o Principal (Mrs. Stites)
o Assistant Principal (Mrs. Green)
o Counselor (Mrs. Klein)
o Nurse (Mrs. Kreamer)
o Office Personnel (Mrs. Knudtson and Mrs. Barthel)
o Media Specialist (Mr. Brink)
o Media Assistant (Mrs. Haffar)
o PE Teacher (Mr. Chapman)
o Music Teacher (Mrs. Kimpston or Mrs. Hartsock)
o Art Teacher (Mrs. Leventhal)
o Spanish Teacher (Senora Tillapaugh)
o Custodian (Mr. Sloan)
 Provide an opportunity for the student to tour the building –
Kindergarten rooms, 1st/2nd Grade Pods, 3rd/4th Grade Pods, 5th/6th Grade Pods,
Bathroom Locations, Office, Nurse’s Office, Lunch Room, Teacher’s Lounge,
Orchestra Room, Computer Lab, Gym, Music Rooms, Special Education Rooms, and
Playground.
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At the start of every school year, I welcome new families and students at a “New
Family Orientation” evening at school, and send home information pertinent to my
guidance program. I also have a welcome wall of new students to our school; when each
new student arrives, I take a picture of them and place it on the welcome wall. This colorful
collage is located near our front door, and has a “Welcome to Westridge” sign displayed.
Diversity is something that exists, but at times it is invisible, but for the culture and
ideologies within each family. Recognizing the uniqueness of each student, and celebrating
it in the classroom and school is an important part of welcoming each student and family
into our school. Feeling that they are truly a part of our school will help our students form
an identity as a Westridge student. Celebrating “family” in the classroom helps students to
feel a part of their “classroom family”. Many teachers have Student of the Week or Star
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Student programs within their class, in which students can share their family history with
class mates, and celebrate their uniqueness.
Creating a climate of acceptance is important to me. I refer to accepting others as
being the “Westridge Way”. I want all of our students to know that everyone is important
at our school, and we are all equal. I verbalize this during guidance classes as often as I can.
Something that defines our school is that we have a Special Education population of “severe
and profound” students. As much as possible, we make an effort to integrate these students
into the general population; their presence not only enriches our student’s experience at
school, but helps them understand that within every person is someone, just like them, who
wants to be accepted and have friends. As teachers and parents, we are very often touched
when we see the wonderful, accepting and friendly manner in which our students treat
these students. I also teach a wonderful guidance unit to second graders on “Disabilities
and Diversity”, during which we discuss differences that exist for many of us, whether it
involves a physical difference or a difference in learning abilities. I have found that this is a
perfect age to bring up differences with children; at this age they are so very accepting of
others, and can understand why we should never “judge a book by its cover”.
3. Analyze the engagement in your classroom. How often are students discussing learning
with each other? How often is physical activity involved in the learning? How often are
students focused on learning outcomes? Discuss your findings.
Student learning happens when learning is fun. One of my favorite teachers at
Westridge has a fun and engaging personality, and not only does she have a fabulous knack
at making personal connections with each of her students, she makes sure that everyone is
having fun each day. Yes, there are definitely times for serious learning, but she always
ensures that there are exciting things going on in her classroom. Her students love this
stimulating and spirited environment, and are thus engaged.
However, student engagement will not always occur on its own. It needs to be
encouraged and planned out on purpose. Barbara Blackburn, in her book Classroom
Motivation, discusses “Backward Design”. Backward design involves managing a classroom
so that engagement will ensue. My favorite teacher carefully plans out times when
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engagement should occur. She will, for example, formulate small discussion groups
according to needs and ability; she will identify personality types that blend well and can
work well together. She specifically discusses their goals and desired results, and sets up
her students so that they will succeed in learning together. Classroom rules, explicitly
taught and discussed at the start of the year, will always be followed. As Blackburn wrote,
it’s about focusing on the product and then the process. I liked how Blackburn explained it
as “All I ever needed to know about student engagement I learned watching a Kindergarten
teacher”, making learning fun, building routines, keeping students involved, maintaining
interest by making connections, and working together. Every teacher needs to find their
own method of enhancing student engagement, and to map out their “Backward Design”.
Developmental factors play into how a teacher may use movement to increase
student engagement. Movement is a factor more important in lower grades; kindergartners
require more frequent transitions in order to maintain focus on the subject at hand than
students in sixth grade; however, movement is important for all age groups, adults
included! Traveling within a class, and forming groups, inside and perhaps even outside of
the classroom, can be an effective classroom management method. When students are
aware of their purpose, and understand the rules, learning will occur.
Learning will also more easily occur when it has meaning for each student. A good
example of meaningful learning is the Junior Achievement’s Biz Town program, which our
sixth graders enjoy each year. This program combines in-class learning with a visit to an
interactive simulated town. The activities the students participate in are hands-on and can
be related to the real world. Biz Town is fun and exciting, and such learning is memorable
as well as retained.
4. The author talks about setting goals and high expectations for students. Have there been
opportunities when you could have integrated goal-setting activities with your content area
instruction? Please give examples and describe them.
I teach goal-setting to sixth graders as part of my guidance curriculum. I use the
SMART goal model to teach my sixth graders how to create and reach a goal. I tell my
students: If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know when you get there. That
idea holds true for goal setting. If you randomly aim for things without a plan, it’s a good bet
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you won’t reach the goal you desire. Coach yourself to success by creating SMART goals. You’ll
be pleased at how do-able your goals will seem when you have a road map in front of you.
Each student selects a short-term goal for themselves that they can work on over a
four or five week period of time. The goal can be an academic or a personal goal, and
students choose a variety of goals related to specific subjects, or those related to activities
or expectations in sports or at home. Over several weeks, we discuss how their steps are
progressing, identify obstacles to their success, debate what revisions they might need to
make for their SMART goal plan, and examine the people they have asked for advice or
“coaching” in order to help them reach their goal. I feel that this is a significant lesson for
my students, and through the examination of their own SMART goal and by listening to
others’ stories, they learn how future goal-setting and attainment can be strategized.
I believe that motivation has a strong link with confidence. I work with my
Kindergarten students on a goal-setting and achieving project that is designed to give them
confidence in their ability to learn. During my “Ready to Learn” unit, I introduce a butterfly
named Fuzzy who cannot learn how to build a cocoon. He has not learned the steps to being
a good learner. Along with Fuzzy, the students learn the steps to being a good learner; they
must demonstrate their skills to me to show me that they are prepared to learn, and ready
to go on to first grade. By the fifth week of “Ready to Learn”, every student is happy to show
me that they can sit quietly, listen well, ask good questions, and persevere! Although I have
not explained that this is a “SMART” goal, it truly is; not only are the students proud that
they can demonstrate these skills, they are reaching my high expectation for them. I do
hope that by doing so, I am helping to create confident students who are proud of their
achievements.
I run a “Conflict Manager” program for fourth and fifth grade students. These
Conflict Managers are chosen according to their personal and academic merits; they must
also submit an application to me for the position of Conflict Manager, and agree to act in
accordance of the Conflict Manager agreement. The expectations for my Conflict Managers
are set high: they must attend all training meetings, remember their duty, make up any
missed classwork, and work with their fellow students in resolving conflicts that occur. The
role of a Conflict Manager is a goal-driven one; they are aware even as they apply for the
position that there are high expectations for them. Very seldom do those students fall short.
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Each year, as I “hire” my Conflict Managers, I normally have applications from extremely
capable students; however, I always make it a point to select students who may use being a
Conflict Manager as a springboard to increased self-confidence, and in doing so, find
motivation to do their best in all areas of school.
5. Are your students more motivated by grades or learning? What do you do, or can you do, to
motivate students to learn?
We do not have specific grades for our students until they are in sixth grade; until
then, they are judged as being proficient, or not, in academic and behavioral areas. I believe
that student motivation comes through experiential learning, not by being judged. As I have
expressed, I believe that elementary school is an important time in a child’s life. This is a
time when children need to enjoy their time spent at school, feel successes, and learn skills.
The author addresses intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in learning. This is presently a
topic of controversy at Westridge Elementary. This fall we plan to implement a school-wide
program similar to PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support). PBIS is a researchbased, successful initiative, utilized by hundreds of schools with a great deal of
improvements in behaviors. A part of PBIS involves giving some rewards for good
behaviors; however, several of our teachers are concerned that giving extrinsic rewards
will not contribute to our student’s intrinsic acceptance of these beliefs.
I have been gathering information on motivations involved in student learning, and
have concluded that while intrinsic motivation is our final goal, in order to get to that point,
the use of extrinsic motivators can help students. This is particularly true in students who
require encouragement for appropriate behavior. Science tells us that the growing
childhood brain learns better through positives, so the concept of giving appropriate
rewards for appropriate behaviors seems to make sense.
In light of this knowledge, it is also important for us to understand that small,
frequent rewards will be more effective than large, infrequent rewards. Also, the specific
behavior must be rewarded, and when rewards are given, we must be clear about the
specific behavior that led to the reward. Rewards can help a child gain confidence and
competence in an area, through encouragement of skill building and perseverance.
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6. Think about a student that you have always considered unmotivated? What might have
been the reasons? Please describe any strategies you have learned from this text that would
have helped you with this student.
Julian is a fourth grade Westridge student. His motivation issues have been well
documented by his teachers over the years. Julian is a below-average student and is
supported with an IEP in one academic area, math. His aptitude in other areas is fairly
good, but we do not see work output, nor is there effort. Homework completion is a real
struggle. Once I became involved in helping Julian, I recognized many reasons for his
apparent lack of motivation.
Julian has three siblings; two are younger and one, a step-brother, is a sophomore in
high school. His mother works evenings from five until ten at night. His father is not
involved in his education, and is not good at holding Julian accountable for homework.
Julian’s father does not assist him with homework, with the result being that it usually is
not done. Often, his father is not home at night, leaving Julian’s teenage brother in charge of
all of the younger children. Julian has never truly felt successful at school. He has difficulty
paying attention and focusing at school, but his parents have chosen not to have him
evaluated by a physician for this. He is disorganized and has poor study skills. He often
feels self-pity and “shuts down” if circumstances are not going his way.
Julian has low self-esteem and a poor self-concept. We have met with Julian’s
mother and outlined what his needs are, to no avail. Blackburn’s Classroom Motivation
offered me a new direction to take in Julian’s case. His teachers and I must find ways to
increase the value in Julian’s school work, and increase his chances for success.
Presently, Julian is being evaluated so that we may add other academic areas to his
IEP (reading and writing). Offering him small group lessons with our Level 1 Special
Education teacher will help increase the variety and attractiveness in his learning; these
teachers utilize a variety of methods in teaching their students, and teach to the strengths
of the students in their small groups. He requires an adult to show him how what he is
learning can connect to his own life. I know that he will feel more engaged in a small group,
and certainly find more success than he is feeling in the classroom.
Julian will be in his own classroom for all other subjects. He will need support and
encouragement from his teachers in order to feel successful then; his teachers should be
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watchful of the number of positive comments directed at him, compared to negatives, and
ensure that positives greatly outweigh negatives. Julian’s teacher next year will have to
verbalize her belief in his abilities, and encourage and support him. He may not receive the
kind of support that he needs from his family, but knowing that this is lacking, we will have
to step in to meet his emotional needs. We can truly impact Julian by showing him that he
can live up to our expectations, and help him to reach them – successes breed success.
There are other strategies that a classroom teacher can use to increase motivation.
One important step is implementing a class-wide rule that no put-downs will be tolerated.
Not only should a teacher verbalize positives for good behaviors and accomplishments, but
show recognition for them in some way. Teachers should display student work, to
encourage pride in their endeavors. Teachers should discover ways to increase interest in
learning, and use imaginative, new strategies that pique interest and involvement. We
should link learning with real-life situations, and let everyone feel successes on a daily
basis. We should develop partnerships with families as much as possible; some teachers
have implemented home visits as a method of making personal connections with families.
Last, we need to make learning as much fun as possible. Catch as many students as possible
doing something good! This will help students to believe in themselves, and to develop the
confidence they need to feel intrinsically motivated.
7. Evaluate the rigor in your classroom curriculum. What material is complex? What is
thought provoking? What is personally or emotionally challenging?
Rigor is subjective; what is rigorous to one student may be easy to another. I have
some guidance units that are straightforward and easy to comprehend, and others that
require a lot of thought. An example of a personally challenging unit is my “Self Esteem”
unit that I teach to third graders. Self-esteem is a complex concept that many students have
not heard of and for which they may need different explanations regarding its meaning.
This is why I progressively, over a period of five weeks, use different methods of explaining
the concept of self-esteem, and through a variety of activities the students learn where
their self-esteem comes from and how they can enhance it. Students must identify a good
experience, then describe the personal strength they used to make that good experience
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happen. As students identify their specific strengths, we then discuss how strengths and
self-esteem are linked.
I have found that children enjoy the kind of challenge where they can reach high,
and soar beyond our expectations. I enjoy giving students the kind of challenges that they
can meet with surprising original thinking. My Conflict Managers often use mature and
creative approaches in resolving conflicts among younger students. Perhaps this is not a
tremendously surprising fact, given that the Conflict Managers know that we have high
expectations of them.
I expect my elementary students to learn the problem solving process. This is a
somewhat complex concept, so I start early with the students, and one step at a time, build
on their knowledge so that they can come to apply it to real-life situations. I teach problem
solving in Kindergarten, through the use of simple social stories and identification of steps
and concepts. This information is repeated in first grade, in a unit called “STP”, which
means Stop, Think, and Pick a Plan. The same problem-solving steps are essential in STP.
By second grade, the same information is presented as the “Be Cool” process, in which
someone stops, identifies the problem, brainstorms for solutions, and tries to use one.
Students demonstrate mastery of these concepts through role-playing of a number of
conflict situations.
Overall, I would say that the level of rigor expected of our students is high.
Unfortunately, this can create some imbalance in classrooms, when students who have
difficulty mastering concepts can possibly feel left behind and different from their
classmates. It is in situations such as this that our classroom teachers and staff identify and
provide alternate plans for those who cannot perform at the expected level. Differentiation
is an important process in our educational process, and to keep motivational levels high in
all students, we must be aware of varying capabilities and performance levels.
8. Describe a topic or concept that was extremely difficult for you to learn. Describe the
learning process you used to succeed at that learning.
I took physics in my mid-twenties, when I was completing my Bachelor of Science in
nursing (my previous profession, before I became an educator). I truly believe that
maturity played a great part in my eventual mastery of my physics courses and labs. I even
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came to enjoy some aspects of physics! At the time, I felt that the old saying “slow and
steady, steady and slow, that’s the way to go!” was my motto, since I seemed to progress so
very slowly, but steadily. I progressively learned one concept after another, scaffolding my
learning as I went.
Physics was always a difficult subject for me to learn. The only way I could find
success was to persevere and complete every assignment that I was given. I made certain
that I read every part of my textbooks, so that I could master important concepts. I needed
to spend extra time on the subject, since I seemed to absorb physics information more
slowly than other subject areas. I sought help from my professors, and especially from the
Teaching Assistants, who were very kind and willing to give extra explanations.
I also don’t think I would have found success in this area if my husband hadn’t
patiently helped me with my homework and in understanding some of the rules and
concepts. Unlike me, he is one of those people who find physics fascinating and easy, so I
was very fortunate to have a mentor of sorts, who would make certain that I gained
knowledge when he helped me.
The physics labs were the most enjoyable part of the course. During labs, we would
conduct experiments based on the physics laws and rules. Looking back on that, I would
say that through the use of varied learning styles, my learning was facilitated. In Classroom
Motivation, Barbara Blackburn discusses Multiple Intelligence theory. I am more of a visual
and kinesthetic learner, so it does make sense that the experiments helped me to acquire
information more readily. Of course, my young students also have varying learning styles
and unique intelligences; keeping that awareness in the foreground is of utmost
importance when teaching new concepts to students.
9. What types of strategies should you use to promote student self-assessment? Analyze your
current structure relative to what the author prescribes.
Student self-assessment helps to promote ownership in learning. We must include
our students in evaluating and tracking their learning so that they will complete what
Blackburn refers to as the” Confidence Cycle”. Tracking progress leads to competence and
achievement, which then can lead to increased self-confidence, and courage in learning.
When students self-assess, they evaluate what works best for them, and helps them to
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become ever better learners. Blackburn suggests that we have our students journal about
what they have learned, and how they have learned. I don’t think I have any teachers at
Westridge who presently use that strategy. However, I use journaling as a counseling
technique; journaling can help to promote self-understanding and pinpoint problems.
Another self-assesment method that Blackburn suggests is to have students create a
“Victory List”, which is a personal list of successes. Emphasizing our successes can boost
confidence; I think this is a wonderful tool for students to use. I always remind students
that we are often very hard on ourselves, and that we are our worst critics. We need to be
good to ourselves sometimes! Giving ourselves a compliment, a pat on the back, or
reflecting on good things that we have accomplished each day can be an important step in
attaining success and maintaining motivation.
Some teachers offer visual methods for students to self-assess their behavior in
class. Point charts, jars with marbles (marbles are added when positive behaviors are
exhibited) and the like, are very commonly utilized, and are effective methods for students
to evaluate their behavioral progress in the classroom.
Evaluation of learning can be done formally, as in testing, and informally. Many of
our teachers have exit slips, often used for math self-assessment, pre-tests, and, of course,
homework. Fifth and sixth grade students are expected to write up self-assessments at
report card time, so that their perception of learning can be compared to the teacher’s
evaluation of their academic progress. I am happy to report that the vast majority of selfassessments are quite accurate, and perhaps a good percentage of our students are even a
little tougher on themselves than their teachers. Self-assessment is a valuable tool, and
adds to a student’s sense of competence in the classroom.
10. Analyze the type of questions you ask during instruction. How many of these questions ask
students to analyze or evaluate information? How many are open ended or allowed for
multiple answers? Please give examples.
A mistake that many educators make is asking questions to which there is only one
specific answer. This does not stimulate thinking, and merely promotes rote learning. I
would like to think that I have learned to ask my students questions that promote higher
order thinking. Teaching a class or with a small group, I ask open-ended questions that help
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to stimulate thinking and encourage students to apply learned skills and concepts to the
situation under discussion. Following a lesson, I ask students to explain what they
understand about what I have discussed, and how it applies to their lives. I really enjoy it
when a student actually applies something they have experienced to the subject I am
teaching.
At Westridge, we regularly meet to discuss the essentials for effective instruction.
Questions we are to ask ourselves include

How will my students know what they will be learning today?

What research based instructional strategies am I using today?

How will I ensure that my students are engaged in higher order thinking today?

How will I connect today’s lesson to past and future learning?

How will I check for understanding today?

What will I do when students are already proficient in today’s lesson, or if students
did not learn during the lesson?
These questions are all designed to help us maintain student engagement, and to assure
that our students move toward ownership in their learning. Following the essential
elements of Bloom’s Taxonomy, we instruct and assist our students in remembering
information, understanding concepts, applying information, analyzing different parts of it,
and evaluating different parts of it. We are encouraging students to create a point of view
and to develop a deeper understanding of concepts.
A recent example of this was a few weeks ago during a “Personal Safety” lesson for my
fifth graders. We had been discussing bullying and harassment, and the timely topic was
internet safety and cyberbullying. Prompts that encouraged a meaningful class discussion
were “give me an example of cyberbullying that you are aware of”, ….“What would you do if
this happened to you?”….”What other ways could you handle this?”…..”What rules do you
think should be implemented and followed to help solve this problem?” The resulting
conversation we had as a class showed me that the majority of students knew the
information, had a high level of understanding of the concepts, and had shown application
of the concepts to their lives. Many questions were actually asked by the students, showing
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me that they were attempting to formulate a point of view, and were applying the issue to
their own experiences.
Summarize how this course has helped you as an educator. Discuss how it has changed
your thinking, increased your knowledge, and how it will assist you in changing your current
practices.
Instructional strategies and motivational techniques truly are the foundation for
learning.
Excitement about learning
Design good questions
Develop relationships. Take the time to get to know students, and use wht you have learned
to interpret their behaviors and performance at school.
Never give up on students; even a student who is not learning as effectively as you want
needs someone to stick with them and believe in him or her.
Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need-or expect-their
instructors to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them
What we do in the classroom can either snuff out innate motivatin or help a student find that love
for learning.
interest in the subject matter, perception of its usefulness, general desire to achieve, selfconfidence and self-esteem, as well as patience and persistence. And, of course, not all students
are motivated by the same values, needs, desires, or wants. Some of your students will be
motivated by the approval of others, some by overcoming challenges.
Active participation
High expectations
standards are high enough to motivate students to do their best work but not so high that students
will inevitably be frustrated in trying to meet those expectations.)
Help students set achievable goals for themselves. SMART goals focus on their continued
improvement, not on one test or assignment. Offer opportunities for self-assessment
Give them a real chance to succeed in your class. Tell students what they need to do to
succeed in your course. Strengthen students' self-motivation. Avoid creating intense
competition among students. Competition produces anxiety, Be enthusiastic about your
subject. Assign study questions. Hand
Wo Vary your presentation formats, assignments, and assessment techniques. In this way,
you appeal to the strengths of all learners and yet also challenge all learners to develop new
strengths rk from students' strengths and interests.
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. Be a good role model. Don't overemphasize grades in your language to students. Structure
your requirements and evaluation such that grading (assessment and feedback) directly
promotes learning. Demonstrate that you are intrinsically motivated to continue your own
learning.
Increase the difficulty of the material as the semester progresses
Vary your teaching methods.
consistently indicates that students are more affected by positive feedback and success. Praise
builds students' self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem. Recognize sincere
Be specific when giving negative feedback. Negative feedback is very powerful and can lead to
a negative class atmosphere.
Introduce students to the good work done by their peers. Share the ideas, knowledge, and
accomplishments of individual students with the class as a whole:
Reward success
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