Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Motivation 2

Some students are naturally motivated, while others are not. What do you believe is the basis for student motivation in the classroom?

16 comments:

  1. I believe that students motivation comes from various aspects of their life. One of these aspects is the family they are raised in places a high value on education and learning. From what I've witnessed a lot of students that come from a family with these values tend to be very interested in learning all they can, knowing that it will help them be successful in life.

    Another aspect that I think greatly influences student motivation is their curiosity. There have been numerous instances that I've observed when a student was so curious about a subject or topic that they learned everything they could about it. One such occurence was last year in my level one field experience. A little boy was very interested in the different kinds of butterflies (because the class watched one trasform). He told me and my supervising teacher that at night his mother and him would look up butterflies on the computer so he could figure out the different kinds and where they lived.

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  2. I also believe that family greatly influences motivation in students. I think that this could either be positive motivation or a lack of motivation. Maybe the family gives the student praise, hangs up work on the fridge, or gives the child a reward, these would all be motivators for students. Likewise, if the student is receiving no real feedback or praise for work, the student will be less motivated to be involved in the class or lesson.

    Also, another influence on motivation is student interests. If a students is really interested in a specific unit, lesson, or activity, then the student will be a lot more motivated to actively participate. Just as if a student isn't really interested in a topic, then he/she won't be motivated to participate because it's just boring or uninteresting to them.

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  3. I also believe that motivation starts at home. If parents don't help and push their children to do well, then they won't develop motivation. It's important for parents to support their children, so that they feel that they can do well in school and in life. When the child doesn't have the supportive home life, then they do not feel motivated to do well.

    I think that as future teachers it is important for us to realize that we need to try our best to make everything we teach fun and interesting. By really engaging the children in what you are trying to teach them they will feel more motivated to learn. If we teach the same way every day kids are going to becoming bored and not put forth the effort.

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  4. I will agree with the first three posts that a lot of motivation starts at home. If while the student is home the parent encourages educational activities such as reading instead of things like watching TV or playing video games the student will more thank likely be more willing to learn in the classroom. Families also have different values. Some families value education more than others. I know a lot of parents will have a reward system to "encourage" their students to do well in school. This can be helpful or harmful.
    Another thing that will affect motivation is student interest. If we can't engage the students and get them interested in our lessons, they will more than likely be unmotivated to do the work.

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  5. I think there are a couple different factors in how students are motivated in the classroom. One factor is how they are motivated at home. I think if students’ parents encourage them to succeed in school and put a strong emphasis on the importance of school, students may be more motivated to do well. Having a supportive family that praises students’ achievements can help motivate students to excel. However, at the same time, I think parents should not punish students for not doing as well as they had hoped. I think that putting too much pressure on children can result in them becoming unmotivated and possibly stop trying to do well in school. If a student performs poorly and is told they are a “failure” by their parents, a self-fulfilling prophecy may develop and a downward spiral may result.
    Another factor in students’ motivation in the classroom is the teacher. I can remember teachers that I have looked forward going to class, because I knew I would be engaged and the lesson would be interesting. On the other hand, I can remember having teachers that I dreaded going to class because the content presented was boring and uninteresting. As future teachers, I think if we take the time to find out what our students enjoy and try to incorporate these interests into lessons; students may be more motivated to learn. Also, providing compliments and encouragement to students and commenting when they do well can make students feel good about themselves. This can follow through with them being more motivated to and interested in school. If we notice students struggling in some area of the classroom, seeking these students out and providing them with extra help they may need could be the difference between them enjoying school and learning versus hating school and giving up.
    I think student motivation is a combination of different factors that include: parents, teachers, the content being taught and how the information is presented. It is so important to help motivate students so they are eager to come to school, engaged in lessons and excited to learn.

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  6. I agree with Miranda. If parents put to much pressure on kids to succeed, then kids will lose their motivation to even try. The teacher also plays a major role in the motivation of young students. No one wants to go to class with a teacher that is not happy to be there. Compliments and encouragement from teachers is huge. Everyone loves to feel good about something that they've done right or well.
    As future teachers we have to realize that we do play a major part in the motivation of our students. We can't expect things from them if we do not show it ourselves.

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  7. I agree with everyone who is saying that a lot of students' motivation starts at home. I believe that if students have good parents who believe in a good education for their kids that can have a great influence on kids. I think they are more interested in school and learning and are motivated to do their best. They don't necessarily have a reason for this motivation all the time. Sometimes it's just because they want to do good.

    I also think another thing that motivates students is their interests outside of school. If they are learning about something in school that they are interested in, they will be more motivated to do their best.

    Another motivation for students could be they way they are learning. Some students are visual learners, some learn by hearing things and others learn by actually doing the stuff hands on themselves. If they are a visual learner and the teacher just has them learn the information by telling them about it, I don't think they are going to be as motivated as opposed to a student who learns by hearing the information.

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  8. I agree with Jarod about curiosity being a motivation for students. I witnessed this during my first week of this field experience. My teacher had me pass out their notebooks to each of the students. They had to say their name and something about themselves that would help me remember all of their names. Just about all of them said they liked some kind of sport. Then there was a young boy who said he liked experimenting with things and building things. The unit they happened to be working on was catapults. They were currently working on finding designs that they could build. Then the next few days they spent building them. I noticed that this boy really liked this assignment. He spent a lot of time on his drawing and on building it. He was one of the only students in the class that made up their own catapult to build.

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  9. Students can be motivated by a number of things. One, of course, like everyone else has said, parents are a huge contributing factor to the success of a student. If a family provides the basis that education is important, than a student will no doubt be more successful. However, it goes beyond just knowing education is important. Those parents need to be there every night assisting with homework and involving themselves in their child’s lives. Obviously, with the hustle bustle of today’s society, some parents are unable to give their children this needed educational attention. That is where our teachers come into play. As an instructor, we need to motivate the students in and out of the classroom. If at all possible having “homework” go to another level such as: involving the community, projects with parents or guardians, and of course, making it fun for them. At a young age, homework shouldn’t be a drag to do.
    Hopefully, students are being motivated in a positive manner, such as family values, positive reinforcement or even just the feeling of success. However, some students are motivated in a negative way. They complete their tasks at school out of bribery or even fear that if they don’t do it they will get in trouble.
    I believe each student has a different outlet for motivation. Even though the family life does play a huge role in the success and motivation of a student, the teacher must also take on that responsibility to be creative and energetic in new ways to motivate his or her students. Because, unfortunately, for some students, the teacher will be their only motivation.

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  10. I believe that student motivation starts with their upbringing. If students are used to having high expectations then they will be more motivated to succeed. If a student is use to just sliding by they will only want to do as much as they have to. It all starts in the home and with the parents. With that if students observe others being highly motivated they will most likely also be highly motivated. It also deals with the individuals values. If the student wants to be successful and wants to learn they will be motivated in the classroom.

    I think as a teacher you can spark student intrest which then will increase student motivation. If you get the students interested in a topic and excited about school they will want to be there and want to learn.

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  11. I agree with Jared about students curiousity being an influence on their motivation. If the students are curious they will want to learn everything they can about it. A good example was the other day a boy was talking about his book and then was saying how he was interested in the topic and went and found out more about it.

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  12. I agree with kkudart about teacher's ability to spark student interest being a way to get students motivated. I think that an active teaching style that shows excitement for the content as well as student learning is one that helps promote student motivation.

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  13. I think student motivation is based off a couple different things. For starters, I think if a family values education, the student will too. If the family has high expectations for a student, the student will most likely attempt to reach those expectations which in turn will motivate them to do well.
    I think some students just want to succeed and do well on their own, so they have self motivation. They may be competitive with other students to strive to do their best whether or not their family backs them up.
    I have seen both types of motivation that occur naturally in students. I have also experienced a little bit of both. I also think that if the teacher of the classroom is well organized and creates a positive environment, the student may gain some motivation from that as well.

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  14. I also agree with Beth’s statement on motivation. I think the students interests are also very important when it comes to motivation, but I think it fits under the category of self motivation. I also agree that if the family or teacher praises the students work, it will help motivate them to continue to do well.

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  15. Ithink the basis to keep students motivated in class is to have them to experience academic success in general, and they can experience that their efforts and performances matters. For those who are not naturally motivated, small steps and praises will be more convinient. Students who has intrinsic motivation, we need to keep their tasks challanged but up to their level, so they can reach success as well. Teachig students that to make error or mistakes are ok., these mistakes are indeed helpful to learn more. We can chose interesting topics to teach and/or to apply the topic to the every day life will encourage students to pay attention and participate in class. Each student has different levels of motivitation and it is hard for the teacher to reach all of them. With differents classroom dynamics and strategies we can reach most of the students through out the day. At least that will be my goal.-

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  16. I think the basis of motivation for students will be the overall motivation of the classroom. I believe that if the teacher exhibits motivation for learning and teaching his/her students that it will also positively affect the students and they will also be more motivated to learn!

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