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Responses to Merrill
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Responses to Merrill
Wordle Response to Classroom Managment 3
Student motivation is very important and I think it can be looked at in two ways. The first way is the motivation to get your students "hooked" and ready to learn. The second type of motivation comes when a student is off task and needs a little boost to pay attention.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, you have to make sure that your subject matter is appealing to your students. Sometimes students are not going to be interested in the lesson, that's inevitable, but that does not mean that the teacher couldn't make it more interesting to try and hook students. Students like to work towards goals, and when they have accomplished one they feel good about themselves. I think goal setting is another key idea to help students become motivated. Without a goal in mind, students have no idea what they are working towards. If they know what is expected of them and how/why it will effect them in the long run, they will try to work towards that goal. Usually if the student knows that what they are learning in the classroom is beneficial, they are willing to learn.
If a student needs to be motivated throughout the day to stay on task, then that can be linked back to classroom management. Teachers can use certain "attention grabbers" without having to disrupt a lesson. If a teacher sees a student off task, they just have to simply ask that student a question about the lesson that is being taught. Once the teacher has asked the question, it may motivate the student to stay on task so it does not happen again.
Motivation in the classroom can differ with students based on aspects such as age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Despite these differences, I believe that student motivation is based largely on a student's inner desire to succeed in the classes they are taking. Some students may feel that academic performance is not as important as say athletic or musical, but I still believe that most students strive for high acamedic achievement based on their own desire to succeed. Additional motivating factors could be to compete with classmates for high grades as well as to not receive the lowest grades in the class.
ReplyDeleteMotivation plays a large part in student performance. Some students are intrinsically motivated and want to do well just because. Other students are motivated extrinsically by outside factors such as parents, friends etc...And then there are some students who just don't seem to be motivated at all. These students may have something going out outside the classroom that is taking up most of their thought and attention like family issues or something like that. Whatever the case may be I think that we should work to motivated all students to be successful in life. I agree with Elizabeth that having goals is a good idea. I feel that the students and teachers should work to set reasonable goals as well, with the student in mind. If the students don't have a reasonable but challenging goal for themselves, they might have a harder time striving to reach it. But if they have a goal and can monitor their progress along the way this can motivate them even more as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe student motivation is very important in the classroom. I agree with brrose1 that student motivation is linked to student performance. I think student motivation in the classroom has to start with the teachers and parents. I think one factor that could help motivate students would be with goals just like Elizabeth said. Another factor I think would make students motivated would be making the learning fun and engaging for the students. If the teacher presents content in a fun way, the students will interested therefore making them motivated to participate and complete activities associated with the lesson. I also agree with Nelia, many students find motivation in competing for better grades with one another which I think is a good thing! As long as it doesn't get too out of hand.
ReplyDeleteThe basis for student motivation in the classroom is the teacher's teaching strategies and lessons. It is our job to motivate the students intrinsicly and extrinsicly through our lessons and by teaching the students things in ways that will interest them. One way to motivate students is through the project approach to learning and going off of student's interest to guide your planning. Students love big projects, and they will put a lot of effort in to them just for the feeling of accomplishment. This will give them the intrinsic motivation as well as self confidence. Other ways is to reward the students with prizes for good grades or effort, or maybe a party every so often. These methods cause extrinsic motivation and they work, but not as well. Grades are also extrinsic motivation but the student has to feel the importance or sense of accomplishment for this method to work well.
ReplyDeleteStephanie-- I agree with your statement that it is the teacher's responsibility to motivate the students using lessons and strategies a teacher has learned. Although each student's motivation will be different than the next, it is still the duty of the instructor to learn what motivates his or her students. Once this information is learned, the teacher can then use creativity to motivate the students to perform in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe basis for student learning to me is mood. Even the most reliable and top of the class students have days when they just don't feel good, or something went on at home, and they don't want to focus in school. They would rather be doing just about anything else other than school. This is especially true for students who have had previous experiences with school where no matter what they did, they felt they couldn't get anything right. These are just some of the factors that teachers will have to deal with to get students ready and motivated to learn. If we want students to be motivated, we have to try and make the things we are doing appeal to them. Whether this means making a song up to explain the 50 states and capitals, or just relating math work to everyday things so that students can see the reason why they would need to know this type of information. For those students who still aren't motivated to work, it might be necessary to bring in positive and negative reinforcement to get students on track and show them the things that we do and don't want them doing in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteNelia & Bpanther---I agree with what both of you had to say about students moods and motivation being different from the next. That is so true! We can all recall being in a desk and not wanting anything to do with school every once and awhile. I do also think it is a teachers job to see what motivates her students the best and this might be just as simple as putting stickers on a chart. We need to remember that every class from year to year will be different and we just have to 'feel out' what satisfies them the best. I would say trying to figure out how to motivate students might be one of the hardest jobs we face as teachers, especially since many students won't want to cooperate.
ReplyDeleteI also think that there are a variety of other factors that affect motivation for instance: Friday, full moon, holidays, vacations, and other factors that can't be prevented. This is when we really need to step it up to captivate our students mind into the learning. This also goes along with what BPanther was saying about mood. We need to remember that we don't know what our students are going through at home and be understanding as well as individualizing motivational strategies.
ReplyDeleteI do think that there are definately some factors that as teachers we can not control no matter how much we try, but I also think that Stolla has it right that every class every year is going to be different, and we just have to take it one day at a time and figure out what works for each student. I big part of this will be talking to the students' previous teachers and find out what worked for them and what didn't. Also, since we do know that towards the end of the days on Friday students don't work really well, it would be a good idea to motivate through out the week to get all their work done so that at the end of the week, they have the option of doing something fun like playing a game or just taking some personal time, instead of having to do some really challenging work that they didn't get finished earlier in the week.
ReplyDeleteMany kids are only motivated by extrinsic factors, such as grades, 'Panther' dollars, etc., while others do things for the sheer satisfaction that they completed it on their own. Intrinsic motivation is a difficult thing to instill in our students, but the earlier they start to acquire it, the better. One way to motivate students is to show interest in them any time you can. A simple comment about a weekend activity that a student was involved in or a tv show that they like will show them that you listen when they are talking and you do care about the people they are. If their interests are then incorporated into class lessons, homework, and other learning activities, the students will transfer their interest to the classroom and might show an improvement in motivation.
ReplyDeleteGood comments this week. I was struck by the examples of what you believe is the responsibility of the teacher and what you believe motivates students. It is really interesting to read these entries from my perspective. You know how to motivate students, the key really goes back to the "Golden Rule" Treat others as you want to be treated! The trick is to connect with your students so that you KNOW how they need to be motivates. My two cents worth!
ReplyDeleteMr. Nielsen
I agree with Stephanie when she said that motivation comes from teaching strategies. Some teachers really engage students and have them do activities during class, therefore there is more interaction and more learning experiences provided. There are some teachers who just stand in front of the room and lecture. Who would be motivated to listen to a lecture for fifty minutes or an and hour and fifteen minutes? When teachers provide rich experiences for students, students get involved!
ReplyDeleteI think their are many different factors that affect student motivation. I think the subject they are learning about, the way the subject is being taught, their personality are some just to name a few. As a student myself, I am naturally motivated. I can motivate myself very easily because I want to do well in my school work and I want to succeed. I enjoy learning and so it doesn't take very much to motivate me into getting out of bed in the morning and going to class. I understand that for some students, it is a little more challenging. I think that one of the biggest ways to motivate students is to get them involved in the lesson as much as possible. If the teacher strategy is to lecture for an hour then the students are likely to be bored and therefore not motivated. However, if the students get to be involved in the lesson (i.e. particpating in discussions, doing group activities, hands-on learning), then they will be more likely to particpate and be motivated. I think teaching in a variety of strategies helps because each strategy may touch or reach out to a different student and grab their attention. If one student is not concerned with school work and would rather participate in an athletic activity, a teacher could try to find a way to mix the two together. It seems that a lot of my other peers agree that teacher strategies play a big part in student motivation. Getting to know your students and what strategies work for them is important in teaching. Not every subject will be interesting to students so it is important to find a way to teach the information in a way that grabs their interest and makes it more enjoyable for everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteStudent Motivation depends on many factors within the classroom. One big thing can be the teacher. One of the teacher's jobs is to enagage and motivate students to want to learn. It is his or her job to come up with ways to make learning interesting to students. Obviously not every subject will be interesting to students, but a teacher still needs to way to motivate them to learn. Incorporating skills that students are already good and interested in could help a lot. Motivation can also depend on the student's peers. They have a greater influence on the student then we think. If a student's friends are goofing off, so will he or she. If they thinking the topic is stupid, more likely he or she will think the topic is stupid also. Some students are easily motivated, but some are not. Provide a challenge, I know that always made me want to work harder. Also, the teacher could provide an extrinsic motivator since some students are not always intrisically motivated.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elizabeth when she writes, "sometimes students are not going to be interested in the lesson, that's inevitable, but that does not mean that the teacher couldn't make it more interesting to try and hook students". Effective teachers take the time to know what will motivate each student to enhance their learning in the classroom. Motivation has a profound effect on a student's learning, achievement, and behavior in the classroom. If we as teachers are able to energize and move students to behave in productive ways to facilitate their growth, we can help them acheive intrinsic motivation. Students who are intrinsically motivated are more willing to participate and help other students learn as well. Encouraging and reinforcing these behaviors in students will help create a collabrative learning environment in the classroom. It must be our goal as educators to find the hook that will motivate our students to achieve in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteWow, I think everyone's comments really are great! Motivation is really a huge aspect in the classroom. Motivation keeps students on task, interested in the subjects and topics, and makes them want to learn more. When looking at motivation in the classroom, you can truly use it to keep students on task. If the students have no motivation, then they will be off task and behavioral issues will occur. However, if you have the proper motivation, students will want to pay attention and see what you have to say. I also agree with Elizabeth when she wrote, "sometimes students are not going to be interested in the lesson, that's inevitable, but that doesn't mean that the teacher couldn't make it more interesting to try and hook students." I know, even now, that there are topics that I really do not like to sit through, but teachers can make the topic interesting and can pull me in. Presentation is another key element in that particular realm. Motivation can also be used by rewarding good behavior and by discouraging poor behavior. If students are rewarded for things they do right, then it will deter them from making poor choices or having poor behavior. Motivation is the driving force behind whether students will learn something or not.
ReplyDeleteI believe that they basis for student motivation in the classroom is relevance. Students can also be motivated by just the satisfaction of doing well in school. For those that don't though, it's important that teachers state the relevance and try and relate the topic to the students in some way.
ReplyDelete