In the YouTube video, The puzzle of motivation by Dan Pink, he talks about extrinsic versus intrinsic motivators. He demonstrates with evidence that extrinsic motivators narrow our focus and we loose our creativity. On the other hand, intrinsic motivators are effective for 21st Century jobs that require creativity. There are companies that have already adopted this idea. For example, the concept of having a Fedex Day where the employees are required to deliver something overnight but the catch is that they can work on anything they want. This is something that can also be applied as a motivator for students. If teachers can give students some freedom of what they want to work on, their motivation will increase. Teachers can hold them accountable by giving them a certain amount of time to complete the project. Students would all focus on a topic but they would have a say in the type of project and the delivery method. Teachers are accustomed to controlling everything in a lesson, but we must learn to let the student's creativity grow and trust that they can deliver something great when they are given that chance. In relation to Daniel Pink's Ted Talk, Annie Condron gives teachers strategies to motivate students in her article, How to Motivate Students: Top 12 Ways, that are also effective. Some of the strategies are intrinsic and some extrinsic. Some of the strategies give students autonomy while others are incentives that might take them longer to get there. Classroom Strategies: In my classroom, I would like to apply some of these strategies. First, I would like to assign classroom jobs. I am very controlling and feel that I have to do tasks myself in order for them to be done correctly. Ultimately, I am overwhelmed and I am not holding my students accountable for certain classroom duties. I could assign them standard classroom jobs but I can also make it motivating if I assign them the duty to pick a song to play while we work on art for example. This is something that they will enjoy and that the rest of the class will enjoy as well. Another important strategy is to relate the lessons to students' lives. We need to make the content important by having the students connect with the subject in some way to make it meaningful. Students are motivated when they can talk about it and share their own ideas and bring something to the discussion as opposed to the teacher doing all the talking and providing all the information. Next, I would also create a system where I can track student improvement. This might be done with self-evaluation forms where students can reflect on their progress and instead of the teacher assigning a score, the student will state where they have improved and where they still need to improve. It is more important for the student to know where they are at and what they need to focus on. If teachers are the only ones to know or keep track of this, the students won't have a clear focus of what skills they need to work on. This is a great opportunity for the students to be aware of what their needs are and will motivate them to seek self-improvement. Something great that will also instill motivation is if we plan an awesome field-trip. Students can brainstorm ideas and we can all work towards a single goal as a class. Rewarding students for positive behavior outside of classroom can also encourage them to do well outside of school. Students will be encouraged to participate in cultural experiences and extracurricular activities for extra credit or I could also award them credit to apply for an alternative assignment. Intrinsic Motivation Lesson: What Does Our Future Hold? Students will come up with a futuristic design of what the world will look like in 20 years. The design will include something creative that has not yet been invented. As a group, students will come up with ideas for possible future creations. The invention has to be something that will benefit their family/community in a positive way.
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Extrinsic VS Intrinsic MotivatorsExtrinsic motivators are types of recognition given for finishing a certain task. For example, the diploma that we earn when we finish school. Extrinsic motivators can be objects or incentives earned for the hard work. Parents often award their children with gifts when they earn good grades. Extrinsic motivators can also be given through verbal recognition for our work. For example, when the teacher recognizes that great effort of a certain task one did well. Intrinsic motivators on the other hand, is more like self-motivation. It is the motivation we internally have because we enjoy doing it. Intrinsic motivation can be anything that makes one feel that personal satisfaction. One can accomplish this by focusing on something one is passionate about. When one has control over the content than one can choose their drive for finishing the task at hand and it becomes more of a personal achievement not driven by others. My Personal Experience: One of the reasons I decided to attend Miami International University of Art & Design was because I have always had a love for art and design. In high school I had the chance to join photography and graphic design classes which led me to become curious as to what types of careers in that pathway I could perform. Because of my desire to become a master of art I decided to join an art school and I enjoyed every class related to art. One project in particular stood out for me. I had to design a magazine of my choice. I had intrinsic motivation because I was able to choose the topic which of course was art. I had total control of the content. I was passionately driven and wanted to show others what my passion was. Although I had to do extensive research on layout, fonts, events, and much more I enjoyed the whole process because it was all in relation to what I love. The external motivators were my peers who would often give me feedback on the layout and it was always very positive. Overall, although it was a project for the instructor that would earn me a passing or failing grade, I completed this task for personal satisfaction. I truly enjoyed every step of it. Conversely, I remember dreading the history classes even before I started taking them. I would already have a negative mentality that I would struggle in the class. The reason is because I was not good at memorizing dates and events or important names of people. In high school I would always struggle during the tests and would find the content boring. The way that I was able to restore my faith in learning history was through various activities. I found a way to learn in a way that was fun for me. For example, I found out that the instructor also worked at an art museum and many of the artworks we were studying were also on display. I chose to go in person and instead of reading a textbook I would enjoy a personal tour at the museum where I would understand in a way that was interesting and fascinating and I feel like I even knew more little interesting facts than the rest of my peers. I have also found that attending workshops is great because you are actually doing something and I can connect what I've done with things that were done in the past. I now know that I can learn anything if I find a fun way for me to enjoy the process. In the Future: As a teacher, I will be certain to include content that relates to my students. If that is not possible I will find ways that they can connect to the content. Getting to know my students will help me motivate them to reach their own personal goals. I will understand that sometimes students do not like a subject and that it is not the teacher's fault that the students come with a negative mentality towards the subject. Instead, I will try to alternate activities that appeal to different students. I could also reward students for a project that they have really performed well on and they could apply the extra credit towards a project that they do not feel so fond of. I can also give them choice and this will give them some control to do what they want to do. Students can also create scoring guides that will focus on things that they feel are important and this will be a motivator because they decide on what is important versus the teacher deciding for them. I avoid praising my students with candy or material objects for minimal tasks that do not take effort. I want to push my students to be self-driven and not depend on rewards but instead work towards their own personal satisfaction. Most of all, I want them to discover a passion for learning in ways that are effective and fun for them.
Best Practice: Socratic Seminars
The best way to get students to speak, listen, talk to each other, and express their own opinions by interpreting an opening question that is drawn from a textual source. The answers should not have a single answer and can be best answered when referring to the text. Students learn to accept different views, make connections, appreciate collective learning, and understand that they are responsible for the quality of the seminar. The teacher will have the role of the facilitator but will also participate and model responses for the students. ​What are some ways that you can create a socratic seminar in your classroom? All aspiring teachers and those who are already teachers should know the most effective instructional strategies.
Listen to John Hattie and Robert Marzano who have already done the research and are widely known in education. Although they have their differences they have agreed on these 8 instructional strategies for teachers:
Killian, S. (2016, February 29). 8 Strategies Robert Marzano & John Hattie Agree On. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/robert-marzano-vs-john-hattie/ |
AuthorLover of anything that has to do with art and education. You can find me teaching art to other students and learning how to become an effective and passionate teacher. Archives
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