Goal Theory (Amanda)

Goal theory focuses on three motivational patterns: being motivated by performance avoidance goals, performance approach goals, or mastery goals. A student who exhibits mastery goals would be motivated by the desire to understand the content, to master it. This leads to deep level learning and comprehension. A performance approach student will be motivated by the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge, while the converse of that is performance avoidance, where a student’s goal is to avoid having their learning “showcased”. Performance approach goals lead to legitimate learning and potentially good study habits, however as an extrinsic motivator it’s not necessarily sustainable for students as their primary motivation. Finally, with performance avoidance goals, students often self handicap, creating “external” factors that limit their ability to achieve, or do the minimal learning required to achieve low level goals. In your classroom and with your content, Ms. Wormwood, Calvin displays performance avoidance motivational patterns in regards to learning. From the Goal Theory perspective, he is motivated only by the goal of not showing his learning/understanding of content taught in the classroom. Outside of class, with personal interests, Calvin often displays mastery patterns. He learns for the sake of learning because the topic engages him. Finding a way to bring the things that engage mastery goals in Calvin into the classroom will encourage the continuation of mastery patterns in the educational environment and hopefully overwrite his performance avoidance. 

Will

Assessments are one of the many tools and friends that a teacher can have in their classroom. They are great for assessing a student's learning, understanding patterns of problems that a whole class is having, and providing students the opportunity to apply what they learned in class. However, assessments can be a bit tricky to manage as they can be seen as a positive and an enjoyable, but then time-consuming, boring, and/or frustrating in an instant. When I talk about assessments, I am talking about a variety of ways that students can demonstrate or show their growth and learning by either doing a project, reciting what they learned in the previous classes, tests, quizzes, homework assignments, or other methods. These could be some examples that you can try to implement in your classroom to help student engagement and learning. I will also explain some other ways to engage your students down below.

While tests aren't the most fun for students to take, there are a couple of options that you can use for them to both express their understanding of the content and have fun. One common tactic is for group tests to be implemented so then students can work together to solve problems or help each other out. Due to humans being a social species, children love working and exploring topics together. Using Interest Theory, playing on your and your student's interests can help meaningful learning while not having any negative consequences. As you get to know your student's interests, you can help draw connections to the learning that will take place in the classroom.

When thinking about what assessment you should give the class, consider the effects of grades, social pressure to outshine everyone, and how you will share the results of the assessment. Playing on Goal Theory, a good example of how you can assess a student's learning is by having them demonstrate in their own way how they engage with the content and where they are. This way, students are more interested and engaged in the learning process rather than chasing a grade or other external factors.

Giving students multiple options for different types of assessments allows them to feel a sense of autonomy and that they can take control of their own learning. Students who are in this type of environment allows them to feel a sense of comfort and belongingness that encourages creativity and intrinsic motivation. Encouraging this type of motivation allows the Self-Determination Theory to present itself for students to explore learning both inside and outside the classroom.

As a teacher, you likely know the importance of reflection and evaluation of prior performances. This is a valuable skill to teach your students at the start of the year and continue throughout the school year by having your students and Calvin reflect on an assessment after they have completed it and turned it in. You can also help them by setting goals before they start any assessment to determine what they want to get out of it. These two skills are critical in Self-Regulated Learning Theory and can be modeled and taught throughout the school year.