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Calvin Doing Homework
What is Calvin's motivational pattern?
In this particular comic, it is apparent that Calvin knows what he needs to do in order to complete the assignment. He explains his strategy of "break[ing] the problem down" into smaller pieces to Hobbes. The problem is that Calvin does not understand why he should even care about the assignment in the first place. Because he does not have any intrinsic interest in the homework assignment (which is fair, as it does seem rather boring), he throws the history book and gives up. In this moment, Calvin demonstrates his inabiltity to transition from the fore-thought phase to the performance phase of self-regulation theory.
Why does he have this particular pattern?
Calvin struggles to transition from the fore-thought phase to the performance phase of self-regulation theory. In this comic, Calvin is sitting at the table with his homework out and he is explaining to Hobbes the steps that he needs to take in order to be successful. He is practicing task analysis when he claims that in order to complete his homework he needs to "break the problem down." This shows us that Calvin is able to break down the task into more manageble pieces so that he is able to complete the assignment. Although this is a great first step, the Calvin's issue with his homework still remains. The problem is that Calvin lacks the intrinsic interest that would allow him to transition into the performace phase of the self-regulation theory. Intrinsic interest occurs when the student values the task for its own merit (Zimmerman). Calvin asks himself if "[he] even care[s]?" This shows that the task of reading a history chapter is not something that Calvin values -- he does not care about what he is being asked to learn. It is also important to note that Calvin does not question if he can do it, rather he questions why he should want to do it. This lack of intrinsic interest is a barrier to his learning because it does not allow him to transition to the performance phase or the reflection phase of the self-regulation theory.
What can a teacher do to foster a more productive motivational pattern?
The main issue with Calvin's learning (or lack thereof) is that he does not have any intrinsic interest or intrinsic motivation to drive him to complete the task. In order to foster a more productive motivational pattern, the teacher -- in this case, Ms. Wormwood -- can help students to develop intrinsic interest and motivation. One way she could do this is by explaining the relevance of the assignment so that it is more authentic and not "busy work." In this comic, Calvin needs to read a chapter from his history book. Ms. Wormwood could give her students a preview of the chapter and explain why the history that they are about to read is important. She could explain some of the long-term effects that the events in the chapter left on the country/world. Ms. Wormwood could also try to include some of Calvin's interests in the homework that she assigns. In doing this, the learning would be more fun for Calvin and it would feel less forced. In terms of fostering Calvin's self-monitoring skills, Ms. Wormwood should have him set goals for his own learning. It is clear that Calvin may need structure, so she could start by having him set a S.M.A.R.T. goal. Calvin struggles to self-monitor, so he may need to be reminded to reflect and adjust his goal(s) so that he can be successful. Lastly, Ms. Wormwood could have the class keep a reflection journal and have them write in it every day or even every week. This would allow the students to participate in the reflection phase of SRL theory. Calvin may need to start with some guided reflection/metacognition before he is ready to complete the reflection phase on his own. Overall, it is important that Calvin is able to find a connection with the material, set and adjust his goals as necessary, and reflect on his progress in his learning.
Calvin Learning Outside of School
What is Calvin's motivational pattern?
In this comic, you can see that Calvin has a very curious mind. He uses what information he does know about snakes to make inferences and he and Hobbes ponder many questions that arise. The curiosity that Calvin displays shows that he does have intrinsic motivation to learn more about snakes, meaning he values learning more about snakes for his own merit. Intrinsic motivation fosters deeper learning because when students take their learning into their own hands they are able to learn faster and transfer that learning to other untrained tasks. However, Calvin puts a halt to his curiosity when he exclaims that he doesn't want to do any learning while he's on summer vacation, implying that he does not have motivation to learn outside of the classroom without instruction from a teacher.
Why does he have this particular pattern?
Because many classrooms have assembled learning around highly structured assignments, rewards (ex: high grades and praise) and punishments (ex: low grades and criticism), students struggle to learn to take responsibility for their own learning. Because students struggle to take their own responsibility for their learning, they fall into the pattern of mimicking or repeating what their teacher has asked from them in order to achieve a desired grade rather than taking the initiative to learn the materials because they want to know more. Social learning psychologists have suggested that during self regulated learning in students, students must go through three cyclical phases (forethought, performance, and self reflection phase). The forethought phase happens before effort is placed on learning, in which students use their desire to learn as well as their beliefs of their own capabilities to intrinsically motivate themselves to set goals for complete tasks. We can see in the comic that Calvin is in the forethought phase in the beginning in which he and Hobbes pose many questions about snakes. The performance phase happens during students effort to learn and is characterized by self control and self evaluation. The self reflection phase generally happens after the effort to learn and is characterized by self judgement and self reaction. However, these phases do not have to happen in a fixed specific order, in fact in this instance Calvin skips the performance phase and goes from the forethought phase to the self reflection phase. We can see this when Calvin expresses that he lacks the desire to learn during summer vacation without the guidance and instruction of a teacher. This is a common reaction in students during the self reflection phase and is called a defensive reaction. Defensive reactions are a students effort to protect their self-image through withdrawing or avoiding learning, which puts a complete stop to self regulated learning.
What can a teacher do to foster a more productive motivational pattern?
Social learning psychologists have proposed that in order to foster self regulated learning teachers must instill intrinsic motivation in their students by providing the students with open ended assignments that involve opportunity for ownership and autonomy, challenge, goal setting, and collaboration. Through giving the student autonomy and freedom in their learning, it encourages them to be more motivated intrinsically. In this comic there is no teacher present, but Hobbes proposes that if Calvin isn't forced to learn about snakes by a teacher, it can be considered fun. This gives Calvin the realization that he has ownership and autonomy on what he decides to learn, and cultivates excitement in Calvin (intrinsic motivation!).
Calvin Inside the Classroom
What is Calvin's motivational pattern?
The two comics above show Calvin's struggles when attending school. The biggest problem for Calvin within the classroom is his inability to focus on any given task. The first comic outlines how material can be presented to Calvin, but it is impossible for it to be presented in a way to make Calvin care. The second comic shows Calvin becoming increasing more annoyed while sitting in class, and once he reaches his breaking point, he yells that the class is boring. Calvin has repeatedly shown that he has zero interest with school or the learning that is achieved within school. His lack of motivational effort is forcing him out of the classroom, as well as furthering himself from any future and/or potential goals.
Why does he have this particular pattern?
There is really no forethought phase used by Calvin to enhance his learning environment. Calvin does not put the effort in to set academic goals for himself, nor does he try to push himself to achieving a high level of success in school. He does not try to focus on the variety of tasks found in school, and even in the few cases he tries, his focus often shifts away from his school work and instead focuses on the things he finds more interesting (space, aliens, dinosaurs, etc.) The lack of motivation that Calvin displays within school is another worrying detail. Due to this lack of motivation, it is really stopping Calvin from becoming a good self-regulator. Calvin does not see the value of school nor the things he learns within school either. The lack of intrinsic interest within his everyday school work is another factor keeping Calvin from becoming a good self-regulator. Because Calvin struggles with school, there are oftentimes examples of him becoming increasing more and more annoyed and frustrated. The second comic above is a prime example of these emotions found within Calvin. Clearly, the lesson plans being used by Ms. Wormwood, and just the overall material being taught to Calvin, are making him more and more frustrated. Calvin, not being able to control his emotions at this point in time, lets those emotions take control of him, and subsequently, gets sent to the principal's office more times than not.
What can a teacher do to foster a more productive motivational pattern?
The biggest way teachers, like Ms. Wormwood, can help students, like Calvin, overcome these deficiencies in school is by helping them set and achieve goals that are more possible for them. Teachers should be able to help students set goals that they can realistically achieve, which is something that is missing within Ms. Wormwood's classroom. The fact that Calvin gets sent to the principal's office so frequently means that she is not trying to help Calvin anymore, rather, she is eliminating him from her classroom so she does not have to worry about him. This practice is not making the classroom a safe space for Calvin. Classrooms should feel like a safe space for students where their specific strengths are emphasized. Another factor that can help Calvin in school is giving him the option to think and learn the material in the best way that he possibly can. Obviously, Calvin is a much more creative mind than the rest of his classmates, so allowing him the opportunity to learn in a more creative way, may give him the avenue of pursuing educational tasks more. Breaking the learning up into different sections may also be beneficial for Calvin. We have already seen an example of Calvin understanding that breaking problems into smaller, manageable chunks can help him achieve different things. So, if Ms. Wormwood can aid Calvin by breaking certain sections of classwork into smaller chunks, he may become more motivated and focused on those smaller tasks.
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