Methods to Foster More Positive Motivation Patterns

On this page we will identify specific traits that Calvin demonstrates, and what strategies may exist for Mrs Wormwood to help correct his behaviour and help Calvin achieve more success

      This comic demonstrates Calvin’s in-class performance. He answered the teacher’s question with an irrelevant topic and was discouraged by the teacher's criticism. It seems that Calvin had the motivation to perform well in class and avoided being seen as “Dumb”, but he didn't know the appropriate skills in being self-regulated. From pictures 2 and 4, we can also learned that Calvin was distracted from Ms.Wormwood's question because he thought the information was useless. This reflects that Ms.Wormwood's teaching couldn't help him find the intrinsic interests and the value of this subject. If Ms.Wormwood can set an introductory story before asking the question directly, it would better attract Calvin's attention and make the question more meaningful for him. While Calvin was giving an unexpected answer, instead of reproving him, a better treatment would be providing him with specific strategies of how to be a self-regulated learner. For example, she can ask Calvin to read the textbook, guiding him to organize the answer using several summarizing skills. It's also important to praise his answer and encourage him to use these strategies in future classes. This can help Calvin understand how to perform well in the classroom and motivate him as an active learner.

Calvin Taking Tests

This comic shows that Calvin was getting into trouble while taking the test, feeling demoralized by the questions focusing on memorization. From Pictures 2 and 3, we can infer that Ms.Wormwood ignored the students' thinking process while teaching, which made those historic events meaningless to Calvin. To encourage Calvin's interests and confidence in history learning, Ms.Wormwood needs to change her teaching approach from direct instruction and rote-exam to task-based learning and self-assessment. Problem-based learning is an effective method. Ms.Wormwood can provide students with open-ended questions that require cognitive engagement. For example, asking students to design a newspaper about an event in 1775, rather than forcing them to memorize it directly. This challenging and thoughtful process can help Calvin discover the intrinsic interest in history learning. Ms.Wormwood also needs to improve her assessment method. Compared with a discouraging test, self-evaluation would be a more effective approach in fostering self-regulated patterns. For instance, she can ask Calvin to write a reflection questionnaire. The questions can include what he has learned, what are the successful parts, what needs to be improved, what are the good strategies he used in analyzing the historical events, and how to apply them in future learning.  This thought-provoking assessment will give Calvin a sense of ownership, which may help him find the value of learning. These questions also assist Calvin in making a connection between actions and results, which will encourage him to apply these good strategies in future studies.

From this comic, we can see that Calvin didn't put much effort into the project. That is because he lacks outcome expectations and goal-orientation to motivate himself. Finishing the project carelessly also reflects that he has difficulty monitoring his actions throughout the process. To promote the quality of Calvin's project, Ms.Wormwood can support him by setting up specific goals that are attainable and challenging. It's necessary to provide him with a detailed rubric, which will help him clarify the required elements of this graduate thesis. In addition, she can also hold a small discussion with Calvin, helping him to make up a solid plan and set up expectations before starting the project. In order to support Calvin in carrying out the plan successfully, Ms.Wormwood can teach him how to monitor his performance. For example, she can ask Calvin to keep a reflection journal to make self-management, including the following questions: " Did my strategies work well in the process?" "What difficulties impede me from achieving my goal?" "What adjustment should I make?" Meanwhile, Ms. Wormwood should offer Calvin support to meet those challenges in the projects, such as teaching him skills in searching sources when he couldn't find appropriate facts.

How Ms. Wormwood can foster more positive motivation patterns in Calvin: 

Calvin’s case is a typical example for teachers to reflect on how to foster self-regulation in students. According to Paris, we believe that every student constructs his or her own theory of SRL. (Paris, Paris, 2001) Ms. Wormwood can foster the self-regulated patterns in Calvin by changing her teaching methods and adding repeated exercises. Based on the comic, we can infer that Ms. Wormwood used to apply closed-ended questions and rote exams in class, which would discourage Calvin’s interest. Instead, she can set open-ended tasks to motivate him. At the beginning stage, provide him with a challenging task as well as a detailed rubric and attainable goal.  In order to support Cakvin in completing the task successfully, she can teach him specific strategies in managing the plan and dealing with difficulties. Meanwhile, guiding Calvin to write journals is also a beneficial way to help him monitor his work and coordinate the plans. In order to promote self-reflection, Ms. Wormwood can ask Calvin to write a reflection questionnaire following several guiding questions focusing on cognitive evaluation. In the end, she can ask Calvin to share his feelings and experiences with classmates and attribute his success to the specific strategy. Through several repeated experiences, Calvin will be able to construct his own learning strategies successfully.