Introduction
Hi Ms. Wormwood!
We have been studying your classroom for a past couple weeks. You have been doing a great job but we noticed a student, Calvin that has been lacking in motivation in the classroom. We have study some motivation theories that will be helpful in fostering motivation in the Calvin. The three motivation theories are: Self-Determination Theory, Self-Regulation Theory and Interest Theory. All three of these theories have helpful aspects to promote Calvin's motivation in school and the classroom.
Curriculum (Caitlin Smith)
There are a few things that could be change in the curriculum to help with Calvin and his motivation in the classroom. Calvin is extremely motived in other things outside the classroom. Using the Self-Regulation theory we can help increase Calvin's motivation in the classroom. Self-Regulation Theory helps with motivation with providing individualistic feedback to help regulated the learning. We student get that feedback from you in return will have the student be motivated to learn the subjects in the classroom. The Zimmerman Triangle is a small but useful tool to help Calvin develop Self-Regulation.
Plan It!: Before you give Calvin an assignment in class ask him this questions:
What needs to get done on this assignment Calvin?
What do you want to learn about in this assignment Calvin?
Why are you completing this assignment Calvin?
Do It!: While Calvin is completing the assignment in class pause and ask him this questions:
Are you focusing your attention on the assignment Calvin?
How completed is the assignment at this time Calvin?
Reflect on it!: After Calvin has completed the assignment in class ask him this questions:
How well do you think you did on this assignment Calvin?
Are you happy with your performance on this assignment Calvin?
After while practicing the Zimmerman Triangle with Calvin he will be able to do this by himself and his motivation would increase to complete and pay attention to the subjects that you are teaching in the classroom.
Like stated before Calvin is curious and and motivated to learn about things that he likes and it interested in. Using Interest Theory can help Calvin as well in the classroom. Interest Theory states that students will be more motivated to learn about subject if it is something that they are interested in. Calvin is really interested in snakes and dinosaurs. Using aspects of Interest Theory you can incorporated snakes and dinosaurs in the subjects that you are teaching. For example coming up with math examples that have snakes and dinosaurs in them will help Calvin become more interested and motivated in the classroom.
Instruction ( Ashley Kettle)
There are some things that you can do in your classroom to help Calvin truly thrive. Such as adding more open-ended discussions in your lessons. Allow there to be room for creative thoughts. Calvin is an inquisitive boy who may need a little bit more freedom in his education. The Self-Determination Theory focuses on true self-motivation, but internally and externally, just like the Interest Theory, which focuses on those and how they are going to actively engage in the classroom. The children will often get bored or be uninterested in what is being asked of them if they do have any motivation to do it.
When coming up with your activities, ask yourself if there is any openness to them. Are there options to create a more diverse and open-ended format? Is there room in your curriculum for self-directed motivation or intrinsic motivation?
One way you can ensure that all your students are getting the motivation they need is by allowing creative options. Some examples you can do to give your students a more open-ended format is by giving them lots of options to chose from. Allow them to pick which one they find to be more interesting. For example, instead of having all your students write you a paper, allow them to create a comic strip based on the information you want from the paper. For Calvin, this will allow him to do what he enjoys while showing you what he's picked up from the lessons.
Another great thing that you can add when giving your instructions or lesson is to allow the children to create extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is targeted towards tangible rewards or verbal praise. You can have tickets that you hand out to students who are showing that they are actively listening or participating. These tickets can get you a prize from a box or coloring sheet. You can also actively watch all the students, and when you notice someone showing they are listening or answering questions, you can give them verbal praise such as "Wow, I really like how Calvin is being such an active listener" or "I really liked that answer; can you explain more on it?". These little things can do so much for a child. Showing them that you notice what they are doing can give them a lot of encouragement and extrinsic motivation to continue.
Change the method of how you approach your curriculum to make it more engaging and interesting for them. Allow them to come up with creative ways to do projects. Instead of just giving the lesson and homework, make it more interactive. For math, you can do small groups where one group does whiteboard questions, the second group does a math game on the capet, and the third group does a fun math worksheet. This allows there to be some dimension for the learning.
I have noticed that Calvin is a very energetic boy who may need a break from learning and to move his body. For this, you can have movement breaks, which are typically about only 3 minutes or less; this allows all the children to get that energy out. GoNoodle is a free website that has tons of videos for you, whether it's a quick dance movement, yoga, or holiday-themed race. These videos are short and have a mix for what you are looking for. You can play one of the dancing videos or themed activities/races when the class is getting antsy and needing to move. While the yoga videos can be great for calming everyone down after lunch or recess.
Classroom Management (Alex Saucedo)
While observing your classroom I've noticed the lack of interest from the students, especially with Calvin. Looking at it from a psychological standpoint, promoting interest in the classroom can create a more engaged and motivated learning experience for students. The interest theory emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation and triggering student's interest. Interest stems from the interaction between the individual and the environment. Interest development in split into 2 categories, Situational and Individual interest. Situational interest is interest that is triggered and interest is maintained. An example of this in a classroom setting could be turning what you're learning into a game. When I was in elementary school when we were learning new vocabulary words and we would play this game called "sparkle". We would stand in a circle and letter by letter we would spell out words. If you messed up the spelling you were out, and if you completed the word you say "sparkle!". Individual interest is emerging individual interest and well developed individual interest. An example of this is giving students creative freedom for projects . If I'm teaching history and I have a student in class who has a talent for drawing you could encourage them to create a visual representation of a historical event for a project.
Some suggestions to help increase student interest in the classroom include:
Offer meaningful choices to students
Use well organized text
Encourage students to be active learners
Connecting text to the students
Considering problem based learning
Implementing contexts evoking prior knowledge
I think it is important to address that Calvin was not a bad student. Calvin was a very intelligent kid who wasn't interested in the material he was learning. Associating lack of interest with misbehavior can be quite detrimental to the success of the student. Instead of blaming Calvin and saying "he should pay attention more", maybe start reflecting on what can you as the teacher peak interest for your student who is struggling with the material. As an educator it can be difficult to cater to every single student, but building connections with the material and your students is a place to start. It is important to peak interest in the classroom!