Motivation
Woolfolk defines motivation as "an internal state that arouses, directs, and maintains behavior" (p.463). The key word in this definition is "internal"; it is something from within a person that drives them to perform at their fullest potential. It is the emotions that are experienced that motivate a person to overcome challenges into becoming successful. An example, is a pro-basketball player desiring to become the best because of the emotions that arose when playing basketball, simply having love for the game. When reading about motivation in chapter 12, the manner in which we are educating students in today's society was brought to mind. I believe there are various teaching methods that provide space for student motivation based on the connections made between the students and learning content, but underneath this superficial motivation, comes external motivations, grades and test scores, that initially forces students' motivation to learn. With basing students' motivation in regards to grade point averages and test scores, the "internal state" of motivation is being somewhat lost, students natural curiosity to learn about their world is lost when politics and administrators are impelling a rushed curriculum on both teachers and students. I believe it is important to find these natural needs and motivations to learn with following the students needs and interests. As a future educator, I aim to devise a curriculum plan that meets the students' educational needs and elicits a natural motivation to learn.
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Module 3
Behavior is a learned through social interactions, and the reactions toward a certain behavior pose it as favorable or unfavorable. As Woolfolk suggests, behavior can be shaped according to the expectations of the social setting. One way to shape a behavior is through "positive practice" or encouraging a person to replace an unfavorable behavior with a desirable action. I believe "positive practice" is another way of redirecting a person to choose a pleasant action. It does not shame the students for committing an error instead it influences other agreeable choices that lead to desirable behaviors. For example, a students runs from one side of the class to other in search of required materials. The teacher simply responds with acknowledging how fast the student moved throughout the classroom and suggests "I see that you can run really fast, but I want to see if you put away your things with walking and moving so carefully without bumping into anything or anyone". The teacher is encouraging a "positive practice" with acknowledging the negative action of running and encouraging the student to walk carefully within the classroom. This method of "positive practice" is used quite frequently within the classroom I work in. I will say ,although, it does not work for all behaviors, it still is an effective approach for positive behavior within the classroom. I feel when students are given harsh feedback for a mistake; it may heighten the situation in making the student and teacher upset and responding in an aggressive manner. Redirection and positive practice promote a peaceful and positive learning environment.
Mod 5
Way to go guys! We did it!!
Chapter 12 has hands down been my favorite chapter to analyze. There was so much to learn about from intrinsic to extrinsic motivation and students attitudes towards school. Maslow's Hierarchy of needs was an extremely interesting section to read. Self-actualization, or the fulfillment of one's own potential is the ultimate need that everyone should strive for, but it can not be reached until both the lower and higher level needs are met. Working in a special education classroom has taught me that not everyone has the capabilities to fulfill these needs, and that is why I think my role in the classroom is so important. Not only is it is my job to motivate my students to achieve their goals, but I have to help them learn how to set achievable goals for themselves.
Work avoidance goals are a particularly big challenge for me and my one on one student right now. Woolfolk defines work- avoidant learners as "students who don't want to learn or to look smart, but just want to avoid work." Although my student is considered one of the higher functioning students in the class according to his cognitive ability, he hates any assignment that involves exerting a little effort. It does not matter what the task at hand, whether it's related to his academic work, job skills, or even personal hygiene, he is content with constantly trying to avoid work. Originally I had thought he would for sure run out of ideas on how he can distract himself, but lately it has gotten so bad that he has been asking to take bathroom breaks that last for over fifteen minutes. To accommodate his work avoidant attitude, I decided to create his own bathroom passes. My goal is for us to create two scheduled routine bathroom breaks through out the day that are not in the middle of class periods.
It is also my own personal goal to try to get him to adopt a growth mindset. A part of me feels like he is constantly trying to avoid work because he does not want to make mistakes or break any habits that do not support his learning. I want to get him excited about challenging himself to learn new things instead of avoiding them out of fear of failure.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope you all enjoy your time off
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope you all enjoy your time off
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Module 5_Porter
Hi Guys! It’s our last week, can you
believe it?!
I was really intrigued by the reading
this week. Although, I found it to be difficult to complete all of it on time
while trying to do my test analysis! One of the concepts in this week’s reading
that interested me was figure 12.1 on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in chapter 12
(Woolfolk, 2019, p. 466). I have always been interested by this topic, so I was
excited that it was in our reading this week. It always annoyed me when
teachers would get frustrated with certain students in class, not knowing that
they had outside factors that affected them so much and caused them to not be
able to focus in class. Their physiological needs or even safety needs are not
being met. It is impossible for a student to focus on geometry if they haven’t
eaten all day or if they are worrying where they are going to sleep that night.
That is why it is incredibly important for teachers to know background
information on their students and understand their struggles.
Another thing I found very
important in this week’s reading was the discussion about reflective teachers.
Woolfolk defines them as “Thoughtful and inventive. Reflective teachers think
back over situations to analyze what they did and why, and to consider how they
might improve learning for their students” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 553). It has a
huge effect on students when their teacher is a reflective teacher. If a
teacher realizes something they do in their classroom is not working or helping
their students, and they choose not to change it, they are doing a huge
disservice to their students. We are supposed to educate them to the best of
our ability and always encourage them to strive for success. If we do not give
them to tools to do that, we are failing them.
Throughout this entire week’s
reading, I think my favorite part was figure 14.9 in chapter 14. It is all
about “Teacher Expectations and Instruction” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 583). It
explains what a classroom with low expectations looks like and what a classroom
with high expectations looks like. Then it describes the relationships and
interactions that occur in each type of class. The classroom with high
expectations has more time for questions to be asked and answered, more teacher
praise, and more warmth from the teacher. This has a HUGE effect on students. I’m
sure you all have been in both of these types of classes at some point in your
lives, and we can probably all attest to the fact that high expectation classes
are much more enjoyable to be part of. Nobody wants to be part of a class where
the teacher never smiles, and it feels as if there is just not enough time. In
my future classroom, I will definitely have high expectations, in hopes that it
will create a more enjoyable environment for my students.
It has been a pleasure being in class with all of you!
Steph
Module 5
Module 5: Chapters 12, 14, and 15
Chapter 12 started by explaining what motivation is. It described how in psychology motivation focuses on five questions. It then proceeded to explain about needs and self-determination, Maslow called four lower-level needs deficiency needs which are survival, safety, belonging and self-esteem. Once they are met the motivation for fulfilling them decreases. What stood out to me in this chapter is how goals are most motivating when they are specific and attainable. When I make specific goals that are difficult yet attainable, I get very motivated to accomplish it. On the other hand if I make a general goal, I do not attain it most of the time.
Chapter 14, started with research on teaching and what methods have been used to study teaching. It then talks about what makes a good teacher, generally teachers that get proper training and certifications tend to perform better. I worked at a pre-school center at that time I had my associate and was in school for my education degree. They used to hire teachers that do not have any college background to avoid paying them too much, and their lack of capabilities was very easy to point out. The teachers that were certified were very few, however they were much more knowledgeable and better at teaching.
Chapter 15 talked about, basic assessments and how testing was creating in the twentieth century, and that is not what was used before to determine college admittance. Classroom assessment and testing is one thing I need to wrap around my head as a teacher, since I believe it is very important to assess students to see where they are at as of comprehension. However, stressing on grades so much wipes creativity. I do see that in the elementary years, grades are not very significant to not stress students they use numbers instead. However, in the secondary and college years I believe are too pressuring that I do most of my work because I want to pass my classes rather than wanting to learn. As a teacher I would want my students to meet standards smoothly without stressing them with grades the majority of the times, and also keep their creativity intact.
Chapter 12 started by explaining what motivation is. It described how in psychology motivation focuses on five questions. It then proceeded to explain about needs and self-determination, Maslow called four lower-level needs deficiency needs which are survival, safety, belonging and self-esteem. Once they are met the motivation for fulfilling them decreases. What stood out to me in this chapter is how goals are most motivating when they are specific and attainable. When I make specific goals that are difficult yet attainable, I get very motivated to accomplish it. On the other hand if I make a general goal, I do not attain it most of the time.
Chapter 14, started with research on teaching and what methods have been used to study teaching. It then talks about what makes a good teacher, generally teachers that get proper training and certifications tend to perform better. I worked at a pre-school center at that time I had my associate and was in school for my education degree. They used to hire teachers that do not have any college background to avoid paying them too much, and their lack of capabilities was very easy to point out. The teachers that were certified were very few, however they were much more knowledgeable and better at teaching.
Chapter 15 talked about, basic assessments and how testing was creating in the twentieth century, and that is not what was used before to determine college admittance. Classroom assessment and testing is one thing I need to wrap around my head as a teacher, since I believe it is very important to assess students to see where they are at as of comprehension. However, stressing on grades so much wipes creativity. I do see that in the elementary years, grades are not very significant to not stress students they use numbers instead. However, in the secondary and college years I believe are too pressuring that I do most of my work because I want to pass my classes rather than wanting to learn. As a teacher I would want my students to meet standards smoothly without stressing them with grades the majority of the times, and also keep their creativity intact.
Module 4
Chapter 9: Meta cognition and Reaching Every Student
Metacognition is the awareness an individual has about their own thought processes; the Woolfolk text refers to this as “Cognition about Cognition” or “Thinking about Thinking.” Metacognition is a complex system of learning and thought. So, metacognition is higher-order knowledge about your own thinking as well as your ability to use this knowledge to manage your own cognitive processes—such as comprehension or problem solving (Brazilai & Zohar, 2014).
The Woolfolk text identifies three “essential” metacognitive skills: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Once an individual decides what it they want to accomplish or learn, they can begin to take the steps to plan out how they will execute their desired task and reach its outcome. This involves time management, specific strategies and resources, and what order to place all of this information in—this is the planning stage of metacognition. The next stage is the monitoring stage, that involves “real-time awareness.” During this stage, one evaluates their progress: Are they grasping the concept? Is their speed through-out the process too fast or too slow? Evaluation is the third stage of metacognition. During this stage the learner “involves making judgements about the processes and outcomes of thinking and learning (Woolfolk 2019).”
As a learner I have used various strategies to increase my learning capabilities. Metacognition has always been a tool of mine—long before I knew the technical term. I have always made an effort to be self-aware of my learning and to consider my own thought processes. As a child, one of the first reading techniques I was taught (by my mother) was to skim the text for important information, later I learned that skimming for important information was a strategy used in metacognition. As a “loner” who struggled in school, I learned the importance of “self-teaching.” If I was going to learn the information, I had to think of the various ways I retained information. I have always evaluated and re-evaluated through-out my student life. I believe metacognition and all that it entails is basis for the most important tools in learning.
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten,” this philosophy by American phycologist/behaviorist B.F. Skinner is right on target with learning and understanding the individual differences in metacognition. The Woolfolk text explains that the purpose of a lesson may be lost on our youngest learners— “Younger children, for example, may not be aware of the purpose of a lesson—they may think the point is simply to finish.” Younger students who do not yet understand the purpose of learning a concept may believe that they are only to learn the information to “get through” the lesson. What these students learns from the lesson is stored in their short-term memory and is forgotten without frequent practice. The best way to reach and truly educate these students is to help them understand why it is important to learn and retain the information they are using—their “real-world” applications. The most common way I have observed metacognition within the classroom setting is by the use of “KWL charts;” I have seen these charts used in classrooms as young as pre-k.
K= What do I know about the subject.
W= What I want to know, or what I wonder about the subject.
L= What I learned about the subject.
This chart is a great strategy to expand on the students’ understanding and expansion of the subject. Children are full of wonder, when an educator inquires about a student’s interest—that’s where education truly begins.
The Woolfolk text identifies three “essential” metacognitive skills: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Once an individual decides what it they want to accomplish or learn, they can begin to take the steps to plan out how they will execute their desired task and reach its outcome. This involves time management, specific strategies and resources, and what order to place all of this information in—this is the planning stage of metacognition. The next stage is the monitoring stage, that involves “real-time awareness.” During this stage, one evaluates their progress: Are they grasping the concept? Is their speed through-out the process too fast or too slow? Evaluation is the third stage of metacognition. During this stage the learner “involves making judgements about the processes and outcomes of thinking and learning (Woolfolk 2019).”
As a learner I have used various strategies to increase my learning capabilities. Metacognition has always been a tool of mine—long before I knew the technical term. I have always made an effort to be self-aware of my learning and to consider my own thought processes. As a child, one of the first reading techniques I was taught (by my mother) was to skim the text for important information, later I learned that skimming for important information was a strategy used in metacognition. As a “loner” who struggled in school, I learned the importance of “self-teaching.” If I was going to learn the information, I had to think of the various ways I retained information. I have always evaluated and re-evaluated through-out my student life. I believe metacognition and all that it entails is basis for the most important tools in learning.
K= What do I know about the subject.
W= What I want to know, or what I wonder about the subject.
L= What I learned about the subject.
This chart is a great strategy to expand on the students’ understanding and expansion of the subject. Children are full of wonder, when an educator inquires about a student’s interest—that’s where education truly begins.
Module 2
Chapter 4 discusses learning differences and the learning needs of students. This includes learning styles, IQ and intelligence, students with learning challenges such as learning or intellectual disabilities, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, RTI's, IEPs, the importance of creativity, and gifted students. One of the concepts that really stood out to me can be found on pages 149-149 and talks about learned helplessness. I never knew that this term existed and when I was reading, I could not believe how relatable this term was to me at one point. I do have a learning disability, and it was something that took me a long time to accept because I felt stigmatized by it. There have been times where I felt like I was experiencing learned helplessness. I knew many classmates who have felt the same way. What helped me to overcome this issue was the intervention of direct instruction. Looking back, I am so thankful that my teachers took time out of their busy day to assist me in understanding their content. This inspires me to be the type of teacher that will adapt their lessons to meet the learning needs of their students.
Chapter 5 discusses topics related to language development, language diversity, and teaching immigrant students who are ELLs. These topics include how and when language develops, diversity in language development, students with language disabilities, dialects and teachers, to name a few. The existence of the cultural deficient model (on pages 195-196) stood out to me. This is because it offends me that this concept was ever implemented in schools. However, I understand it was a product of the time. I am thankful it is not the case today. However, through my experience, I have seen some teachers with this mindset still to this day. This bothers me for two reasons. One is that shows the teacher is not adapting to the times. Secondly, it does not provide an accepting atmosphere for immigrant students. I believe in inclusivity, respect, and multiculturalism. I will bring those beliefs into my future classroom.
Chapter 5 discusses topics related to language development, language diversity, and teaching immigrant students who are ELLs. These topics include how and when language develops, diversity in language development, students with language disabilities, dialects and teachers, to name a few. The existence of the cultural deficient model (on pages 195-196) stood out to me. This is because it offends me that this concept was ever implemented in schools. However, I understand it was a product of the time. I am thankful it is not the case today. However, through my experience, I have seen some teachers with this mindset still to this day. This bothers me for two reasons. One is that shows the teacher is not adapting to the times. Secondly, it does not provide an accepting atmosphere for immigrant students. I believe in inclusivity, respect, and multiculturalism. I will bring those beliefs into my future classroom.
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