1. Do you think the students in your cohort classroom are more intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated? Why?
-I believe my class was more extrinsically motivated. It seemed that most of the time, the students were trying to complete a more boring project in order to do projects that were more fun like coloring or being a checker. There were also times in the lessons themselves where it seemed like the students had to do a part of the lesson that was less fun in order to move on to the end of the lesson which was the activity.
2. How are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation affected by rewards and praise?
-when students are learning through intrinsic motivation, it is important for teachers to be very carful with their rewards because they may make the students learning become extrinsic rather then intrinsic (they are doing the work to get the reward)
-When it comes to extrinsic motivation, rewards and praise are usually the main things that make this motivation work. Extrinsic motivation is where students are being motivated due to external rewards such as reward parties, stickers, a positive complement from the teacher, etc. Therefore, rewards and praises become one of the main roots that allow extrinsic motivation to work.
3. Why do expectancies and values influence student motivation?
-when a student expects something of themselves, there are going to be more willing to work harder to achieve that expectation because that goal is something that they feel they should be able to do or want to do. Same thing goes for values. If a student has a high value on something, they will do more to complete that task that they value since it is something that interests them. Yet at the same time, having low expectancies and values will have the reverse effect on students in that they will work less or not be motivated to accomplish a task.
4. Describe some examples of student-level and classroom-level strategies for increasing motivation that you saw in the classroom?
-Student-level- One type of motivation I saw on the student level was the job of being a checker. If a student was able to complete a task first and did it correctly, they were given the job to check all the other students work for that assignment. Many times the students would also be rewarded with a piece of candy for when they worked hard on their projects.
-Classroom-level- For a classroom motivation, the students were motivated with the knowledge that if they were good, they would get a reward party. In the back of the room was a paper party clock that the teacher would move every so often when the students were good. When the hand got to 12:00, the students got a party. Because of this knowledge, the students as a class were motivated to behave well and work hard so that they could get a party.
5. Of the behavioral, cognitive, and self-worth motivation theories, with which theory do you most agree and why?
-I agree with the self-worth motivation theory the most. I believe that students need to know that they have abilities and that they themselves can complete task and be competent in them. Now this does not mean that we should protect a students feelings at all cost, but it does mean that we should have a focus that is directed at helping a student have a greater self worth.
the self-worth theory seems the most agreeable to me too. I think all the students can do well if they simply put forth the effort, and recognize that they can do well.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts on your thoughts on #3: I liked what you wrote about values and expectancies, and I was also thinking that there is an added dimension to this concept. That is, priorities.
ReplyDeleteSince today I seem to be in the mood to argue with the textbook (something I do a lot of, by the way), I found that what bothered me about all of these theories--wasn't so much a flaw with the theories themselves, but with their applications in the classroom. That is to say, it seems rather impertinent for a teacher to say that his/her class, the learning goals in that class, in short, what the school system thinks is important, must be the most important to the students as well.
I don't know if I'm making sense or not, but it seems that a student who has good priorities can sometimes be described as being problematically-unmotivated, when, in fact, said student is merely focusing on what he/she feels is more important.
Hope I kinda made sense there.
That is all.
I think. ;)
Interesting thoughts Mariah. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about the self worth theory. It seems to me that if a student is confident with an assignment or project that they are working on, this is not only boast their self confidence, but also their self worth. That they can complete the tasks under various circumstances that the teachers assigns.
ReplyDeleteI found that my students also seemed to work in order to get to a more fun part, either a center or part of the day. They seemed excited about the centers, but I think it may have been more to socialize with friends then to do the work. I don't see this as bad, though. The kids have to learn these things no matter what, and they are not always the most intrinsically motivating things to learn. So if there is a motivating factor in doing the work and learning other then the subject itself, I am okay with that. As long as they don't check out on school and refuse to do anything.
ReplyDelete