Chapter 11 QtC's

Of course, I see positive aspects in many theories of motivation and believe that implementing a combination of several of them in my classroom will be the most effective way of reaching all the students with various levels of intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. To meet the students’ need for arousal, I could find out what interests different students and allow them at appropriate times. For example, I could have 30 minutes of free reading every Friday, or let students listen to music while they take tests if they want.  To instill self-efficacy in my students, I could begin the semester with easy topics such as grammar and progressively move on to more difficult subjects after the students feel competent and confident in the easy subject. To encourage self-determination, I could offer many choices; for example, I could have a list of good literature with a summary and background information so students can individually choose what sounds interesting to do a book report on. Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy of Needs was also helpful in aiding me to break down the different facets of needs that must be addressed when I think about motivating my students. Finally, the focus on having students create goals was particularly instructive. In high-school, I remember my swim coach’s most effective tool in motivating me was to get me to physically write down goals I had for the next meet, by the end of the month, and by the end of the season.  There was nothing more enjoyable than meeting a goal, and nothing more motivating than just missing a goal. These were examples of performance goals, but I have also experienced mastery goals by being proud of myself for understanding a concept or achieving a level of knowledge about a topic. I would like to be intentional about having my students and I join in a contract of goals so that I may keep them accountable and can celebrate with them when goals are achieved.