Introduction
It's more fun to teach engaged students and teachers always look for strategies and activities that will make students eager to learn more. But at the same time as teachers our instinct is toward greater control and students have only two reactions to control: Azzam (2014) interviewed well-known author Daniel Pink, Who claims that kids either comply or defy their teachers. We don't want students defy nor compliance. We want kids to be engaged.
In this essay I will briefly discuss differences between engagement and compliance and then some approaches regarding motivation and conclude by answering the question of whether or not it is possible to always motivate students?
Compliance and Engagement Compliant learners follow directions,
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They tend to focus on the learning and even go beyond. They also demand immediate attention because of their deep connection to the subject and question.
According to Wormeli (2014) " teachers need to know that motivation is something we create with students, not something we do to them. We can control student's behaviour through rewards or threats, but we can't use those methods to motivate that student to do anything he or she doesn't already want to do".(pp. 26-31).
As teachers we should have the mindset of having a classroom culture that encourage curiosity in which students feel safe to engage in the activity or topic without fear of embarrassment or rejection. We need to design classroom practices around securing real engagement.(Wormeli,2014,p 27)
And also we should be aware of lack of tools or the tasks or worrying of failure in unmotivated student. We should consider other factors that we don't know and sometime we can't have any control on it. Maybe something is going on at home or they are challenging and struggling with some emotional or physical changes.
Approaches that do
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Conclusion There is no such a thing as laziness. Children are developmentally ready for learning things that are intellectually and physically advanced . (Wormeli,2014,p.27) If a student looks unengaged or unmotivated it might be lack of the tools or having difficulties at home.
It's not always possible to make learning customize for s student and differentiation is hard to do. And teachers would probably need to have smaller class size which is more expensive. They also need more time and resources to develop lesson plans and customization. It's inconvenient for adults because it requires more work and money. We can't ask for engaged learners when our policies and practices tend to focus on producing compliant learners.(Azzam,2014,p.14)
At some level, compliance is a lot easier for the people at the very top of an education system. It's a lot more convenient if you have compliant teachers and students. And management is all about getting compliance. But we need something beyond management. We have to create the conditions in which students can tap their own inner
A widely observed behavior in students is their decrease in motivation. Many will label students as being ‘lazy’ or ‘careless’ with their work when in reality multiple factors are influencing their motivation to do well in school. Two kinds of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic, are the primary influences on how students behave in school. Intrinsic motivation is very important because it is what makes students want to learn more because the reward is self-satisfaction and enjoyment in the tasks they are doing. If a student is more motivated by extrinsic motives it means they are working by external pressures or constraints such as grades. These students will tend to show more signs of extrinsic motivation, which in turn decreases intrinsic motivation. This decrease in intrinsic motivation is what sets many students apart from their seemingly more successful peers. In a study done by Henderlong and Lepper in 2002, it was shown that too much focus on extrinsic values leads to an overall decrease to perform in school because the intrinsic motivation has decreased. This also shows that intrinsic motivation is in fact what leads to students being motivated in school and in the classroom. Overall, intrinsic motivation is crucial to student wellness in terms of behavior, academics, and emotional wellbeing. Authoritative figures in the classroom such as teachers have the most influence on student motivation whether they are aware of it or not. This being said teachers
Engaged learning, within a highly supportive environment, enables our students to develop strong communication skills, excel within collaborative settings, effectively address complex problems with innovative solutions, and lead with integrity and compassion throughout their lives and careers in a diverse and rapidly changing world.
After working very well on his math packet for the first half hour, one student did not want to work on our project of the day, a lenticular print made from folded paper. Even though the first step was only drawing two pictures to use for the project, this student did not want to participate. This confused me; he had been focused on his math, but as soon as the material became what I assumed to be more “fun” and engaging, he lost interest. I tried a few different methods to motivate him, as did some of the staff, but we were unable to get him to really engage in the project. I noticed that I value participation and effort more than how many questions a student gets correct. Grades are definitely important, but I would rather have engaged students who try their best and get a range of grades, because I know that engaged students will improve greatly if they are taught well. I also saw this in my previous job. Students who were not motivated did not progress quickly, while students who were, even those who were years behind, made fast progress. Thus, I think one of my most important tasks as a teacher will be learning to motivate students and help them to engage with
This type of motivation is influenced heavily by rewards and external incentives. It also implies the notion that “I have to do something” in order to be compliant with what someone else wants me to do. It is a motivation that is primarily influenced by the hope of attaining tangible items such as prizes, special privileges, or money. Although Drive implies the heavy use of Motivation 2.0 by the corporate world, Pink also draws attention to the fact that schools typically operate under this mode, as well, and that it can have detrimental effects on our students and on learning, in general. Motivation 2.0 is also referred to in the book as the “Carrots and Sticks Approach”, and although it may yield positive results in the short-term, the repeated or incorrect use of extrinsic rewards can actually work against what educators are trying to achieve in terms of truly motivating their students.
When teaching students (following an initial student assessment) I plan various methods to ensure all students are engaged within the learning process. This can be practical involvement, paired and group work, problem solving, reflection and writing notes. During this time, I am able to continually assess the learning progress through observation, written and oral questions, completion of work books and by using peer and self- assessment. I engage the students by using various mediums, video
In the beginning of the semester, I had little knowledge on how to engage students in a lesson. I have learned that there are numerous methods to improve student engagement, but these methods vary with different classes. In the first lesson, I found that the students were “extremely distracted and inattentive” at various points in the lesson. In order to encourage student engagement in this specific class, I found that hands on activities were effective. The students had a short attention span and I found that spending less time on each part of the lesson also improved the students attention and engagement. Keeping students engaged in a lesson is a skill that will improve with experience. I included the image of the raised hands to symbolize how I have developed this skill throughout the
Students desire to be active participants in their learning. This drive can be promoted when students are allowed to explore
I may often guide my students as they approach problems, encourage them to work in groups to think about questions and issues, and support them with advice as they tackle adventures, problems, and challenges that are embedded in real life situations that are both satisfying to my students and interesting in terms of the result of their work. I believe that learning is promoted and supported through collaboration among learners and teachers. As a result, learning become easy to occur in the lesson when we incorporate these approaches. I strongly believe that it is in interaction with others that children learn how to think. It is important to give students the opportunity to become responsible for their own learning, and this will allow students to be more likely to be self-motivated and develop self- efficacy. As students interact with their environment, they connect information learned through experience to prior knowledge, and so build new knowledge and understandings. As an educator, I recognise the value of the experience and knowledge that learners bring to the classroom context. It is my responsibility and role to provide experience that assist learners to further their existing knowledge of the world (Duchesne et al,
As I pursue teaching, one of my main focuses is on content. Content should be age appropriate for students, but at the same time, it should be challenging. Students should feel they are pushing themselves without feeling that it is impossible. I aim that with the content I will be teaching that my students will be engaged since engaging content leads to higher retention rates. School curriculum, often, can be restrictive on what content teachers are allowed to administer to their students, however, I will find inventive ways to teach my students more than just what is required.
linger after class in order to discuss high-minded themes and perspectives found within a studied text.
Engagement within the classroom is vital because it is directly associated with reading achievement (Ivey & Johnston, 2013). Engagement within the classroom proves to be most effective when it emphasizes interest, enjoyment, and enthusiasm (Parsons et al, 2014). As stated by Skinner and Pitzer (2012), “engagement is a robust predictor of students’ learning, grades, achievement test scores, retention, and graduation” (p.21). Engagement is the only way for students to be academically successful, and learn continuously (2012).
In education, student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education. Student engagement is not one variable but six and may be discussed in schools as intellectual engagement, emotional engagement, behavioral engagement, physical engagement, social engagement, and cultural engagement ( Hidden Curriculum). To get students engaged intellectually teachers should create lessons, assignments, and projects that appeal to students interests or simulate curiosity ( Hidden Curriculum). Providing students with academic choices in the classroom is another
Engagement – the fact of being involved with something – (Cambridge dictionary online) is a vague term; it is poorly defined and it is difficult to measure. Student engagement is more than not skipping class, or to pay attention to a lesson; it requires dedication, and feeling of sense. Acting without feeling engaged is just involvement, without being really committed. A student who is not participating but quiet may be as disengaged as the one who is talking or the student who didn’t attend a class (Trowley, 2010). An engaged student is the one who is curious, intrigued, and constantly seems thrilled by a new challenge. Researchers categorized the different types of engagement into three categories that will be explained in the next few points
5). Further, “When teachers use effective practices, they maximize the probability that students will be actively engaged in instruction. Student engagement is one of the most well-established predictors of achievement…” (Harbour et al., 2015, p. 5).
Keeping students engaged during instruction is not only crucial for their style of learning, but is also a vital part of classroom management on the educators part. Students that are engaged in their education are less likely to create disciplinary issues within the classroom setting. Consequently, compared to less engaged peers, engaged students demonstrate more effort, experience emotions that are more positive and pay more attention in the classroom (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004). Educators must develop lesson plans that are simplistic, engaging, and relevant to students on a daily basis. Lesson plans should not be developed in a manner that does not provide adequate time to absorb new material nor actively engage in a productive manner in which students will learn and retain information. Classroom management is a way to ensure that a classroom is efficiently and effectively