Our assignment this week was to create an infographic to summarize our assigned readings. I must say, this was probably one of my most favorite assignments to date. It allowed me an opportunity for creative demonstration of the learning that took place. I felt like I had control over how I would demonstrate said learning, and I was completely engaged in the activity. In short, I found this assignment highly motivating. 😁 (See what I did there?) Motivation is, according to the assigned reading, "...critical to learning and achieving..." (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. p. 109). The article identifies mindset as one of the most important factors pertaining to motivation, as well as. As an elementary school teacher, I couldn't agree more. We refer to it as building a "growth mindset" and truly believes it makes a difference in one's motivation and willingness to try hard things. The article also points out that students will work hard and be more invested if they truly understand the value in what they're being asked to do. Another factor that determines one's motivation is interest. One must be interested in the subject matter in order to be highly motivated. Choice and reward systems (both intrinsic and extrinsic) round out the factors affecting motivation according to the article. While there was much scholarly research included in the article, it basically reiterated what good teachers have known for a long time: Allowing students to have a voice (choice) in their assignments will increase their interest level thereby increasing their engagement and motivation to learn. For a closer look at my take-away points from chapter six, take a look at my infographic (below). Thanks for stopping by today!
Hey Pamela.
ReplyDeleteI found this week’s assignment to be through enjoyable as well. It seemed more straightforward and relevant to me (see what I did there). I also really enjoy that we get to reply to a chapter we didn’t read. It makes it less redundant. I can attest to numbers 1-5 being a significant factor for motivating students. I would personally place a student’s seeing “value” in their work towards the top. I teach a class that teaches students how to build tiny houses. When the house is finished, we auction it off, and the proceeds go back into the program. The students get to see this giant project-based assignment move closer to completion each day. They can see a tangible representation of the value of their work. It is an incredible motivator. Getting them to put their tools down at the end of the day is one of my more challenging tasks. They want to keep going. Self-efficiency is also a great motivator but takes a little more time to build. Students come to us thinking there is no way they can build a house. They can’t wrap their heads around it. But day by day, you see that confidence grow, and the student starts to show more interest and take more control of their task.