There
have been several ways that our CT has tried to motivate students to want to
learn and do homework. One technique, and maybe the most common, are what our
CT calls “Cool Points.” It’s really a type of currency for her classroom.
Students get “Cool Points” when they do something cool (i.e. turn in homework
assignments, come to Homework Zone after school, come in early at the beginning
of the day, etc.). They need to pay “Cool Points” when they do things that are
not cool (i.e. going to the bathroom in the middle of class, borrowing/forgetting
a pencil, going to their locker in the middle of class, etc.). Then whenever
they have five “Cool Points” they can turn those in to Miss Liibbe and they can
“buy” a pop. This is a really good motivation for students to keep their “Cool
Points”, to do homework, to not leave class and to keep remembering pencils and
things like that. The cool thing about this is that there is inflation on “Cool
Points” throughout the year. So when the second quarter starts, everything
doubles in price. Then when the next semester starts everything triples in
price from the beginning of the year, and so on. This helps Miss Liibbe to have
kids pay their “Cool Points sooner rather than later.
One
thing that the teacher does to make the lesson interesting for the students is to
have them use real life examples for any and all problems that have some
calculations embedded within them. For example, “Taylor Martinez pass
completion average is .7725. What is the probability that he will NOT complete
a pass?” So our CT pulls in things that the students can relate to and are
interested in already. This helps the students stay connected to the material.
The
teaching strategies that help the students maintain motivation throughout the
class period are these motivational speeches that can get students excited to
learn. Some days it is very apparent that the students do not care to learn, to
do homework or to even respect the teacher. So our CT will stop her lesson plan
or put something in at the beginning of class stating that the students need to
work and put forth their best effort. She warns that if they are not ready to
work hard and learn the things that she has set up for this lesson, then she
can always put them back into Pre-Algebra. This is when the students’ ears perk
up.
One
thing that I observed in the students’ behavior that gave me the impression
that they were motivated to learn was the apparent fact that the students love
their teacher. They really want to gain her favor and her attention. I think
that is a big motivating factor for these kids. They do not want to go back to
Pre-Algebra, not because they are too smart for it, but because they do not
want to leave Liibbe’s classroom.
Part 2 – Interview
How would you define
motivation? That’s a big question. Motivated students do things without asking because
there is some internal drive to do them. Some kids have external drives like
parents or sports, but the motivated kids have some internal drive to do them
without asking.
What is your role in motivating students to learn? That is a huge
role for teachers to do. In our CT’s opinion she does a curriculum that many
people do not like (cooperative learning), and her role is to make it something
that even if they do not like it they are still learning and connecting ideas.
She does this through relationship mainly. There are also grades that can
motivate, but a lot of kids do not care about that. Her expectations are
motivating to many kids as well.
What is the student’s role in being motivated to learn? Eventually,
they are going to come across a teacher they do not like or material they find
very difficult to grasp. This is where motivation is huge. They are going to
have to figure out how to motivate themselves. There is a lot of talk to kids
about what is beyond school. Why is this class important in the grand scheme of
things? They need to pass this class so that they can go on to bigger and
better things. Learning should not and will not stop here in middle school.
Are there teaching strategies that you have used that you feel
have worked to motivate students? Cooperative learning is huge. It is not just
based on the teacher, they are holding each other accountable. In order for a
structure to work every student has to be engaged and be a part of the
learning. So there is social interaction and the goal is to be successful.
Social barriers are broken down by cooperative learning.
Are there teaching strategies that you have used that you feel
have not worked to motivate students? Direct instruction has not worked for an
entire period, especially if they are strugglers. They do not just need to
watch math and take notes, they need to do math. They need to not be put on display,
but put in a group of four and help each other. It is not fun to take notes,
but sometimes direct instruction is necessary, but as little as possible.
Part 3 – Reflection
I think that one of the biggest
ways I will be motivating my students is through motivational speeches like the
ones my CT used. Sometimes it is necessary for kids just to be challenged and
given a goal to work toward. Even if they hate it, they can be motivated by
getting out of the class. I will not lower my expectations, but rather I will
motivate my students to reach them, however high they may or may not be. I think if I teach in a middle school I will
employ the use of “Cool Points.” It seems that from what I have seen, these
things work very well and get kids to respond when you want them to care about
what they are working toward. Lastly, I think another big way I can motivate my
students is by my relationship with them. I want to be available to them to
talk to me about things other than just course material. I think I have a gift
for that so building a relationship with the students can provide beneficial
for their motivation as well.
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