Motivation.Motivation is the guiding source for student success; if students are not engaged and do not want to learn, they are less likely to achieve. Our students have many different cultures and backgrounds, hobbies, needs, interests, and background knowledge. In an education system that tries to put students into a "one size meets all" category, it is our job as teachers to help our students to be motivated by instruction and to be engaged while creating a love for learning.
|
“Students must believe that they can read and that reading is worth learning how to do well.”
-Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer
-Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer
ChoiceAlthough it is important to provide students with books that reach their reading levels and connect to curriculum, it is incredibly important to allow students to choose books and writing topics they are passionate about. When students are held accountable for their learning, they are encouraged to do their best. Book choice allows students to broaden their knowledge of topics, genres, and personal interests which motivates them to continue to learn more. Students are more engaged and motivated to read or learn when they are able to write or read based on their wants and needs.
|
EnvironmentStudents should be provided with a safe and comfortable learning environment. Students should always feel safe in their classrooms and should want to come to school. A classroom full of 15-30 students is not a “one size fits all” environment. Students learn differently, therefore, we cannot teach all students using one type of teaching structure. Differentiation, multilevel approaches, text complexity, small group instruction, and various developmental approaches should be considered for students. Whole group, scripted instruction is not going to meet the needs of each student, instead, using phonics programs as one type of resource for student learning and incorporating other skills/strategies for differentiated learning will better benefit students. When students feel safe and their learning needs are met, they are more motivated and are better able to learn.
Below is a document regarding environment and community that I completed while in the class, ECI 524 Theory and Research in Global Learning, based on the book, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, written by Kwame Anthony Appiah. This document talks about how environment and community influence student learning. |
RelationshipsOne of the most important things I have learned while teaching and during this program is that forming strong relationships with your students is a necessity. Students should feel loved and have a trusting relationship with their teacher. Take interest in your students’ likes and dislikes, care about your children’s health and safety, make home visits and be sure to understand your children’s backgrounds or home life, work hard to help overcome students’ difficulties, motivate and encourage your students, find the potential in your students, and most importantly see your students as people, not test scores or grades.
|
TechnologyOur students live in a world where technology is a constant. They enjoy being able to use technology out of school and are engaged when using technology in school. Instead of directing students to put away their phones or iPads, because it is time to learn, educators should utilize these tools that are so accessible to create more learning opportunities for students. This program has pushed me to realize that we are no longer in a time where adding the use of technology as a second thought is enough, “Our schools have been teaching the skills and knowledge needed for an industrial economy, preparing our children to work only in the physical world. The challenge our schools must face is to begin teaching the skills and knowledge needed for the virtual economy” (Zhao. P.113). When given the opportunity, teachers should implement the use of technology to motivate student learning.
Below and to the right are two examples of using technology within the classroom to increase learning and motivation I have worked on throughout my graduate program. Below, is a research paper I completed during ECI 541 where I discovered how using blogs in the classroom can be a motivator for student writing. To the right, is a Project Based Instruction (PBI) project I completed with a colleague. We incorporated an app called Chatterpix Kids in a first/second grade classroom with the hopes of increasing students' comprehension. |
|
Celebrating SuccessesOne of the most important traits of a teacher is the ability to encourage, motivate, and believe in your students. In our classes, we discussed how celebrating any success, no matter how small or large can build students up. In order for students to be successful, we must help them believe that, “they can and they will.” Motivation within literacy drives reading comprehension (Pearson p. 110) and promotes a desire to read and read well. Although motivation is not mentioned in many standards of teaching, it is absolutely one of the most important factors of literacy and education in general. Five teaching practices that improve reading motivation are: assuring success, affording choices, arranging collaboration, emphasizing importance, and empowering a high reading volume (Pearson p. 120).
Pearson, P., & Hiebert, E. (2015). Research-based practices for teaching common core literacy. New York, New York: Teachers College Press. |