While creating my ePortfolio, I spent many hours reflecting on my proficiency as a

teacher and the knowledge I have gained through my graduate program. I have learned
throughout my courses that motivation, teaching methods, and classroom management strategies
all influence students academic performance.
Teachers can and do impact student motivation (Anderman & Anderman, 2010, p. 2). I
believe this statement is true and that teachers can make a difference in how well students are
performing academically. When students have a rapport with their teacher that involves respect,
understanding, and compassion, they are more apt to be invested in their learning. Teachers
expectations of their students performance plays a key role in the student/teacher relationship.
Students need to feel valued and to understand that their teacher believes in their ability to
succeed; when this is occurring in a classroom, I believe students have a greater motivation to
learn. Motivation is not only affected by teachers and their perceptions of their students, but can
also depend on the teaching methods being used in the classroom.
To be a teacher, it is crucial to understand that not all students learn through the same
instructional approaches or styles. When teachers take the time to build rapports with their
students, they begin to understand and recognize the individual strengths and weaknesses of their
students. Students are not all going to be motivated to participate and learn using the same
teaching methods. Tomlinson (2001) writes differentiated instruction provides MULTIPLE
APPROACHES to content, process, and product (p. 4). In order to help keep students
motivated and interested in their learning, instruction needs to be differentiated. When students
are given the chance to learn through methods that best meet their individual needs they feel
more confident. With confidence comes autonomy and motivation to continue to do well and
succeed. For differentiated instruction to be successful there needs to be effective classroom
management.
Classroom management can be handled in many different ways, but it needs to be
effective at creating an environment where students feel comfortable and safe to learn. When
students are in a classroom where they know the expectations and feel like they are an important
part of the community, then they are more likely to care and be interested in what is going on
within the classroom. These are characteristics that lead to increased student motivation.
Without organized classroom management it will be difficult for teachers to build rapports, and
certainly a challenge to successfully implement differentiated instruction.
These three elements of proficient teaching complement one another, and without one the
other two cannot be as effective. It is clear that student performance is directly related to and
affected by motivation, teaching methods, and classroom management strategies. When these
three components by successfully implemented within a classroom, students are more likely to
be successful in their learning.
As I continue to reflect on my learning experience at UNE, Im thrilled to say that my
education here has been successful. I started with an intrinsic motivation to learn and do well,
but I believe throughout my courses I have continually been encouraged by my professors and
colleagues to work hard and succeed. I have found that all my courses took into account
different instructional approaches, and I loved the opportunities to share my learning through
different means. I also feel each of my courses was organized and managed in such a way, even
being online, that I felt comfortable sharing and being myself. I believe that my academic
performance has been so successful because the three teaching elements I wrote about above
were effectively in place throughout my educational experience here.

References
Anderman, E.M., & Anderman L.H. (2010). Classroom motivation. Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Tomlinson, C.A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.