Module 2 Assignment: Motivation to Learn Caroline J.

Olen University of New England

Samuel Graham I. Samuel is a twelve year old sixth grade student. He is a well-liked and highly social young boy in school, he has been with the same class since beginning Kindergarten and his comfort level within that social setting is apparent. He is an ELL student, his native language and main language spoken at home is Albanian. He lives with both parents; his father owns and operates a sandwich shop where Sam often helps out on the weekends. He is on an IEP which includes reading and math goals monitored by a special education teacher within an inclusion setting. II. Samuel demonstrates low motivation during class on a regular basis. He is observably more interested in social interaction than anything academic, be it reading or writing. He is almost always talking with those near him and often laughs at inappropriate times, demonstrating his lack of attention. Most tasks presented to Sam during class are somewhat challenging as he is approximately one grade level behind. Unless the assignment is of particular interest to Sam, he lacks the motivation necessary to face the challenge and complete the task. I have observed his motivation and task completion increase significantly, for example, over a four week period during which the class was reading a chapter book about a young boy Sam could really relate to. III. I believe application of the Self-Determination theory would be appropriate to help increase Samuels motivation. This theory centers on three basic human needs, including the need, to feel connected to and accepted within a larger social network (Anderman & Anderman, 2010). Sam is clearly driven by social factors; therefore I believe harnessing that drive and using it to increase academic motivation would be most successful. I have already seen this idea in action during the class reading of

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Samuel felt highly motivated because the whole class was working toward the same goal, finishing the story, and it was a particularly exciting story that Sam enjoyed.

Georgia Johnson I. Georgia is a twelve year old sixth grader. She is an advanced student in all academic subject areas. She has consistently tested highest in the class for both math and reading on standardized tests. Georgia lives with her parents and two siblings in a middle-class neighborhood, her mom is a stay at home parent. Georgia gets along well with her classmates and has a few very close friends that share her interests. II. Carole Ames summed up Georgias case best when she said, student motivation cannot necessarily be inferred by looking at achievement test scores (1990). Many times Georgia becomes bored and turns to other activities such as drawing, reading, or talking and fooling around at her desk to entertain herself. This has been a persistent issue, especially in her intermediate years. She is well aware of her superior abilities and tends to believe that she is exempt from certain tasks simply because we (the teachers) know she can accomplish them. This attitude is supported at home, her mother has informed me, for example, that Georgia will not be participating in the monthly reading competition because she doesnt need to be encouraged to read more. III. Georgia clearly does not need to be motivated to be an intelligent and academically successful person. However, she does need to be motivated to put forth her best effort on a daily basis. I believe the best avenue for accomplishing this is through the

Attribution Theory. This theory focuses on three major concepts, namely, stability, locus, and control (Anderman & Anderman). In Georgias case, a thorough understanding of control is most important. She believes that her intellectual ability, which is stable and out of her control, dictates what she does or does not do every day. If she developed an understanding that in fact it is her will, which is by definition within her control, which dictates her actions in class, she may be able to let her excuses go and find the motivation to work harder.

Tyler Armstrong I. Tyler is an eleven year old fifth grade student. He has been diagnosed with and is medicated daily for severe ADHD. He is on a 504 plan and receives accommodations for his social and behavioral difficulties. Academically, his basic skills are below grade level. Tyler lives with his mother; his father was recently released from prison and has now become a prominent figure in his home life for the first time. Outside of school he is active in athletics. He has a reputation both inside and outside of school of being tough and funny; he is the leader of a gang of children his age around the neighborhood. II. Tylers behavior dictates his academic progress on a daily basis. However, he has made it consistently clear through his words and actions what he is motivated by. He often asks when presented with a task, What do I get if I do it? He has been rewarded by teachers throughout his years in school in an attempt to alter his behavior. If he does choose to complete a task he does so with minimal effort as quickly as possible. He has stated during a parent teacher conference that he doesnt

see the point in an education because he believes his parents, who are not educated beyond high school, are doing just fine. III. The challenge of motivating Tyler academically is monumental. I believe that the place I must begin is with the Expectancy-Value Theory. If he does not come to understand the value of education on a larger scale, he will never be motivated to complete daily tasks. This will be difficult for Tyler because he is a leader, not a follower. In order to engage him in learning and begin to impart the value Tyler must be asked what he is interested in, what questions he would like to have answered, and his responses must provide the building blocks for his instruction (Brophy, 1987).

Adam Richards I. Adam is a ten year old fifth grade student. He has documented social and behavioral difficulties for which he receives specific accommodations according to his 504 plan. Adam lives alone with his father who has spent time in prison and was recently laid off. The two will likely be losing their house soon, where they will live after is unclear at this time. Adams affect in class varies from day to day, and often changes from hour to hour. Due to these challenges his basic skills are currently below grade level. II. Adams motivation to learn and succeed in the classroom is highly inconsistent. More often than not, however, he is basically unmotivated. He exhibits behaviors such as talking back, whining, and sometimes crying in class if he does not want to do what he is being asked to do. He is clearly influenced by certain classmates who he wishes to emulate, if they are engaged and acting appropriately he will follow suit. He also

showed a temporary increase in motivation following a meeting between myself and his father, when he knew we were in close communication regarding his daily progress. III. I believe application Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Theory would be appropriate in Adams case. One of the ideas this theory highlights is the tendency for students to, in summary, want to do what others like them are doing (Anderman & Anderman 2010). Adam is observably aware of his peers actions and is currently motivated by them to engage in both positive and negative behaviors. With guidance I believe his desire to emulate those he views as role models could be redirected to more academically productive and socially appropriate people. Banduras theory also introduced the concept of self-efficacy, an individuals believe in his or her own abilities. Focusing on bolstering Adams self-efficacy in conjunction with refocusing his outward influences would have a highly positive affect on his overall motivation as a learner.

Christopher Gardener I. Christopher is an eleven year old fifth grade student. He is not on any specialized plan (IEP or 504), nor is he identified as being in any other specific category (ELL, etc.). Christopher has been with his class since kindergarten and is somewhat socially active; he is generally liked by his classmates. Chris has an older brother and a younger brother. He lives with his younger brother and his mother, their home life is somewhat unstable, his older brother was asked to leave the family home last year. His basic skills are well within the average range for his grade level.

II.

Christopher is selectively motivated. When he is having a good day and he is given a task that is simple enough, he will work hard and demonstrate pride in his work. However, when presented with a task that is even the slightest bit challenging, especially one that involves writing, he will shut down. In such instances he will insist that he does not understand, regardless of how many times a task has been explained in various forms, and he will outwardly demonstrate frustration, often leading to anger, and eventually a tearful meltdown. Such a pattern has occurred in all grades as reported by his teachers from previous years.

III.

I believe that the Goal Orientation Theory could be useful in helping Christopher gain the motivation to overcome this issue. He is certainly aware of his difficulties and he is mature enough to be embarrassed by his emotional reactions. With guidance, Chris would be able to break challenging assignments down and ask himself, what am I trying to accomplish here? For example, applying the theories distinction of different types of goals, as a fifth grader his goal might be to master the material and gain control over his emotional responses in order to avoid being perceived as incompetent and/or immature when he moves on to junior high (Anderman & Anderman, 2010).

September 1, 2012 Dear Parents/Guardians, Welcome to the 2012/2013 school year! As we prepare to face the challenges ahead of us in the coming months, I would like to take a few moments to highlight the importance of motivating your students. Sixth grade is a very special year emotionally, socially, and academically for your child. We will need to work together to keep motivation high in order to ensure success this year and enable our sixth graders to move on to junior high with confidence. As you consider how to keep your child motivated outside of school, I urge you to consider the following essential components necessary for fostering strong motivation. First, your child needs to feel a sense of independence. Especially at this time in their school life, taking charge of their own academic progress is key. Encourage them to be responsible for their own work, even to take ownership of failures and their ability to move forward from failure. Second, never underestimate the power of praise. Even though your child is almost a teenager, they need to feel that they are capable, both in academic endeavors and otherwise. Finally, help them to recognize that being a hard working student is a wide spread phenomenon among familiar and successful people. Point out great examples of hard workers whenever possible! (Anderman & Anderman 2010) As your childs English Language Arts teacher, my main focus will always be on reading and writing. I am putting in place a new program this year which I hope will help students see the value in completing their required twenty minutes of reading each night. Students will be encouraged to submit short written pieces after completing reading at home, whether they have read chapter books, magazine or internet articles, graphic novels, or anything else they

find interesting. Each submission will earn cash for their ELA group which I will track on a poster in the classroom. Monthly prizes will be given to both the group with the highest balance and the individual student in each of the four groups with the highest balance. With your added support, this program will motivate students to truly enjoy reading outside of school. A little friendly competition and the possibility of winning a prize can be an excellent motivator! (Brophy, 1987) Within the school day we will continually emphasize the importance of goal setting. Through formal and informal discussion students will analyze their own academic growth as well as their reasons for completing academic tasks. They will consider what it is they are trying to achieve by asking themselves questions like: Do I want to master this skill or learn this information thoroughly? Or, am I concerned what the rest of my group may think of my performance? Through these discussions and the use of logs students will actively track their progress in reading and writing, and you will be able to easily check in on a regular basis at home. Their writers logs will allow you both to see every writing project they have completed along with the grades they received, and their reading logs will allow you to keep track of the books they have read both inside and outside of school. This perspective will not only allow students to mark when they have achieved goals and give them good parameters for setting new goals, it will also give them the opportunity to consider how their immediate goals affect their thinking and learning on a daily basis (Ames 1990). Thank you for your willingness to help your child to stay motivated this year! I am looking forward to great things. Sincerely, Caroline Olen

References Ames, C. A. (1990). Motivation: What teachers need to know. Teachers College Record, 91(5), 409-421. Anderman, Eric M. & Anderman, Lynley H. (2010). Classroom Motivation. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Education, Inc, 1-6. Brophy, J. (1987). Synthesis of research on strategies for motivating students to learn. Educational Leadership, 45 (2) 40-48.