Download - Motivating Students for Classroom Success

Motivating Students for Classroom

SuccessLaura Harris, M.S., M.S.

Science Laboratory Coordinator – Davenport University Lansing Campus

August 21, 2014

Objectives

Examine the importance of setting clear course expectations for student involvement

Evaluate when to adhere to and wave those expectations

Review techniques to connect with students in online and in seat environments

Discuss how to assess and improve instructor techniques for motivating students

What Motivates Students?

From the University of Southern California Center for Excellence in Teaching:

Extrinsic motivation

Comes from external environment

Action based on anticipation of rewards (money, praise, grades, etc.)

Example: Teachers give participation points to get students to come to class

Intrinsic motivation

The act of learning itself gives satisfaction

Hardest to inspire in students but the most beneficial toward life long learning

Many students are motivated by a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic factors.


According to Marilla Svinicki from University of Texas-Austin:

Mastery oriented

Eager to learn new material

Most likely to take risks in learning

Performance approach oriented

Eager to learn new material toward a goal (grade, decree, etc.)

Want to appear most competent among classmates

Performance avoidance oriented

Want to appear as not incompetent among classmates

Avoid taking risks in avoid mistakes

Work avoidance oriented – minimum effort for minimal result

How do we encourage students to be mastery oriented?


Various studies suggestion the following motivates students best:

A well-organized course

An enthusiastic instructor

Subject matter

Teaching

A caring instructor

The student personally

Success in the classroom

Relativity of information + Chance of success =Student’s Motivation

Instructors have a lot of control over both factors!

What are some ways you can execute a well-designed course?

What are some problems encountered when trying to execute a well-designed course?

Brainstorming session in small groups (3-5 people each)

Relativity of information + Chance of success =

Student’s Motivation

Well-organized Course

Course expectations clearly discussed in detail

Academic

Behavioral

Remember that students come to the class with their own expectations!

Inclusion of PowerPoint slide decks and other material used in class

Inclusion of grading rubrics and other grading expectations



When should course expectations be set?

First day of class

Course documents (syllabus, instructor policies, etc.)

In class introduction

Grading rubrics provided before an assignment is due

Feedback on submitted assignments

Beginning of each class period

Online course announcements

When should course expectations be revised?

Whenever it is in the best interest of the student or class as a whole

Can be done mid-course if needed as long as the change is clearly communicated to all students through various media (online announcements, emails, in class announcements, etc.)

Case Study #1 – A Well-organized CourseMary is a student from your Introduction to General Biology laboratory course. She attends classes regularly though does not contribute much to the course discussion. A week before a major exam in the course, Mary catches you before class to inform you she will be tardy for the class next week and will need to re-schedule the exam. Her son has soccer team try-outs. Your course syllabus states, “There will be ONE make-up exam at the end of the semester. I highly recommend you do not miss a lab exam! Dates are already scheduled and are on the lab schedule. Makeup exams may differ from missed exams in content or format or both.”

What would you say to Mary?

Would your reaction change if Mary had missed an earlier exam in the course? What factors would influence this change in your reaction to the situation?

Have you had a similar situation? How did you deal with it?

Brainstorming session in small groups (3-5 people each)

Relativity of information + Chance of success =

Student’s Motivation

Caste Study #1 – Well-organized Course





Subject matter

Teaching

A caring instructor



Graduate degreesField experiencePublications, presentations, conferences

Still be in the fieldUnmotivated studentsTraditionally lower than field pay





Subject matter

Teaching

A caring instructor



Relativity of information + Chance of success =Student’s Motivation

Instructors have a lot of control over both factors!

Caring Instructor

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain

Give honest and sincere appreciation

Arouse in the other person an eager want

Six Ways to Make People Like You Become genuinely interested in other people

Smile

Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language

Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves

Talk in terms of the other person’s interests

Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely

What are some ways you can connect with students?Brainstorming session in small groups (3-5 people each)

Case Study #2 - Talk in terms of the other person’s interests

You are teaching an online introductory human anatomy and physiology course where the content is challenging for medically-inclined students and typically overwhelming for non-science majors. However, non-science majors frequently sign up for this class only to drop out by the end of the first month. From those students, you hear, “Why does a business (criminal justice, etc.) major have to know this level of detail on the human body?”

In small groups (3-5 people each), answer the following questions:

How would you address the situation?

What are the pros and cons to how you would approach this situation?

Case Study #2 - Talk in terms of the other person’s interests

Look more closely at their personal introductions, and require the introductions include student’s major of study, motivation for attending school, and at least one activity they like to do.

If students did not clearly provide something that excited them most from the introduction, I would ask them what they liked to do for fun outside of school.

Talk to students briefly about whatever it was that excites them. Sometimes research into the topic is needed.

Conclusion: Generally, the time spent looking into and talking to students about their personal interests, then trying to relate that personal interest to why it is important to know the detailed inner workings of the human body, was less than the time spend talking to students about the need for a well-rounded education. This approach also reduced drop rates for non-science majors.

Case Study #3 - Give the student a reputation to which to aspire

Linda is an introductory nutrition student who stated in her first day introduction that she hoped to get an A out of the course. She started out the class well, as most do, but then 6 weeks later began to regularly submit her work one day late. After getting penalized for tardiness a couple times, the student began to submit lesser quality work on time.

In small groups (3-5 people each), answer the following questions: What type of motivation does Linda use to succeed? How do you

know?


Case Study #3 - Give the student a reputation to which to aspire During a break in one of the class sessions, discuss with Linda that her quality of work

at the beginning of the course was on time and top notch.

Compliment the old work – it was some of the best in the class!

Point out recent issues with tardiness and lesser quality work. Do NOT ask questions on why this was happening. Doing this leads into an exhaustive discussion of the student’s personal problems that most instructors do not have the time or energy to engage in.

Remind Linda that she cares about the timeliness and high quality of work so she would want to be aware of the observation before her overall grade permanently declined.

What can I (instructor) do to help her return to her previous high quality on time work?

Conclusion: Linda quickly stated she was becoming overwhelmed with the amount of material her several classes demanded from her and assured me that she could improve her work without my assistance. Instead of going over time management skills that she probably already knew, I simply said, “OK” and gave her the opportunity to improve her work. For the rest of the semester, she produced high quality work on time, without any more involvement on my part. Final grade: A-

Case Study #4 - Praise All Small Accomplishments

As a new online instructor for ABC University, you are required to use the sandwich method of feedback. As the name implies, an instructor would take the things that a student needs to improve on in a particular work and summarize them between paragraphs praising what the student did right. You quickly find yourself grasping for positive things to say to Larry, who struggles with time management and study skills and continually submits incomplete work with horrible grammar and no references late.

In small groups (3-5 people each), answer the following questions: What type of motivation does Larry use to succeed? How do you know?


Case Study #4 - Praise All Small Accomplishments

Develop base language for the online gradebook,

“Student name, you did a good job submitting your work. Please see the attached grading rubric for details and let me know if you have any questions. Keep up the hard work! You can do it!”

If the work was on time, state that and tell students if the work was high (A), good (B), or decent (C) quality.

This satisfies administration’s sandwich feedback requirement while not limiting the ability to give the student detailed critical feedback for the work.

Does this approach lack sincerity?

Conclusion: Before dropping the course, Larry emailed to say that he appreciated how positive the feedback had been throughout the term, pointing to the base language gradebook statement above. He said that inspired him to keep trying despite external demotivating factors. That was why he lasted as long as he did in the course.

Instructors can always find something positive to say of the worst work and it is essential that instructors find and say it.

Win People to Your Way of Thinking

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it

Show respect for the other person’s opinions and never say “You’re wrong”

If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically

Begin in a friendly way

Get the other person saying “yes” immediately

Let the other person do most of the talking

Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers

Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view

Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires

Appeal to the nobler motives

Dramatize your ideas

Throw down a challenge

Be a Leader

A leader’s job often includes changing your people’s attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:

Begin with praise and honest appreciation

Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly

Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person

Ask questions instead of giving direct orders

Let the other person save face

Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement

Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to

Use encouragement by making the fault seem easy to correct

Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest

Can you think of an example?Brainstorming session in small groups (3-5 people each)

What did you learn today?Individually, write down three things you learned from today’s session and how you can apply it to your particular classroom setting.

What did you learn today?Share some of the things you learned with the group.

Objectives

Examine the importance of setting clear course expectations for student involvement

Evaluate when to adhere to and wave those expectations

Review techniques to connect with students in online and in seat environments

Discuss how to assess and improve instructor techniques for motivating students

Questions?Have any questions from today’s presentation? Now is the time to ask!

References Callahan, M. (2014). How Do I Motivate My Students?

https://www.tltc.ttu.edu/teach/TLTC%20Teaching%20Resources/Documents/How%20do%20I%20Motivate%20My%20Students%20white%20paper.pdf

Carnegie, D. (1981). How to Win Friends and Influence People. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Kimball, D. and Jazzar, M. (2011). To Increase Learner Achievement Serve Feedback Sandwiches. Faculty Focus. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/to-increase-learner-achievement-serve-feedback-sandwiches/

Svinicki, M. (2005). Student Goal Orientation, Motivation, and Learning. Manhattan, Kansas: The IDEA Center. http://ideaedu.org/sites/default/files/Idea_Paper_41.pdf

Center for Excellence in Teaching (2014). Motivating Your Students http://cet.usc.edu/resources/teaching_learning/docs/teaching_nuggets_docs/2.4_Motivating_your_Students.pdf

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