How to Motivate Learners While Changing Culture

Bobby DoddPrincipal

Gahanna Lincoln High School2016 NASSP Digital Principal of the Year

Why Motivation Matters

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Students Have Expectations

• Students have expectations just like we do as adults.

• Problem is, their expectations are different than ours

Learning Goals

• I can explain the importance of student motivation and how using different techniques in presentation can change culture.

• I can explain and illustrate to others how to motivate students by using different resources that improve student motivation.

Relationships

3 Questions to Ask About Relationships

1. Do you know your students?2. Do you care about your students? I mean, really care about your kids.3. Are you on the learning journey with the students?• My recent blog post about relatio

nships

Mindset

“Classes that teach students to equate their intelligence and worth with performance will stifle the desire to learn and make students afraid of challenges.” – Carol Dweck

Growth Mindset• Performance needs to reflect skills and

effort, not intelligence or worth• Create a culture in your school and

classroom of this.

• Take some time (maybe 1 day every 2 weeks) and read an article on Growth Mindset with class. Have an open discussion and see what students think.

Growth Mindset

• Try giving “Incompletes” instead of “Zeros”• Too many educators give grades and mistakes

are seen as the value of student worth• For example, look at athletes….– After a loss, they don’t see the loss effecting their

potential to get better

Growth Mindset

• Focus on practice and formative assessments– Argumentative Writing Strategies• 3 Level Strategies• Let students talk it through

– Pre-Tests can be valuable• See what students know

• “Create a culture of learning, not a culture of earning.”

Students Voice and Choice

• “When students are given the opportunity to make the learning experience their own they care more.”

- Larry Ferlazzo

Students Voice and Choice

• Give students power– Choice for Assessments and Choice for HW

Teachers who open up their assessment choices will usually see failures go down.

Focus on: “Do the students know how to apply what we are doing? Can they apply the goal?”

Student Voice and Choice

• Let students decide the topics for projects

• Make projects around areas that connect to kids

Feedback

• Solid, meaningful feedback is a sign of caring• Getting feedback from students is important• Use the term “goals”, not “standards”• Make feedback:– Frequent– Consistent• EX) Grade something and hand it back• How informal is this?• Where is the personal connection?• Kids can see right through this.

Use Technology“Go Where the Students Are”

• Twitter (storytelling, reminders, highlights)• Instagram• Snapchat• Tellagami (tell a story)• Screencast-o-matic• Canva• Formative Assessments (Kahoot!, Padlet)

Make it Competitve

• Create competitions in class–Have students compete against

each other–Active engagement and Debates in

class

Bring in Relevant Guests

• Skype• Google Hangouts • Live