Motivating

Students with

Teaching

Techniques

that Establish

Relevance

Major Factors of Poor Motivation

• Inability to see relevance in classroom activities to their chosen careers

• Lack of a sense of autonomy.

Establish Relevance

• Experiential learning

– Definition: a process through which students develop skills through direct experience.

• Experiential learning is possible through real-life experiences in the classroom, too.

Establishing Relevance

• Experiential learning (cont.)

– Design activities that imitate real-life

– Re-name an activity

(e.g. primary article instead of lab report)

– Use real-life scenarios

Real-Life Scenarios

• Students were asked to write an NIH grant proposal in place of a senior research project proposal

• Students no longer write essays. Instead they are asked to write articles in the style of the New York Times.

Real-Life Scenarios

– Instead of summaries, students write reviews

– Instead of reflections, students write self-evaluations or personal statements

Encourage Autonomy

• Overly-comprehensive instructions can:

– stifle creativity

– hinder independence

– actually lower motivation

• Autonomy-supportive teaching styles:

– improve student motivation

– encourage independent thought and critical thinking

Encourage Autonomy

• Some teachers have students write their own guidelines

– (e. g. students write detailed instructions for Authors as an assignment)

Other Ideas

• Students pick a topic from their textbook and teach it to the rest of the class

• Allow the class to select topics for a few “students’ choice” lectures

• Assign students to write a personal statement about their experiences in the course

Overview

• Using these techniques could:

– help in better student engagement

– help with better quality assignments

• Many students leave class having learned something “useful” to their future careers

References

• Balduf, M. (2009) Underachievement among College Student. J. Adv. Academics, 20 (2), 274-294.

• Glynn, S. M., Taasoobshirazi, G. and Brickham, P. (2009) Science Motivation Questionnaire: Construct Validation with Nonscience Majors. J. Res. Sci. Teaching, 46 (2), 127-146.

• NIH, (2010) Quick Guide for Grant Applications. Available online from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/Tutorial.html.

References (cont.)

• Reeve, J. (2009) Why Teachers adopt a Controlling Motivating Style Toward Students and How They can Become More Autonomy Supportive. Educational Psychologist, 44 (3), 159-175.

• Reeve, J. and Jang, H. (2009). What Teachers Say and Do to Support Students’ Autonomy during a Learning Activity. J. Ed. Psych. 98 (1), 209-218.

• Robertson, K. (2013) Assessment as an Opportunity for Developing Independent Thinking Skills in Students. Faculty Focus, April, 1, 2013. Available online at http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/educational-assessment/assessment-as-an-opportunity-for-developing-independent-thinking-skills-in-students/.