EDE 4504 Blog 10

Chapter 9 Enhancing Students' Motivation to Learn

This chapter was about what we can do as teachers to motivate our students more. Motivation is not an easy task but there are many ways we can try to accomplish it. "It may be gratifying when students come to school already excited about learning; however when this is not the case, teachers must redouble their efforts to create a classroom context that fosters students' involvement and interest"(Weinstein 201).

The expectancy X value framework states that motivation depends on two things. One is the students' expectation of success and two is the value they place on the task. They are both equally as important and if either factor is missing, their will be no motivation. There are many strategies for increasing expectations of success. One of them that we do in the classroom everyday is teaching students to set reasonable goals and to assess their own performance. In our classroom we set many kinds of goals. On Mondays we set our individual goal for the week. The students write it on a sticky note and then it goes on the wall. Another goal they set is reading goals. They set these based on the level of reading they're on and how many books they will not only be able to read, but also comprehend. The students assess their performance on an assignment by placing their work in one of three folders after completion. This is either novice, apprentice, expert. This helps us to know how students felt about the assigment and to see if they are assessing their performance correctly.

"Teachers play an important role in determining whether the overall tone of the classroom focuses on learning or performance"(Weinstein 207). All students know that it is important to get good grades but do they all know why learning is so important? Enhancing the value of the tasks they complete can help them see why. One way to do this is by relating the lesson to the students' lives. If they can see how the things they learn in school relate to their own lives and the real world, then they will be more interested in them. Be excited when teaching lessons because if you are excited about what you are going to teach, then they will be excited to learn.

Chapter 10 Managing Independent Work, Recitations, and Discussions

Independent work will always be a part of the classroom. So, teachers must find effective ways to manage this independent work. An essential part of assigning independent work is making sure students understand why and the how. "Before letting students go off on their own, you need to explain why students are doing what they're doing, describe the strategies to be used, and do a few examples"( Weinstein 229).

There are many strategies to designing and implementing effective independent work. One of them is making sure the directions are clear. One thing I do to ensure this when releasing my students to do an assignment or activity is by having one of my students repeat the directions I previously stated. I ask the question, "So what are we doing" and then I choose on someone raising their hand quietly to answer. Afterwards, I ask the class to give me a thumbs up if they understand the directions. Another method for this is matching work to students' varying levels. Knowing how to differentiate is very important because work that may be easy for one student may be challenging for another. Assign work that is engaging because if not, the students will lose interest and get off task. Lastly, monitor behavior and comprehension. Whenever I assign independent work, I do not sit at my desk and occupy myself with other work. I walk around to make sure of two things. One, that no students are off task or distracting each other, and two, that students are understanding. Some may let you know they are confused, but other timid students may sit at their desk quietly without asking for help. That is why it is crucial to observe the work they are completing and if they understand.

Chapter 11 Managing Small-Group Work

Chapter 10 talked about independent work, and this chapter discusses just the opposite, group work. We are seeing more and more group work used in successful classrooms each day. "There is substantial evidence that small-group work can yield affective, social, and academic benefits"(Weinstein 255).

There are a multitude of benefits to group work. The first is enhanced motivation. This connects to Chapter 9 which was about motivation. There is so much that students can learn from each other. Collaboration and cooperation are important skills for students to have and the more time they are able to work in groups, the better they will become. Usually when we do group work in the classroom, it is at the students' tables which comprises four different numbers,1-4, and two different letters, A and B. Each student is at a different level and they all help each other when working on an activity or assignment. It is a system that works for us in the classroom. Another benefit of group work is decreased competition among students. Students of all ages are usually very competitive. Some like to call out and notify that they finished first or that they received a 100 on an assignment. When students work in a group, they all have the same goal and help each other in reaching that end goal.

Just like there are many benefits to group work, there are also many challenges. One of these is lack of cooperation. Some students lack cooperation and collaboration skills and this can make other students in the group frustrated. They may be off task most of the time or they may be arguing with other members of the group. Even if there is only one person in the group that is not cooperating, the performance of the whole group will be affected. This lack of cooperation may lead to unequal participation. This can cause the students to feel resentful of those who did not participate and still received a good grade for the assignment. Lastly, when students form their own groups, they may segregate themselves by gender, ethnicity, or race. So, although it is important to give them choice sometimes regarding their groups, there should also be assigned groups. These groups should be diverse so that students can have increased interaction across gender, ethnic, and racial lines.

Reference

Weinstein, C. S., & Romano, M. E. (2015). Elementary classroom management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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