Objectives:
1. Explain effective instructional strategies to use to extinguish aggression. (InTASC 3, 8)
2. Identify characteristics of student-teacher relationships that are most likely to enhance student achievement. (InTASC 2, 3)
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Motivation Project
Choose one of the following two scenarios with activities and respond to the questions for the scenario you selected.
Scenario One
You have a friend, Daran Brown, who is teaching for the very first time this year at a local high school, and he has not had a motivation class. He tells you his concerns regarding one of his sophomore students, Caitlin. Caitlin is a new student at the high school who moved to the Valley with her mother this summer from Tucson following her parents' divorce. Although Daran believes that she is very bright, Caitlin is barely pulling a C in Daran's world history class. She seldom takes notes, even when Daran reviews material for tests, and instead makes jokes to other students about how she does not care about school. Your friend also has overheard Caitlin complain that this history stuff is just boring and that it is too much work to get an A in this class. Daran feels Caitlin is completely unmotivated.
Use Scenario One to address the following:
1. How would you explain Caitlin's lack of motivation, in terms of motivational theories, to your friend?
2. What detailed suggestions would you give your friend on how he might better motivate Caitlin?
In your response, use your knowledge of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, achievement motivation, intrinsic, and extrinsic motivation.
Be sure to identify the relevant theories and explain how you arrived at your conclusions.
Scenario Two
You have a friend, Emily Weller, who is teaching for the very first time this year at a local high school, and she has not had a motivation class. She tells you her concerns about one of her freshman students, Drew. Although Drew has a C+ in Emily's biology class, she feels that he is capable of learning much more and of even being an A student. Yet Emily believes that Drew is unmotivated to put forth much effort. For instance, Drew often complains to other students that the class is too much work, and who cares about this biology stuff anyway? In addition, after a recent test in which Drew received a D, Emily overheard Drew talking to another student. Emily was dismayed to hear Drew say, 'Why bother studying? You get it or you don't. And I don't. So studying is not going to change anything.'
Use Scenario Two to address the following:
1. How would you explain Drew's lack of motivation in terms of motivational theory to your friend?
2. What detailed suggestions would you give your friend on how she might better motivate Drew?
In your response, use your knowledge of attributions, entity versus incremental views of ability, and task-involved versus ego-involved learners.
Be sure to identify the relevant theories and explain how you arrived at your conclusions.
APA format is required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-Educational Psychology: Developing Learners citations and references should be presented.
Topic Material:
Read Lecture 6.
Motivation and Behaviorism
Introduction
The review of instruction has not shown that a quiet nor a noisy classroom promotes or inhibits learning, but classroom management appears to be able to enhance classroom instructional learning and achievement. Classroom management has been described as creating and maintaining a classroom environment which is conducive to learning. A well-managed classroom is one in which students are constantly engaged in productive learning activities and in which students' behaviors rarely interfere with the achievement of instructional goals (Doyle, 1990). This type of classroom setting can become quite a challenge for new and sometimes even seasoned staff (Doyle, 1986).
Learning Environment
What are some of the ways we can implement instructional strategies within the classroom? The following lists research-supported (Doyle, 1986) methods that work:
1. Classroom arrangement − think about this in terms of behavior.
2. Minimize distractions − arrange to minimize proximity to others.
3. Increase student-teacher interactions − so we may be able to move within the setting.
4. Survey the entire class − should be able to view the entire class.
5. Develop effective teacher-student relationships − they need to be related to what you/they are doing.
6. Establish a businesslike atmosphere − structure without being threatening.
7. Give messages about subject matter − meaningful activities.
8. Sense of student control − get input from students regarding timelines and teacher guidance.
9. Setting limits − establish rules, procedures and set expectations early in the school year. Being able to enforce established rules and procedures is also critical in this process.
All of the above provide some guidance into classroom management.
Understand that this list is not inclusive, but it is a starting point on which to build. Principles of effective classroom management go hand in hand with principles of learning and motivation. When students are learning and achieving in the classroom setting, they usually demonstrate productive activities for most of the school day.
Managing Misbehavior
Research (Emmer & Sough, 2001) states that when students misbehave, new teachers think about what students are doing wrong, while more experienced teachers are more apt to think about what they could do differently to keep students on task and then modify accordingly. Consequently, as negative behavior increases, teachers can consider the following:
· How can I alter instruction to increase students' interest?
· Is the instructional material to difficult?
· What is important to the students − socialization or learning?
· How might we address students' motives and goals?
Addressing these and other questions may help the teacher focus their efforts on the goal of promoting learning.
Misbehavior is any action that can potentially disrupt classroom learning and planned classroom activities (Doyle, 1990). Some of these issues may be minor and may have limited impact upon students' achievement. Behaviors, such as talking out of turn, may be a prime example of this minor behavior. Behaviors that occur infrequently fall into the minor category. Other behaviors, which are constituted as more serious, interfere greatly with learning and overall classroom management and, at times, school wide achievement. An example may be physical aggression toward a student or teacher. These issues may not only interfere with learning, but also with safety and psychological well-being of the students and staff. So what are some options? Here are a few to consider:
· Ignore behavior − sometimes the best action is non-reinforcing action that is non-disciplinary.
· Student cueing − use a teacher signal to indicate that the behavior is inappropriate; it may require a look or physical proximity to the student.
· Private discussion − talk to the student away from the group. Always indicate to the student what the behavior is and how it interferes with the classroom instruction and provide solutions.
· Teach self-regulatory strategies − provide self-monitoring and self-imposed contingencies.
· Parent intervention − always inform parents when behaviors are beginning to show a pattern over time. One example would be to have a parent go with the student to all of her or his classes for a day.
Over time, many behaviors can be managed within the classroom setting; however, sometimes aggressive behaviors seep over to school wide issues in which authorities need to be involved. Understand that these issues usually occur only when adult supervision is minimal. In recent years, news media have focused considerable attention on violent school crime, which gives most the impression that school violence is on the rise. In reality, violent crime on campus is relatively rare, and statistics have shown a marked decrease over the last ten years (DeVoe, et al., 2003).
The roots of school aggression and violence are many and diverse. Cognitive factors may predispose some students to aggressive types of behaviors. Environment may also play into this consideration as the research supports that as socioeconomic status [SES] goes down, aggressive behavior goes up, and the reverse is also true. As SES increases, aggression decreases.Schools must attempt to continue to become proactive and create nonviolent school environments. Programs such as "anti-violence" have had little in the way of lasting effect (Burstyn & Stevens, 2001). Instead schools need to consider the following:
· School wide commitment to academic success
· Challenging academics
· Caring and trusting faculty
· Respect for all
· Police that are school wide which promote appropriate behavior
· Student participation in school policy
· Emphasis upon positive social behaviors
· Open discussion regarding safety issues (Burstyn& Stevens, 2001)
All of these support creation of a safe, supportive school climate where learning may flourish.
Conclusion
Educators must understand that they are part of a team, including parents, faculty and other community members, who are imparting school children with cultural values that will serve them throughout their lives.
References
Doyle, W. (1986). Classroom organization and management. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research in teaching (3rd ed.). New York: McMillian.
Doyle, W. (1990). Classroom management techniques. In O. C. Moles (Ed.), Student discipline strategies: Research and practice. Albany: State University of New York Press.
DeVoe, J. F., Peter, K., Kaufman, P., Ruddy, S. A., Miller, A. K., Planty, M., Snyder, T. D., & Rand, M. R. (2003). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2003 (NCES 2004-004/NCJ 201257). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/iscsind03.pdf
Burstyn, J. N., & Stevens, R. (2001). Involving the whole school in violence prevention. In J. N. Burstyn, G. Bender, R. Casella, H. W. Gordon, D. P. Guerra, K. V. Luschen, R. Stevens, & K. M. Williams, Preventing violence in schools: A challenge to American democracy (pp. 139-158). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Emmer, E. T., & Stough, L. M. (2001). Classroom management: A critical part of educational psychology, with implications for teacher education. Educational Psychologist, 36(2), 103-112.