Motivation

The video above came from a study at MIT on motivation. I found it interesting in light of the current emphasis on standardized testing and teacher review. Its also a good example of adapting education: I would have a much harder time understanding the subject matter without the animation. This appeals to me, as I am a wholly visual learner.

I think keeping Behaviorist Theory in mind will certainly help me as a teach try to understand low motivation in students. Its easy to leap to the conclusion that a student is not paying attention because they are lazy or disinterested. However, if a student is in a situation where basic needs like sleep, food, shelter, or safety are not readily available to the child, they obviously are going to have more pressing concerns than the day's lesson.

I think it is also important to keep Attribution Theory in mind. As we read in the beginning of chapter eleven, when you can identify individual factors that contribute to a students lack of motivation, you can work with the student to change the way they consider those causes. When a student begins to take responsibility for their learning and changes their thinking from "I am not good at this"(stable, internal attribution) to "I can learn this" (unstable, learner controlled attribution), it is more likely that they will become intrinsically motivated to work on their assignments.

I found the discussion of Goal Theory relevant to my own current learning. I am much more of a performance goal learner than I am a learning goal centered student in most subjects. My main motivators in English, math, and history were grades. I've really only experienced intrinsic motivation in art (which is why my main focus is art education). However, for my special education license I am having to take a math education class. I have incredibly low self efficacy concerning this subject, its always been the one I've struggled the most with. However, after the discussion of learning goals, I am trying to change my thinking about this class. If I accept that failure is a part of learning, and that an active participation and pursuit of understanding in math education will most likely be more beneficial to my future students and myself than a singular concern with grades, I think I will find much more value in this class.

That being said, I think, as I mentioned earlier, its important to identify factors behind students' lack of motivation. If you can successfully determine these, you can work with the student to change the way they are thinking about the subject, you can add value and meaning to help them see the importance of the class, and you can help enrich their learning experience.