Swiped this from my post to the PIDP 3250 Forum on Motivation (Feb 2015), moderated by Audra Spielman and Donna Reynolds:
Stephen Howie: Factors in Student Motivation
Hi Audra and Donna,
Howey (2008) provides a lot of definitions and identifies the difficulty in assessing levels of motivation.
- ‘In a study of academically prepared and under-prepared freshmen orientation students, Howey (1999) found clear motivational differences between academically prepared and under-prepared community college freshmen orientation students.’
He notes that ‘early intervention is critical to improving the success rate and retention of at-risk students.’ The article goes on to address the importance of the involvement of an advisor to orient new students through one-on-one meetings and a customized and targeted freshman seminar course.
Howey writes that the advisor relationship is likely not enough, and that strategies relevant to self-regulated learning should be employed.
This is where the instructor takes over. Can we teach self-motivation? I don’t think so. Can we activate self-motivation? Yes. We can do this every-day in our classroom by using the instructional strategies we are currently learning in 3250:
- As instructors, we set the environment and the strategies. I will create a positive, safe, learning environment with clear objectives and goals that encourage risk and exploration.
- The learners will know that the process of their learning is equally (if not more so) important than the retention of subject matter.
- I will promote learner autonomy. Characteristics of an autonomous learner include (EduTech):
- Critical reflection and thinking
- Self-awareness
- Taking responsibility for own learning
- Working creatively with complex situations
- The ability to create own meanings and challenge ideas/theories.
- I will design instruction to engage these characteristics. PIDP3250 has moved me from an extrinsic motivation (I don’t want to work outdoors in the rain anymore, so I’m going to go teach) to the intrinsic motivation of wanting to learn, explore, understand, and truly embrace my potential role as an instructor.
- I will exercise empathy, caring and monitoring. The learner needs our attention, our feedback and assessment. I will design instruction and assessment so that we both see the learning. I will teach to the next scaffold, and remove supports as the students master each step.
- I will be clear that we are a learning community. We are each there for different reasons, but we are all there to learn.
We of course want all our students to be self-motivated. I suspect most will be. But for the ones that need some help we can be the activator, through our instructional strategies.
Roy
EduTech (2010) Learner Autonomy. Retrieved from EduTech Wikihttp://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Learner_autonomy#sthash.Q63yIP6f.dpuf
Howey, S.C. (2008). Factors in student motivation. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site:
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Motivation.aspx
LEARNING 