My Classroom Climate

Classroom climate is situation where the students and teacher could feel positive and safe condition to learn. Four types of climate variables that is able to promote students’ motivation to learn.

The first variable is order and safety. Order and safety tends to classroom as secure place to learn. When I taught my students, I started the class by checking their absent. In addition, I also made classroom regulation and rules. On making the regulation and rules, I asked students to take part on it. I gave them the authority to define it. Finally, they wrote respect and raise-up their hands before they speak up as rules in my class. Regarding to the order and safety, let students take part on making decision in the classroom is one of the example that could promote students’ feeling of secure in learning process. The second variable is success. Success means the teacher establish the self-efficacy of students. In my humble opinion, I applied this variable in my teaching and learning process. After decided rules in the class, I started the lesson by conducting small talk with the student. I asked them by using present perfect question because our topic is present perfect. Once they enjoyed the small talk, I told them about today’s topic.

The third variable is challenge. Challenge means increasing perception of competence. It means the teacher has to capitalize on the motivating characteristics of challenge by encouraging students to identify relationship in the topics they study and the implication as well. Taking into consideration, when I taught, I did not put this variable on my learning process. As a result, the motivation of students on solving the task is low. A long line with task comprehension, another variable of effective classroom climate. I realized, I did not make kind of task that could increase students’ awareness of what they are supposed to be learning and an understanding of why the task is important and worthwhile.

In conclusion, those climate variables are the ideal condition of positive classroom climate. As a teacher, we have to consider that on applying those variables is not a piece of cake job. Teacher has to able to learn and write a reflection from each process on applying those variables. I hope, by doing that teacher could find the strategy to apply them together in her or his classroom.

 

Motivating Collaboration versus Coexistence during Classroom Inclusion

Often times teachers are challenged to educate but regular education students with special education students. And, unfortunately there aren’t always plans or strategies put in place to effectively service both populations. In order to successfully educate students according to their academic level, teachers have to determine the best way to partner with fellow instructors on how to collaborate during times of instruction. No one teacher is more essential than the other. This factor is best understood when equal instruction time is implemented. Students should see the collaborative effort being made to assist them in developing their academic growth and character development.

Motivation Improvement Strategies

Unfortunately, many students who lack motivation suffer from low self-esteem. Their perceived inabilities eventually put a strain on their academic achievements and therefor oftentimes result in a decrease or lack of motivation.  Not only can teachers make a positive impact on encouraging students to continue to increase their motivation levels, but it is imperative that parents strive to take an active role as well.  Due to the nature of being sensitive to the needs of children with learning disabilities, it is important to instill a CAN DO spirit in the children!

In order to be a asset, it is important to understand what level the student is at and help them improve upon existing skills. It is also essential to praise all efforts shown by the student to improve their skills and increase their level of motivation to succeed. They key to having a positive impact is consistency. Strive to be the ultimate motivator and cheerleader!

The Inluence of Beliefs on Motivation to lean... Students point of view

How we see ourselves will affect how we live our life. This also certainly happens within learners. How learners see their selves usually affects the way they learn. Learners have their own beliefs toward themselves. There are statements such as “I can do today test well because I have studied all night” or “I think I cannot pass the algebra test though I learn hard because I did not inherit math skill.” The sort of those statements reflects a belief of a learner. In other words, a belief is “a cognitive idea that is accepted true without necessarily definitive evidence to support it.” Generally people will accept their belief true without conclusive proofs because they experience it themselves and create self-conclusion toward their ability.

As what I have experienced since school age, my belief on my ability does affect the motivation to learn. When I was in middle school I got good grade on my science test, I put high expectation that I could do even better for next science test. This describes expectation as belief about future outcomes.  In this case, my past experience affected my expectation for the future test. Because the teacher gave compliment since I showed a progress on science subject, I was motivated to do even better than before. The feeling of satisfaction of finishing a test well made me more confident and put more belief on my own ability.

In another science test I did not do it well. As the result I got low score even I had to do remedial to fulfill my responsibility for getting standard score of science subject. Then I did reflection about why I did not do it well. Firstly I made an assumption that I was lucky for getting good score in the first science test. Since I often felt I had to put hard effort in understanding science or math. Yet, finally I realized that it was my effort which made the first and the second science test score different. I understood well the material for the first science test because I study hard on it even I did group discussion and study together with my peers before the test. For the second test even though I studied the material but I did not study together with my peers. I assumed that I could do it myself yet the result was disappointing. In this case I put a belief about intelligence that I viewed I had no skill on science but then I realize it could be improved through study hard. This affected my motivation to learn science more and do better performance.

Another thing that influences my motivation to learn science and do better on it is attribution. Based on attribution theory people will put effort to figure out the underlying causes to make sense of their own behavior or performances. I examined how I could get good score at the first science test and why I got lower score for the second science test. After knowing the cause, that it was not because my intelligence but because I did not put sufficient efforts for the second science test,  I was more motivated to study science well and do better for the next test.

I say that it was because I did not study hard for the test when I got lower score for my science test because I believe on my capability on science subject. It relates to my belief on my capability or is well-known as self-efficacy. Self –efficacy is a belief that ones are capable in doing specific task. I do believe if I had studied hard about what was about to be tested, I would have not gotten lower score for science.  This belief drives me to learn and do better on science.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs maybe the KEY!!

 

 

 At the second  “round table” was discussed about the influence of needs on students’ motivation. I gave  reading material related with this topic.  I divided the teachers into some groups and did TPS (think, pair, share). 

 After I read, one teacher Ms. Boyd argued that all teachers should be familiar with Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), at least they should understand the concept of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  Ms. Boyd expressed the more  you understand the concept the more we can motivate our students. Using that pyramid, Maslow tells us that people tend to fulfill the basic needs first before they go to the upper needs. As we may know Maslow divided the human needs into some stages: psychological needs; safety and security; love and belonging; self-esteem; and self-actualization. 

For instance, people who are in hungry rarely think to get the permanent house. Usually they will work hard to get the food first. If that need has fulfilled maybe they will go to the next needs, such as houses, education, friends, etc. In my opinion, knowing this concept is very important for teacher. If we meet our students who are demotivated we can apply this concept. The first thing that we have to do is knowing the cause of that students become demotivated. If that cause is related with psychological needs, we have to solve this problem first. Avoid talking more about the importance of education before we find the solution of their problem. 

 In conclusion, if we want to motivate our students to show the best, it is important to know the concept of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Therefore, let us know more about students’ need to be able to motivate them. When they are motivated, the success in learning is front of their eyes.   

How can I motivate students to engage in class....

Students are more likely to engage in learning when they

• see value in what they’re learning
• believe that engaging in specific actions will bring about a desired outcome
• believe they can be successful
• perceive that the environment is supportive

Provide learning experiences where students feel they can be successful

• Set challenging but attainable goals and assignments (success within reach)
• Especially early in the course, help students experience success; for example, incorporate early, shorter assignments that account for a small percentage of their final grade
• Encourage student choice in how to  achieve a particular assignment or learning outcome
• Let students know that you believe they can be successful – that you have set high expectations and you are confident they have what it takes to meet them.

Include opportunities for students (and you!) to gain information on how they are doing

• Diagnose students' understanding as they enter class (e.g., begin class with an informal poll or diagnostic question, or post it the night before)
• Provide rubrics for assignments and give feedback based on them [link to rubrics]
• Provide timely and targeted feedback about how students are progressing [link to clickers (using effectively; formative assessment/CATS]
• Incorporate Clicker questions or other in-class assessments designed to identify what students know or don’t know.
• Take advantage of course analytics (e.g., through your Learning Management System (LMS) or the Early Academic Warning System (EAWS)).
• Guide students to use the feedback they are getting  from in-class activities, checks for understanding, class discussion, out-of-class homework and other activities
• Acknowledge  specific areas where students are doing well  and identify a few specific ways that improvement might occur; focus the latter so student has key actions for improvement that are achievable

Teachers take on student motivation

 Speaking with teachers about what are the factors that motivate children to learn was very interesting.  Educators value motivation in school for its own sake as well as for its long-term contribution to children's learning and self-esteem. Highly motivated children are easy to identify: They are enthusiastic, interested, involved, and curious; they try hard and persist; and they actively cope with challenges and setbacks. The teachers stated these are the children who should stay in school longer, learn more, feel better about themselves, and continue their education after high school They also stated although motivated students are easy to recognize, they are difficult to find. From there from preschool to high school years, children's intrinsic motivation decreases and they feel increasingly alienated from learning.

Compliance Isn't Engagement

Engagement is very different from compliance.  Motivated students don't just show up in classrooms. Teachers have to plan for them.   Considering what will engage students is a challenge that I look forward to.  Like a doctor, I get to try and diagnose what each student needs to be motivated.  Some need more autonomy than others.  Some need choice, even if that choice is picking between one of two articles to read and annotate.  I would argue that most learners need a purpose for their learning while others need a combination of autonomy, choice, and purpose.

Recently, I worked with my district instructional coaches.  I asked them to brainstorm what motivated them. 

           Robin  started the group off, "I'm motivated when others care about my learning."

"I need people to collaborate with," added Karen. 

Denise agreed and then shared, "I need a purpose for the learning.  Without a one, I'm not very invested in the task." 

After a bit of quiet thought, Sandra said, " I need time and opportunity to revise my thinking in order to get it right."

           Katie, ended by saying, "I need something interesting to think about.  If it's boring, I'll find something more interesting to do." 

           Just like kids, adults, need certain conditions in place if they are to be motivated.  Motivation doesn't come from some mysterious, unattainable place. For me, it starts with knowing and caring about my learners.  It also requires that I plan so kids have time to practice and I have time to give them feedback.   Last, I need to remember that no one wants to give his/her time to busy work or learning something that has no relevance.  My job as the teacher is to help my students see why what I'm teaching is compelling.

Parents are an important part of student Motivation

Children often remain with parents in their home, so it is the responsibility of the parents to fulfill the basic needs/educational needs of their children. Moreover parents are always in the favor of controlled life of their children. They also produce such atmosphere at home which does not affect the growth and Education of their children. Therefore, parents always engage themselves to motivate their children for their better success through;

• Discussing with their children about the benefits of education. 
 • Discussing with their children about their family background. 
 • Parents always engage themselves in giving such other examples to their children about school related topics.

 A parent can offer many of these beneficial, extrinsic, and motivational factors, but one important part is the context and manner in which the motivation is given /received. Mainly, an underlying self-efficacy must always be present because if a child believes she can do well, then he/she will. If a student believes that a goal is unattainable, then there is really no need to attempt to achieve that goal. Extrinsic motivation causes students to perceive more goals as unattainable, whereas and intrinsically motivated student will see very few goals as unattainable because that student believes that anything is possible with effort. This is where parental involvement becomes crucial. Encouragement rather than reward will cue a child in to intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, encouragement can be a form of reward because it displays one of the most basic forms of reward: attention. Children, of course, need more than pats on the back and positive sayings to encourage them and many other forms of encouragement exist. "Curiosity killed the cat" is a clich? That could not be farther from the truth because curiosity is one of the strongest motivators with regards to the constant need for satisfaction. This need will intrinsically motivate children to discover and understand new concepts that otherwise would remain foreign territory. The most difficult aspect of helping a child is having the patience to allow discovery. Telling a child the answer helps them complete the assignment, but severely decreases their understanding.

 

What Motivates learners?

Thinking of my  students reminds me that there isn't a magic bullet when it comes to engagement.  Motivating students is complex but it is something that teachers can plan for. If I strive to engage students at the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive levels, I can increase the number of motivated students.
 For me, engaging students at the emotional level is the easiest.  This means I need to work to build personal relationships--to know and care about students. When that relationship is developed kids will often "work" harder just because they like me.  However, just engaging them at the gut level isn't enough.  I also need to set up rituals and routines and model how they work in the classroom if I want behavioral engagement.  However, just being behaviorally engaged isn't enough either.  There also has to be behavioral engagement.  This means there is predictability in the classroom.  I post learning targets on the board each day so students know what my instructional goals are.  I also want to identify what students will produce in terms of annotations, drafts of writing, double entry diaries etcetera so they understand what they will create to show me what they know and need.  When students understand how the classroom work in terms of rituals and routines, they can better manage the rules of school.
The level of engagement that I'm trying to harness more is cognitive engagement. When students are cognitively engaged, they are motivated to learn because the topic is compelling and they see a purpose in their own life for the learning. This requires I flesh out why my content matters.  I have to help students see how what we are studying has relevance to the world outside of school and how it will empower them as learners.  Content can't sit in a curriculum guide if it is going to be compelling to students.  It has to connect to their lives.  When I hit the sweet spot and get students engaged at all three levels, my classroom is humming. 

Motivating the students and myself

Throughout this process I realized that I can energize my  classroom and myself  at the same time. Providing a high energy classroom can stimulate thinking and set off a positive domino effect for both me and the students. The key to motivating students is to provoke, arouse, and encourage their thinking.  Providing teaching strategies that empower students to learn go a long way to counteracting apathy and motivating students to succeed. An attitude of “I can” is contagious, energizing, and reaffirming, for teachers as well as students.