Motivation is the key to maintaining student engagement and overall willingness to learn. I'm currently enrolled in a special education course (SPCE 302), and this week, we focused on motivation and affect. Both motivation and affect are important terms that teachers should understand and be able to plan for in their classrooms.
From freshman year of college to now, motivation (both intrinsic and extrinsic) are familiar to me, and I know when/how to use it. When I wrote lesson plans as a freshman, the motivation was always the "fun" part of planning. Now as a senior, thinking of a motivation that is original and effective seems more difficult. Some lesson plans that I've had to write follow the 5E-Model. The motivation portion of a 5E-Model lesson is called "Engagement". Both motivation and engagement are similar terms in the teaching community, and I strongly believe that this portion of the lesson plan deserves plenty of attention. This is especially true with reading and writing. Have you noticed any changes in your lesson plan formats for "Motivation" throughout your college career?
Young children can have difficulty staying motivated while reading and/or reading. Sometimes, this is due to frustration, while other times, it can be due to poorly planned activities or lessons. On page 321, the author describes how simply giving students choices in how they conduct an activity can maintain students' motivation. According to the text, choice has an effect on a child's intrinsic motivation. I work with infants and toddlers, and choice is very effective when working with such young children. I've found that choice can be effective at the more intermediate grades as well. With reading and writing, choice opens windows of opportunity for students to plan for their own success. What experience do you have with using choices as a motivator, if any? Do yo u have any other specific experience with motivation?
I completely agree with you about how the motivation would be "fun" when we wrote lesson plans, as a freshman. I definitely can see a change in my own lesson plan formats for motivation throughout my college career. My lesson plans have gotten more detailed as I have completed lesson plans. I have had experience where choice has been used as a motivator. In a kindergarten classroom I volunteer in weekly, the teacher gives two to three options of how the students want to complete the task. In the reading/writing block, students have the choice to complete whatever word family they're on using an iPad or writing it with pencil and paper. I do believe that choice is a great way to keep students motivated because the student has control of how he/she wants to complete the assignment.
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