MOTIVATION and EMOTIONS Ulla Salomäki, EBC, Erasmus+ IST Course on Action Methods Improving Motivation and Quality in the Learning Situations, PortugaL 5.-11.7.2015

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Motivation

Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP)

Since Priorities of the 2007 General Call for Proposals (EAC/61/2006) has included:

Wishes the development of skills necessary to implement team-teaching and other collborative working methods

Wishes the development of in-service trainings designed to increase the pupils motivation, particularly for the pupils at the socio-economic disadvantage

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Motivation - ANIMATION

Act of encouraging, motivation, involving, empowering and engaging real human beings.

The word derives from the Latin “anima” which means “life” or “soul” and thus stands literally for the act of giving life or spirit to someone or something or a state of being alive.

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The Modern Theory of Motivation

By Edward L.Deci and Richard M.Ryan, University of Rochester

Motivation = intention oriented behaviour

Intentional behavior can be self determined or controlled

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The needs that are in the basis of Self Motivation

and Personality integration

1) The needs for competence 2) The needs for relatedness 3) The needs for autonomy

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What can I do to motivate my students to learn?

The tricks and recipes won’t work!

INSTEAD

Wide understanding of motivation, emotions and cognition

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Exercise 1.

Peter (a pupil) comes to you and says:

” I don’t have time to do the homework.”

What do you assume?

How do you help Peter?

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Actually Peter’s real problem is…

” Peter has created a mental block for studying because of the frequent happenings in the group work situation. He has not understood the task and the other pupils have said he is stupid and they don’t want him to be in the group.”

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Our aim should be helping the other

At first we have to listen? ”Peter, tell me what has happened?”

* Pay attention to the emotional dynamics?

* Establishment of a trusting relationship

* Avoidance of interpretations

” I understand how you feel” ”I understand what you are going through.”

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Time management

OR

Energy management

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”Negtive emotions affect all our mental processes from the most elementary to the most complex intellectual and complex processes.”

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Emotions

All the emotions are ok

All the behaviour is not ok

Thinking affect emotions and the emotions affect the thoughts

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Exercices

1. List of emotions

2. Emotional story

3. Feeling dices

4. Feeling roles

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Traffic lights of emotions

RED: red light is STOP! Come down, recognise your emotion ( anger, fear etc) but don’t react immediately. Don’t do anything until your strong emotion is over. Breath deep, drink a class of water, go out for a moment etc

YELLOW: yellow is WAIT! When your brains start working so that you can think something else but your feelings, wait and think. What are the different ways to behave in the situation? What could be the best option?

GREEN: green is ACT! Only when you have had time to think in peace, choose the best way to act and try it. Ulla Salomaki /EBC

Integration of emotional competencies in the learning process by Chabot and Chabot

Managing the emotions that are harmful to

the learning process

Stimulating the emotions that

are favourable to the learning

process

To feel good during the

learning process

To really feel the class subject

being learned Personal profiles

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Positive effects of an empathetic and compasionate teacher on a student Positive effects of empathy Description

Favors academic success Empathetic teachers contrubute to the students’ academic success

Stimulates the brain and favors positive emotions

Empathetic individuals show an increase in the activity of the left prefontal lobe

Improves communication Empathetic individuals have no problem getting along with people from different backgrounds or from different cultures

Improves the resolution of conflicts Empathetic partners are more able to detect the other’s emotional signs and thus, can intervene more efficiently in their relationships

Improves the quality of relationships Partners feel better understood and receive better assistance from their partner when h/she is more empathetic

Improves the understanding of others’ needs and difficulties

Empathetic people are better able to seize others’ difficulties and problems and can provide better assistance.

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Four main ideas to be taught to children and young people:

Feelings are important signals They can arise from inside our body or they can come from outside as a signal from someone else, and they provide very important information All feelings are okay – behaviour can be okay or not okay

To separate feelings from the behaviour What kinds of behaviours are okay or not okay Feelings are just part of us – they arise and we need to look at them

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You can not think until you are calm Child must calm down first to see clearly what’s happening and then see what to do about it What action should be taken about the emotion? Decreasing the intensity of the emotion

Treat others the way you want to be treated To invoke taking the perspective of others

These four fundamental guidelines are repeated over and over

again. Mark Greenberg in Daniel Goleman’s Destructive Emotions and

How We Can Overcome Them. 2003:263-265

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What Decreases Motivation?

Control oriented learning environments

Prolonged stress and tension

Too challenging tasks

Too easy tasks

Belittling, humiliation and unfair treatment

Continuous competition

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How to Increase Motivation

Increase pupils autonomy

Give possibilities for participation in school

Create informal learning environment and use exciting environments

Pay attention to the things the pupils are naturally interested in and to their natural competences

Give positive feedback when the pupils are motivated intrinsically

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” Feelings don’t kill” BUT

”If you don’t feel you might kill”

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References

Chabot,D and Chabot M (2004) Emotional Pedagogy, To feel in order to learn, Trafford Publishing, Canada

Deci,E.L, and Ryan, R.M (2000) Self-Determination Theory and the Faclitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development and Well-Being, American Psychologist, VOL.55.No 1

Sansone, C & Harakiewicz,J.M, eds. (2000) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. The Search for Optimal Motivation and Performance, Academic Press

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