Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Teach me! I dare you!Changing perspectives on

teaching and learning.

Marilla D. Svinicki

Educational Psychology

The University of Texas at Austin

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Session goals

• To understand student beliefs about their learning and how those beliefs affect motivation to learn

• To review some theories of motivation that are pertinent to the students above

• To identify ways of increasing student acceptance of personal responsibility for learning and thereby enhancing their motivation

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

What does everyone think?

The teacher’s responsibilities

The students’ responsibilities

As seen by the students

As seen by you

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Why do students think they’re not responsible?

The educational environment

What are their beliefs about education?

– What did they learn in the primary and secondary system?

– What do we communicate and model in the classroom?

– What does the emphasis on evaluation in most education lead them to think about what is important?

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Why do students think they’re not responsible?

Their internal environment

What are their beliefs about learning?

Epistemological development theory Hofer and Pintrich, 1997

– Knowledge is certain.– Knowledge comes from an authority.– Mistakes equal incompetence.– Learning is rapid or not at all.– Ability or intelligence is fixed.

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

How could we cope with those expectations?

• Their prior experience with school – good or bad?

• Their beliefs about learning?

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Motivation theories that are helpful

• Expectancy Value theory

• Self-determination theory

• Goal orientation theory

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Expectancy and Value*

Students are more motivated when:They think they can be successful

at the task.They value the task or its outcome.

This relationship is multiplicative.

*Eccles and Wigfield

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Self-determination*

Students are motivated when:

They feel they have choice and control.

They feel competent. They feel supported by a

community of learning.

* Deci and Ryan

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

Orientation toward a goal*

Students adopt different orientations toward their goals*

They want to master their goal. (mastery)

They want to be seen as competent. (approach)

They don’t want to make mistakes. (avoidance)

* Elliot and Dweck, 2005

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

An amalgamation of ideas from the theories

• Give the students choices so they can feel some control over their fate.

• Model a mastery approach in all you do.

• Minimize comparison between students.

• Make evaluations in private.

• Focus on personal improvement goals.

• Give positive diagnostic feedback.

• Emphasize the learning value of mistakes.

• Foster classroom community.

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

What do you do?

General idea Applied to your class

Give students choices

Model a mastery orientation.

Minimize comparison with others

Make evaluations private

Focus on personal improvement goals

Give positive diagnostic feedback

Emphasize the value of mistakes

Foster community

Teach me! I dare you!University of Virginia

October 2010

• Questions, insights, worries?

• A good reference –– Schunk, D. (2008) Motivation in

Education: Theory, Research and Applications.