How to get the best out of your studentsCarol Begg. ECAP 2013

A little about me...

“Disaffected children can be bored, depressed, anxious, or

even angry about their presence in the classroom; they can be withdrawn from

learning opportunities or even rebellious towards teachers

and classmates.”

- Skinner & Belmont (1993, p.571)

Top 5 demotivating factors (Dörnyei (2001))

• Unfair / Confusing grading & assignments

• Teacher being... bored, boring or unorganised

• Dislike of subject

• Poor organisation of materials

• Teacher being... unapproachable, self-centred or insulting

“Highly motivated children are easy to identify: They are enthusiastic, interested, involved, and curious; and they actively cope with

challenges and set-backs. These are children who should stay in school longer, learn

more, feel better about themselves, and continue their education after high school.”

- Skinner & Belmont (1993, p.571)

Motivational teaching practice

Creating basic

motivational

conditions

Generating initial

motivation

Maintaining &

protecting motivation

Encouraging positive

reflection

Dörnyei (2001)

• Communities of practice - belonging

• Fairness & equality

• Positive discipline

• Engagement is optimised within a social context

• An open & positive atmosphere

The classroom, learners, & teacher Creating basic

motivational conditions

Activity: Building class rapport & encouraging communication

post-it & pen

Write:

Name

2-3 recent events

Carol

Arranged birthday celebration for

parents

Went to Hotaru festival

Carol

Arranged birthday celebration for

parents

Went to Hotaru festival

• Related to learners / real world / needs/ people

• Task design

• Variety, diversity (integrated), meaningful

• Learners need to see that it is achievable & that they are improving or gaining new skills

• Grade the task not the text

• Foster autonomy

Materials, success, & learner belief

Challenge

SuccessRelevance

Generating initial motivation

Activities:

• Relevance: “This street, this town”*

• Task adjustment: “Wall Papers”

• Assessing motivation: “Go with the flow”

• Noticing progress: “The lesson that was”

• Teachers need to clearly communicate expectations

• Goals need to be achievable and useful

• Encourage self-efficacy

•Successful experiences - Peer Success - Encouragement

• Autonomy

• Goals - Assessment - Groupings - Materials - Deadlines

• Learner involvement = Learner voice

• Negotiate & plan with struggling students

Goals, interdependence, autonomy, & self-efficacy

Maintaining & protecting motivation

Activities:

• Autonomous goal setting: “Charting your aims”

• Fostering autonomy: “Needs from the heart”

• Student voice: “Face down, face up”

• Struggling students: “Man over board”

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• Sincerity of praise

• Encourage positive self-reflection

• Positive rewards (ClassDojo)

• Grading vs. Rewarding

Feedback, rewards, & learner satisfaction

Motivation = qualitative changes in learners’ self perception

Motivation ≠ quantitative achievement goals

Encouraging positive reflection

Activities:

• Learner wants: Traffic lights

• Reflection: Pie charts, Diaries

• Needs analysis: “How can we help each other?”

• Teacher reflection: “My favourite teacher”

http://www.classdojo.com/

Review

• Make it achievable

• Add variety

• Highlight meaning

• Encourage reflection

• Foster autonomy

Be...

positive

clear supportive

role-model

• Ames,C., (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures, and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84 (3) 261-271.

• Dörnyei, Z., Ushioda, E,.(2011). Teaching and Researching Motivation. Great Britain, Pearson.

• Dörnyei, Z., (2001) Motivational strategies in the language classroom. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press.

• Foord, D., (2009) The Developing Teacher: Practical activities for professional development. England, DELTA Publishing.

• Gross Davis, B., (1993). Tools for teaching. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

• Meddings, L., Thornbury, S., (2009) Teaching Unplugged: Dogme in English Language Teaching. England, DELTA Publishing

• Skinner, E., Belmont, M., (1993). Motivation in the classroom: Reciprocal effects of teacher behaviour and student engagement across the school year. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85 (4), 571-581.

References