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Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves

My previous post reviewed research on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and described the four qualities that have been identified as critical to helping students motivate themselves: autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance. In this post, I’ll discuss practical classroom strategies to reinforce each of these four qualities. Autonomy Providing students with freedom of choice is one strategy for promoting learner autonomy. Educators commonly view this idea of choice through the lens of organizational and procedural choice. Some researchers, however, believe that a third option, cognitive choice, is a more effective way to promote longer-lasting student autonomy. Problem-based learning, where small groups need to determine their own solutions to teacher-suggested and/or student-solicited issues—ways to organize school lunchtime more effectively, what it would take to have a human colony on Mars, strategies to get more healthy food choices available in the neighborhood, etc. 1. 2. Related:  esterfeldmanAGENCYMindset+Grit

Motivating speaking activities At this age, the learners aren't motivated by new language, they're motivated by an activity. It can be very difficult to get them to speak if they really don't see the point. You can approach this by focussing on the following. The function of the language and using an authentic or near authentic task (e.g. get them to sit back-to-back to practise speaking on the telephone).A motivating task, which uses the language you want them to practise (e.g. students write questions on small squares of paper using the target language, then form the papers into a board game to be played using dice and counters). Here are some possible examples, which apply to one or a combination of the above. A popular, well-known type of activity is the information gap. Making an arrangement: Each group has a diary, with appointments already filled in. Here are some examples of other activities I use with my younger learners:

Trend 1: Learner Agency | CORE Education Explanation The concept of agency has been central to educational thinking and practice for centuries. The idea that education is the process through which learners become capable of independent thought which, in turn, forms the basis for autonomous action, has had a profound impact on modern educational theory and practice. One way of thinking of learner agency is when learners have “the power to act”. There’s been a lot of talk in the past about learner-centric approaches to education and personalisation, and these are aspects of what we might mean by learner agency, but the concept goes deeper than this. There are three things that I think are core features of our understanding of learner agency. Second, agency is interdependent. And thirdly, agency includes an awareness of the responsibility of ones own actions on the environment and on others. Implications So what are the implications for us as teachers, and as educational leaders? Challenges Examples and links:

Dynamiskt tankesätt – JL Skolutveckling En av böckerna som jag tipsade om i mitt blogginlägg boktips 2015 handlar om hur vi ser på hjärnan och vår förmåga att utvecklas. Boken jag tänker på är Carol S. Dwecks ”Mindset – du blir vad du tänker”. Jag har gjort några infographics som kan vara användbara i klassrummet. Lycka till med det dynamiska tankesättet och läs gärna Carol S.

Intrinsically Motivated Adapted with permission from Digital Promise. Read the original piece here, and read more about student motivation on the Digital Promise Research Map. Intriguing research shows that when students have intrinsic motives for learning — when they engage not for external reward but because they find the activity itself interesting and gratifying — they become more likely to attach meaning to their work, explore new topics, and persist in the face of learning challenges. So how can educators help students develop that intrinsic motivation to learn? Christina Hinton, a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the executive director of Research Schools International, has explored this question in a research partnership with St. These core principles provide a useful framework for teachers seeking to create a learning environment that supports student motivation. Autonomy in Learning One key way to support autonomy is to give students choices, Hinton says. Relatedness

If you need an instant boost of energy in your English lessons right now, then this is the program for you! – Genki English Learner Voice Demonstrates Commitment to Building Agency Learner voice gives learners a chance to share their opinions about something they believe in. There are so many aspects of "school" and "learning" where learners have not been given the opportunity to be active participants. Some learners, especially those that are concerned about extrinsic factors like grades, may not feel comfortable expressing their own opinions. Giving learners voice encourages them to participate in and eventually to own and drive their learning. The idea of “school” is supposed to be about building relationships that develop a culture of learning. “Encouraging voice refers to those pedagogies in which youth have the opportunity to influence decisions that will shape their lives and those of their peers either in or outside of school.” According to Eric Toshalis and Michael J. Without motivation, there is no push to learn. Most learner voice activities in schools reside in expression, consultation, and participation. (Toshalis and Nakkula, 2013) References

Carol Dweck Explains the False Growth Mindset - The Atlantic The mindset ideas were developed as a counter to the self-esteem movement of blanketing everyone with praise, whether deserved or not. To find out that teachers were using it in the same way was of great concern to me. The whole idea of growth-mindset praise is to focus on the learning process. When you focus on effort, [you have to] show how effort created learning progress or success. Gross-Loh: What should people do to avoid falling into this trap? Dweck: A lot of parents or teachers say praise the effort, not the outcome. Students need to know that if they’re stuck, they don’t need just effort. All of this is part of the process that needs to be taught and tied to learning. Gross-Loh: Is there a right way to praise kids and encourage them to do well? But we have a new line of research (with my former graduate student, Kyla Haimovitz) showing that the way a parent reacts to a child’s failure conveys a mindset to a child regardless of the parent’s mindset.

9 principles of motivational UX There's an engagement crisis, plain and simple. Technologies have made our lives easier, but they are also making it difficult for brands to connect to -- let alone keep -- users. Competition is fierce, attention spans are short, and new emerging digital technologies are redefining the way brands connect with their target audience. The most disruptive trends are: Micro-moment behaviorUser attention spans are hovering around the eight-second mark, and with new technology emerging like the Apple Watch, short bursts of 10-second -- or less -- engagement intervals are what brands must capitalize on to connect with users. Brand loyalty is decreasingRoughly only 25 percent of users feel loyal to a product or a brand. The Internet of EverythingIt is estimated that by 2020 there will be nearly 50 billion connected products! The crisis has become so paramount that even established brands are suffering at the hands of so much consumer change. The solution to create lasting engagement

Flippity.net: Easily Turn Google Spreadsheets into Flashcards and Other Cool Stuff Learner Agency: The Missing Link A collaborative blog series by Personalize Learning, LLC and the Institute for Personalized Learning. This is the first post in our collaborative blog series on Learner Agency. Defining Learner Agency Learner agency often gets missed in conversations on transforming the educational system. when they need new learning and how to learn what they needwhen they need to unlearn what will no longer serve them when they need to relearn what they need to be successful They must develop the capacity to engage strategically in their learning without waiting to be directed. "Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon." E.M. Why Learner Agency is Needed There is a significant and growing demand for learners to be able to do more than receive instruction, follow a learning path designed by educators and complete problems and assignments presented to them by an adult. Implications of Greater Learner Agency

Never Too Late: Creating a Climate for Adults to Learn New Skills When it comes to kids, growth mindset is a hot topic in education. Studies indicate that children who view intelligence as pliable and responsive to effort show greater persistence when encountering new or difficult tasks. In contrast, children who view intelligence as static or “fixed” have a harder time rebounding from academic setbacks or are reluctant to take on new challenges that might be difficult. Students are not the only ones encountering new challenges at school: Teachers face an evolving profession, driven in part by technology and a rapidly changing economy. Math teacher Jim Doherty remembers the conversation that became the catalyst for his mid-career journey. Doherty’s gut response was reflective. Soon, he became actively involved in the MathTwitterBlogsphere, eventually contributing to an instructional e-book. What Does a Professional Fixed Mindset Look Like? Heslin has developed a research-based growth mindset workshop for business leaders. Create a Growth Environment

‎Edpuzzle on the App Store Impossible to rewatch the clip that happens before the question, so you have to drag along the progress bar on the bottom, which the app hates. It’s kicks you around on the video progress, so you have to rewatch the last 10 minutes that you JUST watched so that you can watch the 5 second section right before the question you’re actually trying to answer. I only use it when I have to because the app on computer is so much better and I can actually answer the questions. Also the mobile app has a problem with watching in landscape or portrait mode. Pick one and don’t try to change it because the app will freak out. Also sometimes the video won’t finish and I have to rewatch the WHOLE ENTIRE video again, which has happened on the computer version as well (albeit only once).

Learner agency / Teaching What is learner agency? Agency is having the power or capacity to act and make choices.In a learner-centred environment, learners have agency over their learning and classroom systems serve the needs and interests of the learner.Future-focused learning in connected communities, May 2014 Agency involves the initiative or self-regulation of the learner. Learners must have a belief that their behaviour and their approach to learning will make a difference for them in their learning context – in other words, a personal sense of agency. Agency is interdependent. Derek Wenmoth Learner agency at Hobsonville Point Secondary School Claire Amos talks about fostering learner agency at Hobsonville Point Secondary School. Why develop learner agency? In the 21st century, citizens need to be able to apply knowledge to solve complex problems, often in cross-disciplinary and collaborative settings. "As agentic learners, students use and strengthen key competencies." What are the effects of learner agency?

Agency or automomy is about organizational and procedural choice. Organizational choice, for example, might mean students having a voice in seating assignments or members of their small learning groups. Procedural choice could include a choice from a list of homework assignments and what form a final project might take -- a book, poster, or skit. Cognivitve choice is another option here.

The article also reviews competence and relevance. Good stuff. by skissel Aug 7

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