Chapter 13Student Attitudes: Encouraging

Content Literacy

Agenda

• Good News

• Jeremy Warren Vann Scholarship

• Educational Current Events:  – Alisa Long – Steven Singletary

• Chapter Portion: – Elizabeth DePriest P. 268-275 – Sally Batson P. 275-282

Factors that affect motivation

• Expectancy– Certainty-When actual events are what

students expect, arousal is low- present the unexpected

– Time- Immediate expectancies are more likely to motivate than Intermediate or Remote.

– Desirability- Valence—expectancy of pleasure

Relationship of valence to expectancy of success

The student wants to succeed and

expects to.

The student knows that he or

she can be successful but does not care.

The Student wants to succeed but

does not expect to.

The student doubts that he or she can succeed but does not care.

ValenceHigh Low

Expectancy of Success

High

Low

Factors that affect motivation

• Incentives– Symbolic– Material– Psychological

• Guidelines1. Use a variety of incentives

2. Individualiz incentives

3. Don’t use incentives when they are not needed

4. Provide incentives as soon as possible after the desired behavior

Assessing Reading Interests

• Use existing interests to attract students to your content

• General interest inventory

• Content interest inventory

Constructing a Content Interest Inventory

• Make a list of interesting subtopics

• Identify materials for each area

• Add a few blanks at the end of the inventory-open ended

• Word process the inventory

• Decide what form students’ responses will take.

Administering a Content Interest Inventory

• Make your purpose clear

• Read the inventory aloud as students respond

Interpreting the results

• Can be calculated like a GPA

• Interpret same way-3.0 being a strong attitude

Promoting Content Literacy

• No guarantees

Create a print-rich environment

• Classroom library

• Displaying books

• Quote of the day

Give students a chance to read

• Content area Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)

SSR Guidelines

1. Make the purpose of SSR clear2. Define acceptable materials3. Encourage students to select materials in advance4. Announce the time limit5. Prohibit studying6. Enforce silence7. Participate in SSR your self8. Avoid accountability9. Link SSR to the Content Literacy Interest inventory

Read alouds

• Brief selections

• Carefully chosen

• Nonfiction bet but don’t rule out fiction

Vary your teaching methods

• SLIGHT differences between what you do and what students expect can increase arousal

• Varying methods-graphic organizer one day, feature analysis another

Look for links with the lives of your students

• How does new material relate to student?

• If no other connection, – relate to coming events (quiz). – Ask students why they think an objective is

important

Provide choices where possible

• Make sure all the choices lead to your objective

• Advantages– Allows student to chose what has highest

valence for them– Power transfers tot eh student– Urges active engagement of student

Look for interdisciplinary connections

• Thematic planning-team

• Can still be done alone