Motivating Students (to learn)

Dr Kate Exley

Queen’s University Belfast

What is Motivation? “Motivation is a means to achieve a goal, not an end

in its own right”“I can

motivate anyone who wants to be motivated”

“Nothing is more motivating than

success”

Outline Programme

The Teaching and Learning Context What is learning and how do students do it? What Motivates learners to learn? Encouraging greater Independent learning Case studies The impact of assessment

The Context

Increase in student numbers Research demands Greater variation in student background Greater emphasis on development of ‘life skills’ Clarification of professional and academic skills ? ?

(What other factors are having an impact?)

What do your students understand by ‘Learning’?

A quantitative increase in knowledge Storing information that can be reproduced Acquiring facts, skills and methods for use

Making sense or abstracting meaning - relating things to each other and the real world

Interpreting and understanding reality in different ways (comprehending & re-interpreting knowledge)

Useful Models about Learning

Deep and Surface Hierarchy of cognition Learning cycles and experiential learning Learning Styles and Approaches Constructivism

Approach to learningMarton and Saljo (1976)

Deep

Surface

Strategic

Approach to learningMarton and Saljo (1976)

Deep Motivated by the challenge of mastering a

complex and difficult subject. Surface

Strategic

Approach to learningMarton and Saljo (1976)

Deep Motivated by the challenge of mastering a

complex and difficult subject. Surface

Motivated by the fear of failure Strategic

Approach to learningMarton and Saljo (1976)

Deep Motivated by the challenge of mastering a

complex and difficult subject. Surface

Motivated by the fear of failure Strategic

Motivated by rewards and recognition

Do

Plan ReviewIn

Context

The Process of LearningKolb’s learning cycle

Preferences in Learninge.g. Honey and Mumford

Activist

Reflector

Theorist

Pragmatist

Internal mechanisms of learningConstructivism, Dewey (1933 - 1998)

Learner must actively build their own knowledge and understanding.

The learner’s processing of stimuli and the resulting cognitive structures produces learning

Two branches

Cognitive Constructivists….the learner selects and

transforms information - builds cognitive structures”

e.g Bruner (1990) Piaget (1972)

Social Constructivists….Social interaction plays a

fundamental role in learning”e.g. Vygotsky (1978)

What do you think motivates learning?

Please think about

Yourself as a learner

Your friends and colleagues

Your students

Research tells us –(McCombs,B. 1991)

To achieve optimal motivation learners must –

See education as relevant to their interests & goals.Believe they have the competencies to achieve goals.Take responsibility to define and accomplish own goals.Understand the higher level thinking and self-regulation skills that lead to goal attainment.Develop processes to encode, process, & recall info.Control emotions that affect learning and motivation.Achieve outcomes that signal success.

What motivates students on your course?

‘Real life’ Links to future goals / careers Assessment (sticks and carrots) Presenting work to others (sticks and carrots) Being able to see progress Ability to choose ? ?(Please add two more motivators)

Motivation Where is it coming from?

Extrinsic ‘Have to’

Intrinsic ‘Want to’

Relationships between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation ?

Edward Deci had two groups of students play with a puzzle called Soma. One group were paid for each puzzle they solved; the other wasn’t.

The paid group stopped solving puzzles as soon as the experiment—and the payment—ended.

The unpaid group kept solving the puzzles even after the experiment was over. They found the puzzles intrinsically interesting.

Source: Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do, Harvard University Press,

2004, pages 32-33

Don’t forget you are a‘role-model’- Enthusiasm is infectious!

Display your enthusiasm and motivation Share your passion for the subject Make reference to your own research Make the course personal – why are you

interested? Show how you overcome hurdles and solve

problems Share examples from your own experience

Motivating interest in your subject

Novelty “I haven’t seen anything quite like this.” Utility “This is something you will use all the time.” Applicability “We will be applying this in the lab. later” Anticipation “So what is the next step.” Surprise “I bet this isn’t what you were expecting” Challenge “This is quite difficult but worth the effort.” Feedback “Try this, you’ll find out if you really get it.”

DeLong & Winter, 2002 Learning to Teaching and Teaching to Learn Maths.

Task

Summary of useful strategies

Define course goals and support learners to identify their own personal goals

Use students’ background knowledge and interests Show how topics and materials are relevant Provide opportunities for active engagment Give frequent and constructive feedback Support independent learning ….

Towards independence in learning

Building skills Building confidence Building peer support

How are these ‘built’ through a Programme?

Two case studies

Tutor-less Tutorials

Law undergraduates,

University of Southampton

Course Assignment TriadsEducation Masters students

University of Bristol

Case study 1.Tutorless Tutorials

TutorialTutorless Tutorial Tutorial

Week 1. Week 2.

Case study 2.Course Assignment support

For each written assignment on the MEd (TEFL) course the work in a group of three.

They meet three times during the development of an assignment :

Preliminary dialogue – working with the title; Dialogue 2 – After writing 1st draft (2 weeks later); Dialogue 3 – After receiving marks from the tutor.

The 3 triad meetings - 1.

The 3 triad meetings - 2.

The 3 triad meetings - 3.

Considering Assessment

What impact does assessment have on motivation?

Please consider, The timing of assessment The assessment methods used The value and credit rating of assessment The feedback given from assessment

Further sources Student Motivations and Attitudes, NAGT

A website that provides rich links to a number of research papers that support general guidance

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/motivation.html

Motivation to Learn : An Overview Huitt, W. (2011). Motivation to learn: An overview.

Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University.http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/motivation/motivate.html

Further resources

17 Tips To Motivate Adult Learners http://elearningindustry.com/17-tips-to-motivate-adult-learners

Motivating Students, Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/