Do You See the Hidden Potential All Around You?

joostun.co.uk

Recently I have become weary of all the politics and hand wringing in the 24 hour news cycle. As a result I've begun to turn to pod casts to feed my desire to remain engaged. In perusing the Apple Podcast library I came across the linked podcast related to the hidden potential in people around us. A constant theme in all the stories of hidden potential highlighted is that life does not present a level playing field and as such the potential in many people may never be realized unless they are given the opportunity and support to seek to realize their potential. This is a powerful message for me as an educator. I ask myself how often do I miss potential in my students that in all rights I should see? How can I as their teacher; become their cheerleader, their champion, the spark that perhaps light a flame that will last a lifetime. I hope this podcast inspires you as it inspired me.

Hidden Potential

How do I Motivate my Students!?

successfulchangeforu.com

Is there an educator or parent in the world that hasn't stood back and taken a long hard look at their student(s) and wondered how to motivate them? True, there are those select individuals who are intrinsically motivated, seeking out opportunities and challenges seemingly without any outside motivation. Let's be real here though, generally speaking teachers spend a good portion of each day trying to figure out what will get their students excited about learning.

Research and personal experience would support a few general truths. First, teachers have a foundational impact on their students perceptions and enthusiasm for to learning. Teachers who have the trust and respect of their students, can inspire students to learn not only through these educator/student relationships but through effective and engaging pedagogical application (Ferlazzo, 2018). Second, as our student get older, much of the enthusiasm for learning sadly is often replaced by cynicism and disengagement from the educational process on the part of our students. Such disengagement comes about for a variety of reasons, but the ultimate effect is that older students often don't have the same enthusiasm and buy-in for learning that their younger counterparts do (Ferlazzo, 2018). Finally, and this is so important to remember, there are a myriad of other individuals, experiences, conditions, pressures, communities, etc. that shape and impact our students. Teachers can learn about them, account for them, and try to mindfully support students with these realities in mind, but might not be able to completely mitigate the impact of negative influences upon student academic motivation.

Recently a meta study on the topic of motivation was published by the Mayo Clinic. This study looked at the range of studies currently taking place and distilled the work into five general theories which are currently popular. These theories currently in vogue are as follow (Cook, D. A., & Artino, A. R., 2016).

Expectancy-value theory sees student motivation as an outgrowth of student estimation of personal success which in turn is measured with the perceived value of the journey. Success has to be realistically attainable and the results inviting enough to work towards.

Attribution theory is reflective in nature. Students look back and see how their past efforts have resulted in the positive benefits that they are experiencing. In turn students then judge whether the past events/conditions are stable and controllable moving into the future. In turn are these events and conditions within the student control and can they be replicated moving forward with reasonable effort thus building enthusiasm to "try" once again?

Self-efficacy, the personal perceptions and beliefs about one's abilities and capacities are central to Socialcognitive theory. Students are driven/guided by their self-view as it applies to opportunities/challenges which come their way. Do they they see their abilities and skills leading to the anticipated benefits/returns afforded by their efforts (i.e. co they see themselves as actually able to do "it" and is "it" actually worth it to them to try?)

Yet another theory is Goal Orientation theory. This theory sees goals from one of two perspectives. Either the students holds to a growth mindset world view which sees them embracing learning and achievement for intrinsic reasons of personal betterment. On the other hand the individual is driven to achievement goals because they wish to stay or get ahead of others in their class, peer group, or society at large. This perspective speak to a "fixed" mindset creating and driving motivation.

The final theory presented was Self-determination theory. In this model individuals are driven by a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic considerations. Personal satisfaction is a driving force behind personal motivation. Yet, at the same time they also are impacting and motivated by external forces and perspectives arising from outside their person. In the end the intrinsic and extrinsic forces create a motivational signature unique to the intividual.

Students never seem to follow the text book descriptions that are presented. Yet, in looking at these theories, I was reminded of so many students who I have come into contact with over the years. It seems that no single theory speaks to the entirety of my student community, but when taking the range of theories I feel that many if not most of my students are represented. As an educator I must understand that my job is to create and nurture a learning environment which accounts for the needs of my students, seeking to offer them opportunities/avenues to engage with the curriculum. Yet, while I am called to speak to my students needs the reality is that I am but one part of a far bigger equation. Student motivation is the product of a wide variety of personal, familial, community, and societal elements many of which I can neither control, or completely account for in my professional application. Ultimately my hope is that I find that magic key which unlocks the motivation to achieve one student at a time.

References

Cook, D. A., & Artino, A. R. (2016). Motivation to learn: an overview of contemporary theories. Medical Education, 50(10), 997-1014. doi:10.1111/medu.13074

Ferlazzo, L. (2018). Suggestions for Assisting Students to Develop Intrinsic Motivation to Learn. Retrieved from Flip Board 1/20/18. http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2018/01/15/suggestions-for-assisting-students-to-develop-intrinsic-motivation-to-learn/

Reforming Teacher Education With a Flip

SimpleK12.com

Education as a profession is in crisis on many fronts not least of which relates to the effectiveness of teacher education programs. I came across a fascinating article which may, in part, present a path forward for education programs which would better prepare the educators for their classroom experiences. With the advancement of technology in all aspects of our lives, the concept of the flipped classroom is one that is intended to harness this connectivity allowing for students to engage the materials on their own time, and at their own pace, freeing up classroom experiences for greater direct engagement with the instructor. At the heart of the attached article is a similar concept as it applies to teacher education. The idea here though is to create more time for teachers in training to directly engage with students and master teachers in classroom experiences (Matthew, 2017). As almost all professionals can generally agree that while there is need and value in classes, seminars, professional development and staff meetings, that at a point they are of little value and impact relative to professional preparedness. For educators nothing can replace direct contact with students to initiate, develop and hone pedagogical skills. With the use of VR and other technologies, as well as the application of teaching concepts applied with younger students the hope is that future teachers would enter the classrooms far better prepared than they have been to this point (Matthew, 2017). The stakes are high. With fewer and fewer young people choosing to go into education for a variety of reasons, and with so many leaving the field within the first few years of their initial experiences, there is something significantly wrong with the current teacher training models that are now in place. Hopefully flexible and forward thinking might provide a path forward to a brighter tomorrow for education.

Please read the following article:
Reforming Teacher Education With a Flip

Reference

Lynch,Matthew (2017). How should we reform teacher education. Retrieved       from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2017/10/how_should_we_reform_teacher_e ducation.html, January 1/14/18.