I am both pleased and frustrated that this week's reading reinforces my perceptions about the concept of motivation: that it is "fuzzy" - difficult to understand, explain, measure and plan for. I suspected as much when deciding to take this class. Yes, I know I am fascinated by motivation and that I experience a strong desire to know what/how/why motivation affects my students. So I looked forward to an academic challenge allowing me to develop a greater understanding of its functionality in my classroom.
Yet I immediately resisted any attempts to define, structure, categorize, systematize, theorize, and any-other-ize "motivation" as put forth in the Keller articles. I even laughed at myself, realizing that I wanted greater knowledge and understanding, while leaving my romantic visions unsullied. So I tried to read through the Keller articles' outlines of the ARCS with the same patience I need when trying to revisit how to design a lesson plan from scratch, using the old formats from undergraduate classes (with all its components, transitions and the like). Of course it makes sense to break it down into its process, if for no other reason than to give us a means by which to communicate about it.
I'd like to think that my instruction pays attention to these characteristics - that my lessons and curriculum address my audience's need for attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction - but I know there are areas in need of improvement. I am remembering incidences in my class that are positive examples of stimulating inquiry amongst students during research or designing tasks and assessments with greater student choice and control, but I'm also thinking of the times when my lessons fall into rote, formulaic structures and leave this passion by the wayside. Keller suggests we need to strike a balance for students between boredom and hyperactivity; I suggest that we as educators need to strike that same balance in ourselves.
Perhaps if we revisit curriculum, unit goals and lesson objectives, and look for places in which to consider - if not directly plan for the implementation of - such concepts, then maybe we can help young people develop that self-actualization and meta cognitive motivation. I mean, who wouldn't want a class that could be characterized by...
"Truth, rather than dishonesty.
Goodness, rather than evil.
Beauty, not ugliness or vulgarity.
Unity, wholeness, and transcendence of opposites, not arbitrariness or forced choices.
Aliveness, not deadness or the mechanization of life.
Uniqueness, not bland uniformity.
Perfection and necessity, not sloppiness, inconsistency, or accident.
Completion, rather than incompleteness.
Justice and order, not injustice and lawlessness.
Simplicity, not unnecessary complexity.
Richness, not environmental impoverishment.
Effortlessness, not strain.
Playfulness, not grim, humorless, drudgery.
Self-sufficiency, not dependency.
Meaningfulness, rather than senselessness." - Boeree, C. G. Abraham Maslow.
I know that's a lot of text to quote, but I want to make sure I can revisit this list later - as standards by which to design the ideal learning environment. I would feel motivated learning in this space...
And one more thing? About what else motivates me? Apparently, it's deadlines. I'll play it safer for Module 2. :)
Hi Sarah
ReplyDeleteI could SO relate to your posting for Module 1! As I said in my reflection, I am over-motivated (STRESSED) – by all of the variables involved (which, like you, makes me laugh at myself because DUH I really already knew that!). One thing that became increasingly apparent to me though was the need to really start small (like one lesson) and create the motivational plan (I really liked Table 5 in “The Systematic Process of Motivational Design”-Keller, 1987c). For me, it seems almost like going back to when I was student teaching and writing detailed, step-by-step lesson plans for instruction/content. I would guess (and hope) that after doing that for several lessons, it would become more natural to think about the four aspects of the ARCS Model and incorporate them into a lesson more automatically.
I have been learning more about lesson study (Catherine Lew is one of the big gurus and it’s been done in Japan for years). In lesson study, a group of educators will take one lesson and spend hours refining it each time it is taught (they also go en masse to each other’s rooms to watch the lesson taught to each group of students). Of course, the first reaction for any teacher would probably be “who has time for that??”. But, in going through the process, the educators’ thinking shifts, which then affects their approach to other lessons as well. I know for me, I always feel such time pressure (we only have our students for one year!) that I try to change many things at once. This was also apparent in “The Development and Use of the ARCS Model of Instructional Design” (Keller, 1987a) when it was noted that some of the teachers chose projects that were too large in scope and it was only after narrowing their focus to something more manageable that they made progress.
In thinking about this in terms of yoga (which I practice much less faithfully then I’d like), there are times when I’m in a pose and just an ever so slight adjustment to my body makes all the difference in how able (or not) I am to hold the pose.
On another note, in case you don’t re-visit our introduction discussion board, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the bios cheat sheet. Great idea!
Mary
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned at first part of your comment, understanding and evaluating motivation is extremely complicated. While I am reading about general problems related to motivation, I asked my wife (she is an IT teacher) that in which ways she is evaluating motivation of her students, and we just realized that we do not have any concrete evaluation instrument. We were just using our judgment.
After little bit discussion, we realized that maybe we should re-evaluate the way we are teaching.
By the way, I am jealous about the photo, since I haven’t gone to “Cappadocia” (I just assumed the place you were watching is Cappadocia) yet.
Osman
The tendency is to think of motivation as fuzzy. But I think that is because it is complex. As a grad student, I first began to approach the topic, I recall thinking it was an area that was so complex, with so many different individual differences, that I couldn't imagine how anyone could plan instruction that could effectively motivate all students.
ReplyDeleteWhile Keller's model initially seems simplistic, the key is to examine the specific theories of motivation and where they fit within the ARCS model. What theories are related to Attention? Which to Relevance? etc.
On measures (Which Osman brings up), in a later Module you'll find I've linked to some survey instruments used in research studies. But there are observational 'measures' as well.