Reynolds,+Brittany+Student+Motivation

__**Hello All!!**__ __Personal Introduction & Something Interesting:__ I am Brittany Reynolds and I am 23 years old. I graduated March 2011 with a BS in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Outdoor Adventure Leadership from Southern Oregon University. I am a volleyball coach and absolutely love it, which is why I spend about 8 months of the year coaching various teams. In between finishing my Bachelor's and starting the MAT program at SOU, I lived and worked in Sydney, Australia as a Before and After School Care Coordinator for elementary aged children and absolutely loved it! I also worked closely with other staff of the YMCA in coordinating and programming the Holiday Adventures Program for students on school holidays. __Education & Career Goals:__ For now my plan is to finish up with the program and head back to Australia to begin my career. I hope to coach volleyball while I am there and either be involved with or start and outdoor program wherever I end up working; I want to get kids outside and dirty! :D __What Brings Me Joy?:__ So, so many things bring me joy! Spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, coaching (especially when my players are really excited to be there), a cup of coffee and a good book, do-it-yourself crafts, bike rides, walks along the beach, cooking (especially the eating part of cooking), inspirational quotes, a little kids laugh, and so much more that I can't think of right now. __My Greatest Fear & Difficult Learning Experience:__ My greatest fear about being a teacher is losing my passion for children and my ability to be inspiring. One time when something was extremely difficult to learn was in the 5th grade when I didn't know my times tables. I was so embarrassed and it didn't help that my teacher made me feel stupid by saying I should already know them. I felt as though I would never learn them because it was just too hard. That is when I learned the value of hard work. This taught me that it is important to not make students feel stupid by saying what they should already know. Instead, it is my job to help them try to learn the material and catch up if they are a little further behind than what is expected and be kind! __What Would I Like to Gain?:__ I would really like to gain some strategies and techniques to help make sure all students' needs are met within my classroom. I also think it is important for me to gain some insights regarding how students may be feeling so I can try to identify with them and understand their needs better. =

= **Student Motivation Research**

**Introduction of Topic: Student Motivation**
This topic is personally relevant because I believe that this is a topic that I, and other teachers, will struggle with throughout our teaching careers. Although many seem to be able to explain what motivation means, it is very difficult to explain how it works, and therefore use effective strategies to motivate others. As a coach, I find it extremely difficult to motivate some athletes, while others buy in easily to my latest strategy or tactic. I have never really understood why, so I decided to use this research project to dig a little deeper to further my understanding of motivation in students and athletes. This is by no means exhaustive research, and there is still a long way to go.

**Top 5 Things I Learned:**

 * 1) Motivation is very complex! It is a multifaceted topic that consists of many variables.
 * 2) Goal setting theory, which predicts that under certain conditions, setting more specific goals may lead to higher achievement or performance rather than setting vague goals or no goals at all. (I knew that setting goals is better than not setting any already, but didn’t realize there was a whole theory dedicated to goal setting.)
 * 3) Self-determination theory (SDT)- It is concerned with supporting our natural or intrinsic tendencies to behave in effective and healthy ways.
 * 4) Future time perspective theory (FTPT)- the idea that one’s sense of purpose for the future serves as a motivational force for individuals to engage in activities that are perceived as being instrumental for future outcomes.
 * 5) Most people don’t understand motivation! (Motivation Breakthrough by Richard Lavoie is GREAT!)

**Best Resource:**
1. Lavoie, R. (2008). //Motivation Breakthrough//[Motion picture]. Alexandria, VA: PBS Video. Retrieved on February 29, 2012 from []

This video begins by exploring some of the common misconceptions regarding student motivation and that most strategies used are ineffective. Lavoie presents different approaches and strategies that will help parent and educators motivate student initially and maintain motivation throughout the year. He also explains the 6 factors that motivate humans and how these factors can be translated into practical classroom strategies. I give this resource a 5! I love it, I learned so much from it, and every pre-service teacher that watches it has something to gain.

**Other Resources:**
2. The Sound of Science, (2003). Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students’ Motivation to Learn. //The National Academies Press//. Podcast retrieved from []

This podcast is wonderful! It discusses different ideas and theories regarding information as well as what resources and tools teachers and schools should have and use in regards to student motivation. I really identify with the idea of relevance that this podcasts speaks to, which is that students should be able to see how what they learn will benefit them after they graduate from high school. I give this resource a 5 because of the ten suggestions they give in order to boost student motivation and increase student engagement. media type="custom" key="12742038"

3. Kok, G.J., Seijts, G.H., & Strecher, V.J. (1995) ‘Goal Setting as a Strategy for Health Behavior Change.’ Health //education Quarterly// 22: (2) 190-200.

This journal article speaks to how setting goals can lead to beneficial effects regarding health behavior change. It discusses goal setting theory, which predicts that under certain conditions, setting more specific goals may lead to higher achievement or performance rather than setting vague goals or no goals at all. I would rate this resource at a 3 because although it provides great information in regards to my field, health, it does not speak to other content areas.

4. Lens, W., Simons, J., Soenens, B. & Vansteenkiste, M. (2004) ‘How to become a persevering exerciser? Providing a clear, future intrinsic goal in an autonomy supportive way’, //Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology// 26: 232-29.

This purpose of this study was to examine two different motivational theories, self-determination theory (SDT) and future time perspective theory (FTPT). It speaks to the possible benefits and downfalls of both theories and related them to exercise in regards to effort expenditure, autonomous exercise motivation, performance, long-term persistence and sport club membership. This study is a great resource in regards to physical education, but is less relatable to other discipline areas, therefore, I only give this resource a 3.

5. Vansteenkiste, M., Lens, W., Simons, J., Sheldon, M., Deci, E., (2004). ‘Motivating learning, performance, and persistence: the synergistic effects ofintrinis goal contents and autonomy-supportive contexts’, Journal //of Personality and Social// //Pyschology// 87: Issue 2: 246-260.

This journal article was aimed at studying the relationship between students’ future goals (FGs) and their immediate achievement goal orientations (AGOs) among a vast number of secondary students fromSingapore. “The findings suggest that, to enhance school motivation, teachers should encourage student to adopt intrinsic AGOs and FGs. Although this research was not done in theUnited States, I think it still has a lot of great information to offer educators in regards to motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic. One model describes the difference intrinsic FGs (career-, society-, and family-oriented) factors and extrinsic FGs (fame- and wealth-oriented) factors. This resource has useful information regarding student motivation for all content areas, therefore I rate this resource a 5.

6. Bong, M. (2004).Academic Motivation in Self-Efficacy, Task Value, Achievement Goal Orientations, and Attributional Beliefs, //The Journal of Education Research // 97: Issue 6, 287-297.

This article speaks to academic self-efficacy, task value, ability and effort attributions and mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance achievement-goal orientations among nearly 400 Korean high school girls in regards to general learning, Korean, English and mathematics. This article was interesting in that the study was only done with female students, which would be interesting to compare to a similar study with only male students, both the same country and other countries. One of the limitations of this study is that other demographics are not compared, although the study does make some interesting connections in regards to motivational beliefs that are subject-matter specific. I would give this article a rating of 3.5.

7. Yusuf, M., (2011). The impact of self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self- regulated learning strategies on students’ academic achievement//,// //Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences//. 15: Issue 2, 2623-2626.

This study attempted to research the what the relationship was between self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and learning strategies on student’ academic achievement and academic achievement. The researchers had 300 undergraduate students respond to a questionnaire and results showed that self-efficacy belief significantly enhanced learning attainment, which I think can also be linked to motivation. I would rate this resource as a 3, because it does not specifically mention student motivation, although I think the topics are very related.

8. Turner, E.A.,Chandler, M., & Heffer, R.W., (2009). The Influence of Parenting Styles, Achievement Motivation, and Self-Efficacy on Academic Performance on College Students, //Journal of College Student Development//. 50: Issue 3, 337-346.

This study examined the relationship between authoritative parenting style, academic performance, and self-efficacy and achievement motivation using a sample of college students. The study also tested the interaction between self-efficacy and authoritative parenting, but this was not found to be significant. I really like how this article discusses future implications in regards to further research and it would be interesting to see if the authors do a secondary study based on similar ideas. I found it interesting that the results of the study shows that more authoritative parenting does have and influence on the academic performance of college students. This article would be more impactful for me if it was based on high school students, but it still does provide some insight to student behavior. I rate this resource 4 because of the specific mention of student motivation.

9. Reiss, S. (2010). Motivating Students to Learn: Paying Students to Learn Works, __Who__ __Are We__, Retrieved from [|http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/who-we- are/201005/motivating-students-learn]

This is a very interesting article! Although it is somewhat short, it does reference some scholarly studies and discusses the difference between two theories of motivation and how the two have conflicting ideas about whether paying students to learn in schools. This is quite a controversial topic, and I’m not exactly sure where the money comes from to pay to the students (parents maybe?). Motivation is a very complex and multifaceted topic and incentives sometimes work, but the misuse of incentives have the potential to backfire. I give this resource a 3, just because it such an interesting and controversial topic, although it would be worth doing further research on.

**Community Bases Learning Project** //How did each member of the team participate during the meeting?//

The special education teacher was definitely running the show throughout the meeting. She made introductions among the group members and stuck with an agenda she had ready. She followed the necessary steps throughout the meeting to make sure each box was ticked appropriately. She also did a very good job of making both the student and her parent feel welcome and comfortable. She explained things well and in terms that were easily translated to the parent.

The translator did and excellent job of relaying information between the parties. She would take in information, listening carefully, and pause the conversation when needed in order to relay the information as accurately as possible. She was also very friendly and warm, which I think helped put the parent at ease as she didn’t understand very much English.

There were two general education teachers present, the PE teacher and the Science teacher. They were present and listened to the introductions and gave constructive feedback regarding the student’s behavior in each of their classes. But neither of them stayed for the whole meeting, which was interesting to me because they didn’t hear the part of the meeting when Jane’s new goals were decided upon.

The parent was very respectful and listened to the special education teachers’ suggestions, relying on her expertise. She seemed to provide insights that would help her daughter, while making sure that her daughter would continue to take responsibility for her actions and her education, which was really good to see.

//What did you learn about the IEP process?//

I learned that the IEP process is very extensive and that it takes a lot of time to go through the whole process. For one student, the meeting was an hour and a half. I don’t know how many students are currently on IEP’s as my school, but I can only imagine how many hours are spend in meeting and on the pile of paperwork that needs to stay current and organized for each student. This whole process is extremely important though, because without the right paper trail, these students would be left without much needed resources they need to succeed both during their school years and as adult within a community.

//What questions do you have from the experience?//

Now that I have participated in an IEP meeting with an ESOL student, I am very curious about one that is for a student who has a disability or a behavioral issue. I think very different problems would be presented and I would also like to see how other parents react to the progress their child is making/the interventions that are occurring.

I also want to know what happens if the student is not making any progress toward specified goals. Do they just modify the goals? Does it depend on the child’s behavior? There was not an administrator present during the meeting I attended. Is there supposed to be one?

//Reflection://

Participating in and IEP was very interesting for me. I really enjoyed sitting down with the special education teacher and discussing how the whole process plays out from beginning to end. I also really liked seeing how she included the student so much in the meeting process, so that the student was fully aware of the expectations. The special education teacher made sure to ask for input from the student to make sure she felt comfortable with the goals and that the goals were both challenging enough to push her, but not so challenging they wouldn’t be accomplished. I think this is extremely important so that the student, the teachers, and the parents are all on the same page.


 * //Account of IEP://**

IEP Meeting for Jane Doe. January 26th, 2012 at 3:00pm.

Introductions


 * Due to language barriers, there was a translator present during the entire meeting.

Special education teacher gave parents a copy of the Parent Rights Handbook, then reviewed the IEP to wee what growth/progress Jane had mad and to look at how specific goals needed to be changed or reworked. The parent signed the translated safeguards that were given to her.

The parent was then shown the goals from Jane’s last IEP, with goals from November. Her most recent test results have shown much growth in scholastic reading. The graph shows her growth with some dips during the summer months, which is to be expected with less practice when school is not in session. Overall, there is exponential growth.

The special education teacher then moved to the PLAPP section of the IEP, showing the OAKS testing results from the previous year. In reading she went from a 212 to a 222. In math she moved from a 208 to a 221, which doesn’t meet the grade level requirements but does demonstrate exponential growth as 4 or 5 points generally demonstrates one year’s growth. Jane’s oral reading fluency has stayed about the same, but she is continually making progress. She has also shown sufficient growth on her Math CBM’s.

Jane’s science teacher was present during the meeting and stated that her work is improving, as are here participation and attitude. He mentioned that with Jane, attitude makes a huge difference. When she has a good attitude, her work improves and when she has a bad attitude, her work isn’t as good. He thinks that Jane is a bit social in class and could focus a bit more, but overall she is showing improvement.

Jane’s PE teacher was also present and stated similar comments. Since the beginning of the year, she has made steady improvement in her attitude and her effort. She is very social, which sometimes hurts her participation grade. The teacher also stated that Jane is a natural leader, so when she works hard, so do her friends, so it is important for Consuelo to do her best. She is also competitive, which is good because it makes her work harder.

The math teacher’s notes stated that Jane works very well independently, almost to her detriment because turning in homework completed seems to be an issue for her.

The special education teacher then gave the parent the options to consider from this point on for Jane. The options were to either put her in a math lab with Mrs. B, which would take her out of social studies, which would be okay because it would boost her math grade and not really hurt her because social studies isn’t necessarily required. They then talked about what the options were for schedule changes, and decided that adding a math lab and dropping social studies would be the best option. This would help to improve her math skills and move her to a regular language arts class, which would be the most beneficial in the long run.

The special education teacher and the parent then went through the Special Needs Checklist included in the IEP. Jane does not need any digital or electronic assistance. Jane does not have special communication needs. She does not have any behaviors that impede her or others. She does have a limited English proficiency due to vocabulary limitations, but has passed herELDA. She is not blind or visually impaired and is not deaf or hard of hearing. Jane would like special accommodations for state testing. She would like to be in a small group so she can focus better and a printed copy of the reading materials instead of taking the test on a computer.

As for goals until the next meeting, she will continue to work on previous goals as well as moving her reading score from 85 to 130.

The special education teacher, the translator, and the parents discussed Jane’s behavior for several more minutes, commented on her progress, and then the meeting ended.