The Plan: Why Do Some Learn and Others Just Pass?

I’m sure there is a great deal of research into the above question within the education discipline, just as I’m sure this entails a multi-faceted and complex answer. Perhaps the simplest answer (or at least one of them) is motivation. Motivation is precisely the topic of this soon-to-be teaching module.

Because who doesn’t need an adorable penguin cheering you on?

Being from the business school, motivation is a topic we tend to cover a lot (see: things managers should know). I’m sure it is covered in other disciplines as well (like psychology, since I imagine that’s where management found it given they “borrow” often from psychology), but just to be sure, that’s where the module will begin: defining motivation. Now, this is easier said than done because motivation is rather complex. After consulting several resources, there are a few common threads in the general definitions provided. While this overall definition will be our starting point, we will also explore the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Additionally, we will also look at three (of many) aspects of motivation. These are the Progress Principle, Expectancy Theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs. Briefly (because I’d hate to spoil the module too much):

Progress Principle: making progress, even just a little, boosts motivation, emotions, and perceptions. Woo!

Expectancy Theory: the reward/punishment should fit the effort expended.

Maslow’s Hierarchy: we must satisfy more basic needs (such as hunger and tiredness) before we can pursue higher needs (such as being the next Aristotle or Steve Jobs)

Given that I have a feeling at least some of us have had prior exposure to many of these concepts, that shouldn’t be it. Why? A few reasons.

1. If you have studied motivation before, six minutes of this will bore you.
2. If you haven’t studied motivation before, you may be wondering how to use this newfound knowledge.
3. This is a course about teaching, and it would probably be a more meaningful module if motivation was tied back to the overall course.

So this means good news for you; everything discussed for the module to this point should take (with careful practice) about 3 minutes, meaning we still have three minutes to talk about students. That’s right, we’re taking the general concept of motivation and throwing it in the classroom.

I’m sure we’ve all been (or at least seen) this student at least once

This last half of the module has two foci: what motivates students and how teachers can motivate students. These go hand in hand as understanding what might motivate someone enables you to take steps to try providing that motivation. However, some tactics will work better for certain people depending on their leadership style (yay, more management concepts). Now, you could run a search for leadership styles and wind up with any number of styles from four to about 12, maybe more. But this isn’t a management lesson; it’s a module about motivation in the classroom, so there’s no quiz at the end. We’ll cover four leadership styles along with how teachers in each of those styles might work to motivate students in their classes.

Now bear with me. I’m sure you’re looking at our intended journey and wondering how this is going to happen in six minutes or less. The answer is: trust me. As I’ve hinted at, motivation is a huge topic in and of itself, as are many of the subtopics. The objective is not expertise or mastery; it’s introduction, exposure. There are countless resources available regarding motivation, its various subtopics, and how to motivate/what motivates students. This is a starting point for further exploration (and I’ll even provide hyperlinks to my sources in the blog post for the module).

I believe I mentioned I’m pretty up to date on kids’ movies

Here are the questions we should be able to answer by the end of the module:

• What is motivation?
• What are some factors contributing to or influencing motivation?
• How might you motivate students in the classroom?

The final aspect of the plan is how to deliver the module. I’ve already referenced that it will be six minutes or less; I haven’t yet said it will be a video (but you probably figured that out already). However, I will not be using PowerPoint. I will be using Prezi as it better facilitates the use of multimedia. That’s right; this module is going to be visual and use text only as needed. This will hopefully keep your attention on the dialogue instead of reading ahead. In addition to more visuals, I intend to provide anecdotes, as well as pose questions for self-reflection as we go.

This will be a challenge to accomplish well, but I’m motivated to tackle this module. I hope to deliver a great video learning experience that encourages you to look more into this complex subject and to consider your own approach in the classroom.