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Sparking Student Motivation
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Sparking Student Motivation
The Power of Teachers to Rekindle a Love for Learning



August 2020 | 240 pages | Corwin

Be the change that lights the learning fire.

Facing a classroom of attentive, focused, and ready-to-learn students is a teacher’s dream. Nevertheless, this is not always the reality, and pulling students along when they don’t seem interested is frustrating. Too often, a teacher’s daily experience does not align with the dream. 

This book is here to show how you, as a classroom teacher, can generate enthusiasm, confidence, and joy in your students. You can affect motivation and make a difference in their lives. Delve into the what, why, and how by reflecting on your own experiences and unpacking multiple factors that affect motivation. Then, learn how to spark motivation using practical, research-informed strategies that address how to

  • Hone student grouping, rewards, technology, and competition for positive impact
  • Confront and disarm testing conflicts to make assessments a pleasant student experience
  • Examine and empower teacher–student relationships
  • Rethink rules and procedures to improve behavioral outcomes
     

Read this book and you’ll come away prepared to implement strategies that rekindle a love for learning.

 



 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Introduction
The Power of a Teacher to Impact Student Motivation

 
Rationale for This Book

 
Organization of the Book

 
Some Final Words

 
 
PART I: AN INTRODUCTION TO MOTIVATION
 
Chapter 1. What Is Motivation?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
Defining Motivation

 
Needs

 
Beliefs

 
Goals

 
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

 
Revisiting Our Definition of Motivation

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 2. Who Shapes Student Motivation?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
Students’ Personalities

 
Teachers

 
Parents

 
Schools

 
Communities, Neighborhoods, and Society

 
How Do We Get All of These Parties to Work Together?

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 3. The Secret Sauce
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
The Secret Sauce

 
Instructional Strategies for Building Students’ Self-Efficacy

 
An Important Note About Self-Efficacy

 
Modeling

 
Setting Short-Term Goals

 
Providing Appropriate Feedback

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 4. The Second Secret Sauce
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
The Second Secret Sauce

 
Influences on Achievement Values

 
Making Content Enjoyable and Interesting

 
Making Content Useful and Important

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
PART II: TEACHER PRACTICES TO SPARK MOTIVATION
 
Chapter 5. How Should I Teach?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
A Daily Question: How Do I Teach?

 
How Do I Present New Material to My Students?

 
Practicing and Perfecting

 
Grouping Students

 
Using Technology

 
To Reward or Not to Reward?

 
To Compete or Not to Compete?

 
Teaching to Students’ Preferred Learning Styles

 
Promoting Growth Mindsets

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 6. What About Testing?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
The Purpose of Testing

 
Why Does Everyone Hate Tests?

 
Why Am I Giving This Test?

 
Testing and Time

 
What Are the Consequences of the Test?

 
How Much Do I Talk About Tests?

 
What About Those High-Stakes Tests?

 
Cheating and Testing

 
Providing Feedback

 
Testing and Motivation Don’t Have to Be Like Oil and Vinegar

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 7. Should I Be Nice?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
Your Relationships With Your Students

 
Caring About Our Students

 
Effects of Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

 
All Are Welcome Here

 
Teacher-Student Relationships Across the Years

 
Culture, Diversity, and Teacher-Student Relationships

 
Strategies for Promoting Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 8. What About Behavior Management?
Understanding Your Own Motivation

 
Why Are We Talking About Behavior Management in a Book About Motivation?

 
Rules and Procedures

 
Engagement

 
Summing Up Engagement

 
Proactive or Reactive?

 
Supporting Student Motivation While Managing Behavior

 
Summing Up

 
Applying What You Have Learned

 
 
Chapter 9. How Do I Make This All Work?
Remember That Quiz?

 
Be the Bravest

 
 
Appendix: Daily Motivation Planning
 
References
 
Index
Key features
The book contains a number of features, across all chapters, that will help the reader to

understand student motivation, and to become efficacious at implementing research-informed

strategies to positively enhance student motivation.
?

• Summary tables/figures: several brief tables and figures are integrated into each chapter

to summarize key points.

• Understanding Your Own Motivation: within each chapter, there are opportunities for

readers to engage in brief thought-experiments that will allow them to experience some

of the motivational issues that their own students encounter on a daily basis.

Anderman Proposal 4

• Developmental perspective: each chapter includes discussions of developmental

differences in motivation; whereas the topics addressed in each chapter are relevant to

students of all ages, effective implementation of these strategies must consider students’

ages and grade levels.

• Diversity perspective: motivation is not a “one size fits all” topic, and strategies to

enhance student motivation must be sensitive to students’ varying backgrounds, culture,

and experiences. This is addressed throughout the book.

• Chapter summaries: Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary, recapping the main

take-away points that were covered.

• Applying What You Have Learned: At the end of each chapter, there is an additional

application exercise.

• Strategies: Research-informed instructional strategies are presented in call-out boxes in

each chapter.

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