Motivating students - 2 views
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livvyfox on 29 May 15Allow the learner to exert some control over his or her own learning - This is the principle of "autonomy", a part of the self-determination theory of motivation. Learners who believe that they are the ones making choices and exercising control over what is happening to them demonstrate a higher level of engagement, persistence, and responsibility for learning as well as beliefs in their own accountability for whether they learn or not. This can be done by allowing learners to choose among alternative assignments or timing of their work. It can also be doing by encouraging learners to articulate their reasoning behind their choices. And most important, it is enhanced when the instructor allows the learners to make and then solve their own mistakes before jumping in to solve the problems for them. These four ideas are not particularly brilliant; you probably had thought of one or more of them in your own practice. Starting with benchmarks for self-regulated learning and activities that are valued by students, supporting student feelings of self-efficacy and competence, tailoring instruction to the students' starting understanding and building from there, an"