Group items tagged

One of the most powerful classroom management strategies available to teachers is the provision of learning activities which actively engage students during the lesson. When students arrive at the lesson in a motivated state, eager to take part -- and then apply themselves to a given task - there is far less likelihood that their behaviour will become a problem. Like most teachers, you have probably tried a wide range of student engagement and motivation strategies to deal with disruptive students but if you are looking for a reliable SYSTEM which has been proven to raise motivation and engagement levels among the most uninterested, dispassionate learners, you'll love this video series. In this first video, Rob Plevin from Behaviour Needs Ltd explains two reasons WHY it is important to engage your students during lessons. There are hidden benefits to ensuring your students are motivated and engaged during learning activities -- as the video shows.

A nice video presentation of practical strategies to engage students

Education Week PD Webinars (yes, there is a fee to register). > Developing Intrinsic Motivation in Students with Chris Wejr and Larry Ferlazzo March 5, 2013 at 4pm ET > Intentional Teaching: Infusing Instruction With Purpose with Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey March 20, 2013 at 2pm ET >Daniel Pink on How Teachers Can 'Sell' More to Students April 9, 2013 at 2pm ET

Here is an ethnographer's in-depth look into World of Warcraft. From this site you can read the full book online, read an interview with the author, or listen to a podcast. The author "introduces us to her research strategy and the history, structure, and culture of Warcraft; argues for applying activity theory and theories of aesthetic experience to the study of gaming and play; and educates us on issues of gender, culture, and addiction as part of the play experience."

Professional athletes are using video games to study strategy and "preset" their brains for game time.

Virtual Patient App that is being presented at the HGSE Social Innovation competition. It was developed at HMS and is described in the video as a "game" for patient diagnosis and treatment. I downloaded the app and am not so sure I consider it a "game" but found it to be a good tool at developing differential diagnoses and treatment strategies. It also says the app is applicable for med students, residents and attending physicians (in addition to other healthcare professionals), though I don't know if attending physicians would find it very useful.

An article discussing various attempts at providing therapy for anxiety through computer programs and phone apps. One of the research projects targeting social anxiety is currently being conducted at the McNally Lab here at Harvard. The findings are still a little murky but I think it's a great start to providing education about and strategies for treating mental health issues to a broader audience- especially to those who otherwise have very limited or no access to help.

Thank you for sharing this, Kate. I'm a little skeptical about 1) the long-term effectiveness of this technology, 2) the transferability of learning/conditioning, and 3) the subtle implications of "therapist-free" therapy. The debate is similar to when educational technology was first heralded to be able to replace teachers and classrooms, when in fact technology is best supplemented by in-person guidance. It is a fascinating area of research and development though, and I look forward to seeing how this type of therapy can transform standard practice.

The article pointed out that the concept that the Internet would drive a singular global culture is false. In order to engage people in different countries or cultures with social networks, brands and content producers will need ever more localised strategies.

This article emphasizes that the appeal of technology is not enough to motivate children to learn. Stresses that self-efficacy and the ability to set reasonable and attainable goals on their own is essential to fully engage students.

Perhaps this is also the answer to make sure technology doesn't turn into a distraction instead of a learning tool? I think many kids would benefit from learning strategies for using technology efficiently/avoiding distractions.

Thanks for this article! It captures some of the self-efficacy conversations that have been helpful in designing my project. I think as the role of the teacher evolves, we will rely on students having choices for modes of learning and and as the article states, "we [will] rely more on children's independent initiative and motivation."

Surveys show a high percentage of people in the work force are not engaged in their work. They are simply going through the motions for a paycheque. This article uses many of the same strategies that we discuss as effective for students, but this if for the workforce.

This article offers a useful guide for synthesizing some of the ideas from T545 to classrooms.

I can't argue with this article. Good points.

An excellent account of fostering engagement in students.

Description: Based upon multiple studies with over 15,000 gamers, this presentation defines and reviews three specific motivational needs that are directly related to sustained engagement and value. The Player Experience of Need Satisfaction model (PENS) focuses specifically on experiences of competence, autonomy and relatedness satisfactions. Game examples and strategies for maximizing these satisfactions are discussed.

Lack of opportunity for involvement and engagement (among other factors) dooms large schools.