Collected Wisdom Chapter 8-What Works Summary of Student Motivation as a Guide to Practice By: Wendy Kabel & Rachel White

Allow Students to have a Choice! Aboriginal students are observed to be “self-starters” and allowing self-starter-learners to have some control over their immediate surroundings and a responsibility in their school life offers more opportunity for a natural curiosity and an excited intrinsic motivation.

Reasons Why Mainstream Incentives may be Unsuccessful-Extrinsic Motivators lack of parental support for schooling and the understandable lack of respect some parents have for it different priorities in life a curriculum that is not relevant to the students lives or foreseeable futures a dialect that causes them difficulty with Standard English a level of discomfort with analytical writing discomfort in the competitive systems the need to be somewhat accomplished before performances the want NOT to shine in front of peers Extrinsic motivators generally do not work very well for some children- ie. rewards, good grades, reward of post secondary, public praise or criticism

Establishing a Safe Environment Allow students to have some power to “get themselves in position” Establish trust and safety in your classroom ASAP Think ahead-set up goals outcomes, results, competencies Every learner needs consistency DO NOT budge on goals, try to compromise on the minor details-Promote a negotiation attributes Try contracts or independent work with students with high absenteeism Small successes and small steps over a long period of time work best Starting out: Why Intrinsic Motivation is Successful

Intrinsic Motivation: Small Steps Students may be having trouble being motivated because they lack the feelings of competence Observe and record students inappropriate behaviours (often highly defensive, angry, resistant, stubborn, bored, apathetic) and relate to situations/circumstances and plan to be proactive at all times or rearrange environment/ schedule/ seating and continue to observe, listen, and document Develop curricular outline to deliver in small doses so they can handle it if they are behind etc. Use relevant, real-life examples, community members and/or peer volunteers Parental/caregiver involvement can lead learners and teachers to experience profound benefits. Research shows that when parents/caregivers are involved in students' early- middle education, those students have higher school-age success, better attendance, and positive, consistent life-long learning

Why Intrinsic Motivation is Successful Policies and practice should promote respect and appreciation for the cultures of each child and their family including: Real-life Interest/Relevance starting with their own ideas for learning and having tactile environments to work in because learners are most comfortable in chosen elements Have learning materials translated into the first language of the family or supply interpreter for conferences ie -something that they are familiar with gives them a sense of ownership and comfort Create a positive atmosphere that reflects understanding and respect by assessing the needs of your program and plan to incorporate s hared decision making and goal setting Tapping into local cultural interests to connect material with student’s culture helps to engage and sustain students attentiveness

…Continued Why Intrinsic Motivation is Successful Involve families in frequent two way communication by communicating often and being available in different ways/different times Provide information by hosting workshops, offering newsletters, organizing parent areas in school, exchanging ideas and by including an information section that promotes importance of family involvement in the learning process Make listings of potential volunteer strengths by recording skills and resources each family or elder and encourage families/elders by developing an approach from the beginning that makes families feel as though they are part of the team orientating them with the facility, staff, policies, philosophy and curriculum goals/student contracts

Reaching Out- Shared decision making and goal setting/Feelings of Competence Give students a sense of ownership and model and showcase relevant self determination examples of peers, current role-models etc Celebrate success, it makes people feel good Foster a sense of self and forming individual identity and interpersonal relationship building by praising the work that they do, and offering more Success only encourages more diversified endeavours

Creative Ways to Capitalize on Student Curiosity & Real-life Interest/Relevance Start with their own ideas for learning Design tactile environment because learners relate best when in relevant element relating to content Local cultural that they are familiar with gives them a sense of ownership and comfort Overlap curricular content with local processes of knowledge Make sure experiences are developmentally appropriate and relevant to the current individual/group Challenge yourselves as a best-practice educator to find the relationships between the students’ world, learning styles and curricular content

…Continued Creative Ways to Capitalize on Student Curiosity & Real-life Interest/Relevance Encourage tapping into cultural interests Remember that a cultural connection won’t necessarily provide motivation-observe/document best practices Design classroom as a teaching tool to help students search for answers to their own questions Critical thinking questions can come from real life circumstances Use observation materials to construct units of thematic study around current needs and interests Support students in reconnecting with their current needs and interests by constantly evolving as a professional yourself Always be a GOOD LISTENER, OBSERVER & RECORDER of WHAT fuels students curiosity

Acceptance and Belief in Students & Families Believe in students ability to be successful and they will then begin to believe in themselves Find things that students do well and encourage them and family/community Set up situations in which small success is attainable and celebrate it and its sources Scaffold with individual and the group

Ask parents to help create literacy/holiday material in their first language, art and cultural context Give families a voice in program development and decision making on a regular basis Survey parents about their interests and talents, and now… We would like you to take a survey of your Cultural “Response-Ability”? Belief in Students & Families as valuable self-contained resources