1. Motivating Students
Unmotivated
Motivated
End Result

2. About me Kevin Bombardier From Kansas “Dr. Bomb”!
Undergrad: Wichita State University (WSU)
B.S. Physics; B.S. Mathematics
REUs:
Baylor University in Plasma Physics
Boise State University in Cryptography
Physics TA for 3 years
“Plotting something” “That’s a good sign”

3. About me University of Iowa Hobbies: Ph.D. Candidate Courses Taught:
Math for Bio
Intro to Linear Algebra
Elementary Functions
College Algebra
Qual prep in Algebra
Calc for Bio
Logic of Arithmetic
Elementary Geometry
Abstract Algebra (Graduate)
Calculus I (Current)
Hobbies:
Teaching (Yes… seriously…)
Board games

4. Goals Learn the characteristics of unmotivated students
Perform motivation analysis
Discuss how to increase student motivation
How to stay motivated to teach

5. Unmotivated Students What are some behaviors of unmotivated students?
Disengaged
Attend sporadically
Does minimal effort
Give up easily

6. Motivation Gaps Keller’s ARCS model’s 4 main categories: Attention
Get and maintain attention
Relevance
How is the content of use?
Confidence
Generate and maintain confidence
Satisfaction
What rewards will the student receive?
Paper by Keller (1987)

7. Brainstorm!
In your groups, discuss a particular course of your choice.
Identify any possible gaps in these four areas:
Attention
Relevance
Confidence
Satisfaction
How can any of these issues be addressed?

8. Attention Strategies
What are some possible ways to gain student attention?
Ask a question or play devil’s advocate
Give an example or tell a story
Vary your presentation
Use humor
Give students choices
Can too much choice be a bad thing?
Participation
- Choices: Autonomy and self determination
- Students value control over their own environment

9. Relevance Strategies
What are some possible ways to help students see any relevance?
Relate to student experience
Express how useful it may be in the future
Express its intrinsic worth
Give students some choice
Show enthusiasm for topic
Expectancy-Value
- Do students always know the value in a class?

10. Confidence Strategies
What are some possible ways to help students gain and maintain confidence?
Attribute success to effort
What about failures?
Gradually help students become increasing independent when learning new skills
Help students set realistic expectations
Structure material to be “conquerable”
Groups: Discuss a simple example on how to make a topic “conquerable”
Attribute to effort rather than intelligent
Failures: Ask students what they did to prepare
Intelligence is incremental
Feedback matters – attribute to hard work!

11. Satisfaction Strategies
What are some possible ways that would help students feel satisfied?
Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation
Groups: What are examples of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?
Can both be used?
How can you influence intrinsic motivation?
Praise
Avoid negative statements
Have students help each other
Intrinsic: Value of activity itself
Extrinsic: Value of outside reward
View as two separte things on their own continuum
Extrinsic rewards useful when it contains FEEDBACK
Influence intrinsic:
- Being prepared
- Make lessons interesting
- Stimulate thought
- Make interactive
- Describe YOUR intrinsic motivation
- Get to know your students (if possible)

12. Staying Motivated
Groups: Discuss how you stay motivated for classes that you teach
Can students affect your motivation? How?
How can you combat this?
Groups: Discuss examples of memorable teachers that motivated you
Groups: What strategies have you implemented that helps motivate students?