Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves

Motivating speaking activities At this age, the learners aren't motivated by new language, they're motivated by an activity. It can be very difficult to get them to speak if they really don't see the point. You can approach this by focussing on the following. The function of the language and using an authentic or near authentic task (e.g. get them to sit back-to-back to practise speaking on the telephone).A motivating task, which uses the language you want them to practise (e.g. students write questions on small squares of paper using the target language, then form the papers into a board game to be played using dice and counters). Here are some possible examples, which apply to one or a combination of the above. A popular, well-known type of activity is the information gap. Making an arrangement: Each group has a diary, with appointments already filled in. Here are some examples of other activities I use with my younger learners:

Trend 1: Learner Agency | CORE Education Explanation The concept of agency has been central to educational thinking and practice for centuries. The idea that education is the process through which learners become capable of independent thought which, in turn, forms the basis for autonomous action, has had a profound impact on modern educational theory and practice. One way of thinking of learner agency is when learners have “the power to act”. There’s been a lot of talk in the past about learner-centric approaches to education and personalisation, and these are aspects of what we might mean by learner agency, but the concept goes deeper than this. There are three things that I think are core features of our understanding of learner agency. Second, agency is interdependent. And thirdly, agency includes an awareness of the responsibility of ones own actions on the environment and on others. Implications So what are the implications for us as teachers, and as educational leaders? Challenges Examples and links:

Learner Voice Demonstrates Commitment to Building Agency Learner voice gives learners a chance to share their opinions about something they believe in. There are so many aspects of "school" and "learning" where learners have not been given the opportunity to be active participants. Some learners, especially those that are concerned about extrinsic factors like grades, may not feel comfortable expressing their own opinions. Giving learners voice encourages them to participate in and eventually to own and drive their learning. The idea of “school” is supposed to be about building relationships that develop a culture of learning. “Encouraging voice refers to those pedagogies in which youth have the opportunity to influence decisions that will shape their lives and those of their peers either in or outside of school.” According to Eric Toshalis and Michael J. Without motivation, there is no push to learn. Most learner voice activities in schools reside in expression, consultation, and participation. (Toshalis and Nakkula, 2013) References

Dynamiskt tankesätt – JL Skolutveckling En av böckerna som jag tipsade om i mitt blogginlägg boktips 2015 handlar om hur vi ser på hjärnan och vår förmåga att utvecklas. Boken jag tänker på är Carol S. Dwecks ”Mindset – du blir vad du tänker”. Jag har gjort några infographics som kan vara användbara i klassrummet. Lycka till med det dynamiska tankesättet och läs gärna Carol S.

Challenging the status quo in mathematics: Teaching for understanding Despite decades of reform efforts, mathematics teaching in the U.S. has changed little in the last century. As a result, it seems, American students have been left behind, now ranking 40th in the world in math literacy. Several state and national reform efforts have tried to improve things. The most recent Common Core standards had a great deal of promise with their focus on how to teach mathematics, but after several years, changes in teaching practices have been minimal. As an education researcher, I’ve observed teachers trying to implement reforms – often with limited success. Traditional mathematics teaching Traditional middle or high school mathematics teaching in the U.S. typically follows this pattern: The teacher demonstrates a set of procedures that can be used to solve a particular kind of problem. For example, when students learn about the area of shapes, they’re given a set of formulas. But it turns out that teaching mathematics this way can actually hinder learning.

If you need an instant boost of energy in your English lessons right now, then this is the program for you! – Genki English Learner Agency: The Missing Link A collaborative blog series by Personalize Learning, LLC and the Institute for Personalized Learning. This is the first post in our collaborative blog series on Learner Agency. Defining Learner Agency Learner agency often gets missed in conversations on transforming the educational system. when they need new learning and how to learn what they needwhen they need to unlearn what will no longer serve them when they need to relearn what they need to be successful They must develop the capacity to engage strategically in their learning without waiting to be directed. "Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon." E.M. Why Learner Agency is Needed There is a significant and growing demand for learners to be able to do more than receive instruction, follow a learning path designed by educators and complete problems and assignments presented to them by an adult. Implications of Greater Learner Agency

Learner agency / Teaching What is learner agency? Agency is having the power or capacity to act and make choices.In a learner-centred environment, learners have agency over their learning and classroom systems serve the needs and interests of the learner.Future-focused learning in connected communities, May 2014 Agency involves the initiative or self-regulation of the learner. Learners must have a belief that their behaviour and their approach to learning will make a difference for them in their learning context – in other words, a personal sense of agency. Agency is interdependent. Derek Wenmoth Learner agency at Hobsonville Point Secondary School Claire Amos talks about fostering learner agency at Hobsonville Point Secondary School. Why develop learner agency? In the 21st century, citizens need to be able to apply knowledge to solve complex problems, often in cross-disciplinary and collaborative settings. "As agentic learners, students use and strengthen key competencies." What are the effects of learner agency?

Carol Dweck Explains the False Growth Mindset - The Atlantic The mindset ideas were developed as a counter to the self-esteem movement of blanketing everyone with praise, whether deserved or not. To find out that teachers were using it in the same way was of great concern to me. The whole idea of growth-mindset praise is to focus on the learning process. When you focus on effort, [you have to] show how effort created learning progress or success. Gross-Loh: What should people do to avoid falling into this trap? Dweck: A lot of parents or teachers say praise the effort, not the outcome. Students need to know that if they’re stuck, they don’t need just effort. All of this is part of the process that needs to be taught and tied to learning. Gross-Loh: Is there a right way to praise kids and encourage them to do well? But we have a new line of research (with my former graduate student, Kyla Haimovitz) showing that the way a parent reacts to a child’s failure conveys a mindset to a child regardless of the parent’s mindset.

How Kids Benefit From Learning To Explain Their Math Thinking Math teachers of older students sometimes struggle to get students to explain their thinking with evidence. It's hard to get kids in the habit of talking about how they are thinking about a problem when they've had many years of instruction that focused on getting the "right answer." That's why educators are now trying to get students in the habit of explaining their thinking at a young age. Pattern recognition is a fundamental part of mathematics and kindergarteners are not too young to notice, compare and describe simple patterns.

‎Edpuzzle on the App Store Once upon a time I was riding a bike on my way home. It’s a long ride and my legs were getting tired so I stopped for a break at the side of the road. The forest besides me was gorgeous and so I sat down by a tree and downloaded an app my teacher needed us to use called Edpuzzle. Once on the app I joined his class and went to our first video, 7 minutes long! Not bad, I thought to myself, opening the video. As I waited for it to load I looked at my surroundings. Leadership, well-being and trust in the PYP - International Baccalaureate® 14 January 2020 Join Rynette de Villiers, Head of School at the International School of Utrecht in the Netherlands where she discusses leading an IB continuum school and developing a culture of well-being and trust - with a focus on teacher agency. "These are the wonder years...students wonder and they think about what the world is like and...they are really, really idealist. They know they can change the world. Show notes [5.2MB] Save Email

Never Too Late: Creating a Climate for Adults to Learn New Skills When it comes to kids, growth mindset is a hot topic in education. Studies indicate that children who view intelligence as pliable and responsive to effort show greater persistence when encountering new or difficult tasks. In contrast, children who view intelligence as static or “fixed” have a harder time rebounding from academic setbacks or are reluctant to take on new challenges that might be difficult. Students are not the only ones encountering new challenges at school: Teachers face an evolving profession, driven in part by technology and a rapidly changing economy. Math teacher Jim Doherty remembers the conversation that became the catalyst for his mid-career journey. Doherty’s gut response was reflective. Soon, he became actively involved in the MathTwitterBlogsphere, eventually contributing to an instructional e-book. What Does a Professional Fixed Mindset Look Like? Heslin has developed a research-based growth mindset workshop for business leaders. Create a Growth Environment