Essential Motivation In The Classroom

Ian Gilbert takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through the theories of teaching. On the way the author highlights seven key factors that affect motivation and offers a range of strategies to help teachers implement and use them at the chalk face.

Teachers around the world have found Ian Gilbert’s classic text Essential Motivation in the Classroom an inspiring and provocative read. This ground-breaking companion to the book is a definitive one-stop guide for teachers who are looking for inspiration into how his ideas can be put into practice in every-day classrooms. A truly lively and engaging resource, it scrutinises each aspect of Gilbert’s now famous ‘seven keys’ of motivation and provides a wide range of practical ideas, activities and launch-pads for discussion which can be blended seamlessly into your own lessons. Taking as its starting point the right of every child to an inspirational education that develops their values, attitudes and skills, this book provides you with the means to unlock even your most challenging of pupils and will act as a spring board for visionary learning in the classroom and beyond, Key ideas explored include: • Goal setting strategies • Students’ own intrinsic motivation • Preparing effective challenges • Developing multiple approaches to learning • Using physical activities to anchor learning • Helping students to understand themselves better and be better prepared for the world today For teachers of pupils at all ages and stages, this book is easy to follow, easy to ‘dip in and out of’, is conversational in tone, and has the potential to be a game-changer for any teacher wishing reinvigorate their pupils, colleagues and classrooms.

Teachers around the world have found Ian Gilbert’s classic text Essential Motivation in the Classroom an inspiring and provocative read. This ground-breaking companion to the book is a definitive one-stop guide for teachers who are looking for inspiration into how his ideas can be put into practice in every-day classrooms. A truly lively and engaging resource, it scrutinises each aspect of Gilbert’s now famous ‘seven keys’ of motivation and provides a wide range of practical ideas, activities and launch-pads for discussion which can be blended seamlessly into your own lessons. Taking as its starting point the right of every child to an inspirational education that develops their values, attitudes and skills, this book provides you with the means to unlock even your most challenging of pupils and will act as a spring board for visionary learning in the classroom and beyond, Key ideas explored include: • Goal setting strategies • Students’ own intrinsic motivation • Preparing effective challenges • Developing multiple approaches to learning • Using physical activities to anchor learning • Helping students to understand themselves better and be better prepared for the world today For teachers of pupils at all ages and stages, this book is easy to follow, easy to ‘dip in and out of’, is conversational in tone, and has the potential to be a game-changer for any teacher wishing reinvigorate their pupils, colleagues and classrooms.

Offers teachers practical advice on how they can motivate students in any grade and help them become more focused and ready to learn.

This essential guide is for classroom teachers who work with diverse learners-English language, urban, and underprivileged-to help close the achievement gap.

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.

Helping teachers understand and apply theory and research is one of the most challenging tasks of teacher preparation and professional development. As they learn about motivation and engagement, teachers need conceptually rich, yet easy-to-use, frameworks. At the same time, teachers must understand that student engagement is not separate from development, instructional decision-making, classroom management, student relationships, and assessment. This volume on teaching teachers about motivation addresses these challenges. The authors share multiple approaches and frameworks to cut through the growing complexity and variety of motivational theories, and tie theory and research to real-world experiences that teachers are likely to encounter in their courses and classroom experiences. Additionally, each chapter is summarized with key “take away” practices. A shared perspective across all the chapters in this volume on teaching teachers about motivation is “walking the talk.” In every chapter, readers will be provided with rich examples of how research on and principles of classroom motivation can be re-conceptualized through a variety of college teaching strategies. Teachers and future teachers learning about motivation need to experience explicit modeling, practice, and constructive feedback in their college courses and professional development in order to incorporate those into their own practice. In addition, a core assumption throughout this volume is the importance of understanding the situated nature of motivation, and avoiding a “one-size-fits” all approach in the classroom. Teachers need to fully interrogate their instructional practices not only in terms of motivational principles, but also for their cultural relevance, equity, and developmental appropriateness. Just like P-12 students, college students bring their histories as learners and beliefs about motivation to their formal study of motivation. That is why college instructors teaching motivation must begin by helping students evaluate their personal beliefs and experiences. Relatedly, college instructors need to know their students and model differentiating their interactions to support each of them. The authors in this volume have, collectively, decades of experience teaching at the college level and conducting research in motivation, and provide readers with a variety of strategies to help teachers and future teachers explore how motivation is supported and undermined. In each chapter in this volume, readers will learn how college instructors can demonstrate what effective, motivationally supportive classrooms look, sound, and feel like.

Understanding student and teacher motivation and developing strategies to foster motivation for students at all levels of performance are essential to effective teaching. This text is designed to help prospective and practicing teachers achieve these goals. Its premise is that current research and theory about motivation offer hope and possibilities for educators —teachers, parents, coaches, and administrators—to enhance motivation for achievement. The orientation draws primarily on social-cognitive perspectives that have generated much research relevant to classroom practice. Ideal for any course that is dedicated to, or includes coverage of, motivation and achievement, the text focuses on two key roles teachers play in supporting and cultivating motivation in the classroom: establishing the classroom structure and instruction that provides the environment for optimal motivation, engagement, and learning; and helping students develop the tools that will enable them to be self-regulated learners and develop their potential. Pedagogical features aid the understanding of concepts and the application to practice: Strategy boxes present guidelines and strategies for using the various concepts. Exhibit boxes include forms for different purposes (for example, goal setting), examples of teacher beliefs and practices, and samples of student work. Reflection boxes stimulate readers’ thinking about motivational issues inherent in the topics, their experiences, and their beliefs. A motivational toolbox at the end of each chapter helps readers identify important points to think about, lingering questions, strategies to use now, and strategies to develop in the future. NEW IN THE THIRD EDITION Updated research and new topics are added throughout as warranted by current inquiry in the field. Chapters are reorganized to provide more coherence and to account for new findings. New and updated material is included on issues of educational reform, standards for achievement, and high-stakes testing, and on achievement goal theory, especially regarding performance goals and the distinction between performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals as relevant to classroom practice.