On this page, you'll find an overview of motivational strategies and how they relate to classroom management and assessment,.
Motivational Theories
Motivation and engagement is an essential part of classroom management, as noted in my management philosophy. If students are engaged and motivated, they are more likely to learn and less likely to exhibit challenging behaviors. Moreover, classroom management entails much more than behavior management, and getting students engaged is part of managing lesson planning and how the classroom runs as a whole. Watch the video below for my philosophy on motivating students to learn and my alignment to certain theorists:
Tomlinson and Glasser resonated the most with my philosophies on engagement and motivation. There are many strategies to meet Tomlinson's 5 basic needs (Charles & Senter, 2012):
Glasser recommended many strategies that align with my style of teaching (Charles & Senter, 2012). For example, I love the morning meeting as a way to share with the community, discuss a wide variety of things like goals and social emotional development, get to know each other, and set our focus for the day. In addition, discussing character traits as a way to reflect on who they want to be can boost engagement. I will use "class values" such as "In this class, we give generously" or "In this class, all means all" to engage students with my expectations for them instead of imposing a list of rules they must memorize.
I think all progress reports should be standards-based. When we assign a percentage grade to a subject, it could be affected heavily by one big assignment or assessment, but not represent all the other standards they've mastered. Standards-based report cards show us a more accurate picture of what standards a student has mastered, and shows us very clearly what they still need to work on. This would allow us to share the reports with them for a meaningful discussion on their progress. Including them in this will help boost their motivation to do well and goes hand in hand with Glasser's ideas of self assessment and reflection.
I think all progress reports should be standards-based. When we assign a percentage grade to a subject, it could be affected heavily by one big assignment or assessment, but not represent all the other standards they've mastered. Standards-based report cards show us a more accurate picture of what standards a student has mastered, and shows us very clearly what they still need to work on. This would allow us to share the reports with them for a meaningful discussion on their progress. Including them in this will help boost their motivation to do well and goes hand in hand with Glasser's ideas of self assessment and reflection.
References
Charles, C. M. & Senter, G. W. (2012). Elementary classroom management, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.
Charles, C. M. & Senter, G. W. (2012). Elementary classroom management, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.