Wednesday, 3 July 2013

Post-module musings

So, Module 2 has now been and gone...however, it will not be forgotten as, and we are all aware of this by now, it will colour and shape the way and how of Module 3.

I am pleased that my inquiry has been approved and very much looking forward to collecting in data and undertaking analysis. However, I've been thinking about my own motives/ the motivation behind wanting to look at 'student motivation' and, having read the following article, felt inspired to blog...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-thompson/cell-phone-experiment-by-macarthur-genius_b_3487455.html

The article made me reflect on several things that tie straight into my inquiry, and the usefulness of any research I undertake, but raised two main points for me:
  1. Will looking into motivation provide me with tools to improve my students' performance? Or will knowing how to motivate students lead to potentially happier, more satisfied students but provide no 'performance-related' enhancements? Does it matter?
  2. Motivation, in the form of rewards and incentives (extrinsic motivation), is short-term, while intrinsic motivation is more sustaining and a part of personal development (Tarr, 2005). However aiming to understand my students ideas and thoughts on motivation better does not mean that I will be able to 'help them to learn' more effectively it will just allow me to provide an environment in which learning can be enabled more effectively. So I must be aware of any 'claims' I make in my report.
I really want my research to be relevant - to me, as teacher/ researcher, and to my students - and be of interest, or even better, of help or use to others. I am hoping that the summer break will give me time to think along these lines, and read further into both my topic area and the research process, will enable me to engage with my inquiry in a clear, ethical and informed standpoint.

S

References
Tarr, L. (2005) Student Success: Motivating Middle School Students through Personal Development. Da Vinci Learning Technologies, Inc. Available at www.studentmindset.com/article-archive. Last accessed 28/02/2013
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4 comments:

  1. Unknown7 July 2013 at 03:59

    Hi Sarah,
    Great article. It links into my research project, I hope you won't mind if I quote it. Reading this it is evident that you really need to get into the psyche of children to begin to understand how to motivate them and even then you may never fully see the rewards. Betty x

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    Replies
    1. Unknown8 July 2013 at 05:01

      Hi Betty,
      I like how it has made me consider my own reasons for choosing my particular inquiry topic...am I looking to get better marks for exams or am I looking to improve my students experiences of dance with a view to developing other areas of their personality? I am pleased to realise that I am still passionate about the day-to-day and long-term experiences of my students rather than solely the mark given for one performance on one day of one particular set of steps :)

      As far as using the article for your inquiry, absolutely! That's what this is all about. I look forward to reading and borrowing from you too... ;)
      S

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  2. Paula Nottingham7 July 2013 at 10:43

    Nice links Sarah. It is a quiet time now but getting headway on the studies makes a lot of sense. Hope to see more blogs like this one... Bw

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  3. Unknown8 July 2013 at 05:44

    I'm feeling like I've been given an opportunity to look in greater detail to an area of my work that intrigues, frustrates, worries and inspires me (in equal measure) so I really want to get as much out of this inquiry as possible.
    Thanks for posting encouragement S

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