A Resource for Identifying Motivators and Demotivators

http://www.demotivation.us/media/demotivators/demotivation.us_Its-Never-Too-Late-To-Start-Learning-But-sometimes-its-hopeless.jpg

 

 

Our topic this week, motivation and learning, has described classical and adult learning motivation theories.  All of these theories attempted to explain the drive and energy we use to accomplish what we want to do.  Our drive and energy is both extrinsically and intrinsically motivating.  In other words, what we do is driven extrinsically by reward, recognition, family commitments, social obligations, and civic duties and intrinsically by creativity, interest, and self-directedness. 

 

As community college instructors, staff, and administrators we must be able to assess and identify what motivates and demotivates our students so that they will be successful in their educational journey.  While Wlodkowski provides instructional motivational strategies to serve as a framework for instructional design (Merriam and Beriema, 2014), there is very little motivational assessment tools for students and instructors.  Therefore, I think it is important that both the student and the instructor recognize motivators and demotivators in life. 

 

The blog "Movtivators and Demotivators of Life" can serve as a resource for all of us in identifying what promotes and inhibits one full potential (I Need Motivation, 2015).  The article identifies money, security, achievement, and recognition as motivators and fear of losing security, fear of failure, self doubt, and pain of change as demotivators (2015).  The list of demotivators resonated with me the most.  These are all intrinsic factors that could inhibit an adult student from reaching their full potential.  An adult student who returns to school may have much fear.  They fear giving up their time, space, and attention for something new, they doubt themselves, and fear failure.  Additionally, adult students may experience the pain of change.  For many adult students they feel returning to school is hopeless but as community college employees we can help to remove demotivators and remind adult students that it is never too late to start learning.

References:

I Need Motivation. (2015). Movtivators and Demotivators of Life. Retrieved from http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/02/motivators-demotivators-of-life/ 

Merriam, S.B. and Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning:  Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA:  Jossey-Bass.

 



A Resource for Motivating College Students

After reading Motivation - A Kick in the A--,  I wondered about the topic of motivation and college students. I also find this to be an issue for me as a university counselors where students come in frustrated that they are lacking motivation. I also thought I'd get more from the text in regards to motivating my students! I wanted to find a practical, yet truly applicable, resource that I myself might post up in my office, or provide as a handout. I was looking for a good conversation piece. 

My search for a resource proved to be fruitful - I found 12 Strategies for Motivation That Work! on the Allegheny College website. It incorporates many components of the semester: behaviorism, cognitivism, embodied and spiritual learning, to name a few. I really like how this incorporates self-care and mental health. There is also a strategy that encourages one to talk with others about what blocks might come up. It seems like a grounded, and holistic, approach to wellness and success. See for yourself and tell me what you think!

12 Strategies for Motivation That Work!

1. Set goals. Be sure they are realistic and achievable. Make them small to start.
2. Establish rewards for progress toward your goals.
3. Expect set-backs and when they happen, re-direct and renew your energy toward your goals. Don’t give up.
4. Use the power of positive thinking and believe in yourself. Overcome discouragement.
5. Tell others what you are trying to accomplish and seek support from loved ones.
6. Learn to say no to options and distractions that deter you from your goal. Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
7. Establish routine and regular exercise; meditation, prayer or yoga, even if it is only 15 minutes a day to start. This will help you to cultivate discipline.
8. Use positive imagery to help you achieve your goals. Imagine yourself as you will be and feel when your goal is achieved.
9. Spend time reflecting or talking to others about what has stopped you from achieving your goals in the past.
10. Post reminders and inspirational quotes in prominent places about what you want to achieve.
11. Get professional help and support to overcome physical or mental roadblocks (depression and anxiety are just two examples) and to bolster your efforts, no matter how small they may seem.
12. Practice extreme self care. Good health is essential to positive thinking and feeling, which will take you a long way toward achieving your goals.

http://sites.allegheny.edu/deanofstudents/wellness-education/todays-topic/12-strategies-for-motivation-that-work/

Motivation and the Adult Learner

Motivation is the drive and energy we put into accomplishing something. It can also be described as the educational engagement. This refers to the time and energy students put in to activities as well as the policies and practices that institutions use to induce students to participate. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 147)  This video, while amusing, is a great example of “student motivation”

                                                                     https://youtu.be/hS5CfP8n_js

Motivation is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic is the outside factors the motivate someone. Examples are recognition, promotions, earning a degree or certificate or receiving a pay increase. Intrinsic motivation is an internal process in which a person seeks a challenge, satisfies a curiosity, or the love of intellectual challenge. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 147) 

                                     http://www.discprofiles4u.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Intrinsic-Motivation.jpg

The classic motivation theories are as follows:

• Economic or Rational Motivation Theory – views humans as rational actors who seek to maximize highest economic returns
• Social or Human Motivation Theory – concluded that factors other than economic returns affected work motivation. These were factors involving the social and emotional aspects of well-functioning groups.
• Behavioristic Motivation Theory - learners are conditioned through punishments and rewards
• Need-driven Motivational Theory- contends that humans are partially motivated by external factors but also intrinsic human needs are the man drivers of human behavior.
• Cognitive Motivation Theory – maintains that a reward for learning will be different from person to person.(Merriam & Bierema, 2014)  

  

                                                                                http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/agree-terms.php?id=10078125

The text also discusses motivation as it relates to adult education. In Houle’s publication The Inquiring Mind he reported about an in-depth study of 22 adult learners. Three types of learning orientations arose from his analysis.  They are as follows:

• Goal-oriented learners – learning as a means to attain a goal
• Activity-oriented learners – learning as an opportunity to participate in an activity with other learners for the sake of the activity
• Learning-oriented learners – learning to develop new knowledge for the sake of learning.(Merriam & Bierema, 2014)

30 way to Motivate Adult Learners

I do not believe anyone in this class has a question as to what motivation is. We all have different motivations for completing this class as well as the degree program we are engaged in.  In the process of working with classmates, I have heard a variety of different motivators.

Some are taking these classes to broaden their knowledge in the subject of online teaching. Others are taking this class, in order to help them perfect their current techniques for online teaching. Some are taking the classes just to be taking them. I am taking these classes in order to prepare for a second career when I retire from my current.  Although that is several years away, I had the motivation to start the process now so that I would not be “rushed” or “pressured” when the time arises that I want to make a change.  All of the different reasons, as well as my own, fit into one of the classical motivation theories listed below. Some are intrinsic and some are extrinsic. In each of our individual situations, I believe we can all be categorized into one or more of Houle’s learning orientations.

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Fransico, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Motivation – A Kick in the A--?

I found this chapter (Chapter 8 – Motivation and Learning) to be a little bit disappointing. As a teacher of college students, motivation has been a problem for me as long as I have been teaching. I was hoping that this chapter would give me some good insights into how to handle this issue. Most of my students are in the process of moving into the role of adult learner, but haven’t necessarily completely made the transition. Many of them do not have the life experience or work experience that the authors and the studies that they cited recommend the teachers of adult learners use to motivate. It isn’t possible to make connection to their real world situations because most, if not all, have never had real world situations that can be used to relate the topics to. I know that this is a generalization, but I have been teaching long enough to know that it holds true for a lot of my students. I do try to use relatable situations wherever I can when I am teaching, there just aren’t necessarily a lot of them.

When I was searching online for information on motivating college students I came across some interesting insights. In his blog “Millar Fillmore’s Bathtub,” history teacher Ed Darrell argues that teachers can’t motivate students, the students must motivate themselves. The best that a teacher can do is to “remove barriers to motivation, or help a student find motivation. But motivation cannot be external to the person acting (Darrell, 2013).” He bases this assertion on an article by Frederick Herzberg in the Harvard Business Review called “One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?” In this article de discusses how the KITA (Kick In The A--) method of motivation isn’t motivation at all – it is movement.

He defines incentive programs as positive KITAs (Herzberg, 2003). While his suggestions are specifically for the workplace, some of his suggestions can be translated to education. The factors that lead to job satisfaction (achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth) could all be adapted to varying degrees as could his principles of vertical job loading (Herzberg, 2003). His principles of vertical job loading are given in the table below:

While the suggestions made by Derrell and Herzberg still aren’t completely relevant to the motivating of young adults, they seem more reasonable than many of the models suggested in the text. I am going to keep them in mind when I am redesigning my course for this summer.

References

Darrell, E. (2013, October 18). Again: Motivation 101 – How NOT to. Retrieved March 21, 2015, from https://timpanogos.wordpress.com/tag/motivation/

Herzberg, F. (2003, January 1). One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harvard Business Rview. Retrieved March 20, 2015, from https://hbr.org/2003/01/one-more-time-how-do-you-motivate-employees

Response to Embodied Learning

When I first started reading this chapter, I struggled with the body being part of the learning process. As far as intellectual pursuits go, the body wasn’t really part of the process – it was all in the mind. But when I started thinking about my personal situation, I realized that while a lot of what I learn is by reading or watching videos, for me to really retain something I need to write it down. Even if I never look at the paper I wrote it on again, something about the physical act of writing just helps to solidify what I am learning. When I realized that, I went online to do some research to see if that was a common thing, or just me. I found an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal about the connection between handwriting and learning. It talked about everything from how brain imaging has shown that finger movement can activate regions of the brain involved in thinking, language and working memory to using handwriting in journals as diagnostic tools for neurological disorders. I strongly believe that there is a connection between the brain and the movement of our bodies.

A little more digging turned up a very interesting web site called Science Choreography that takes incorporating the body into learning into more than just handwriting. It is a program at Wesleyan University that uses physical movement in the science classroom. The program is designed for 7^th grade through college level students and they give examples of the program, and an entire Toolbox showing any teacher how they could use these tools in the classroom. Below is a video from the toolbox called “Ask a Question,” but the entire web site is worth checking out.

Sources

Bounds, G. (2010, October 5). How Handwriting Trains the Brain. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518

Weir, M., Appel, L., Grabel, L., Lerman, L., & Johnson, E. (n.d.). Sciencechoreography. Retrieved March 12, 2015, from http://sciencechoreography.wesleyan.edu/toolbox/ask-a-question/

Learning Beyond the Surface: Support for Lisa Newkirk's Post

In a secular curriculum, attempting to engage the affective, cognitive, and spiritual dimensions of a student can be difficult. Specifically with adult learners, these 3 aspects of holistic learning may never be considered as ways of optimal learning since over one's lifetime, methods of learning can become more concrete rather than easily malleable through one new, single experience. An outcomes-based approach to education, with an emphasis on cognitive learning, has meant that the affective and spiritual dimensions of students’ lives have often been understated. Classroom programs in religious education have been affected by this educational climate where the pendulum has swung in favor of the achievement of cognitive learning outcomes. The cognitive dimension of learning is an integral part of the learning dynamic. However the roles of thinking, feeling and reflecting/intuiting are complementary within this process (Buchanan & Hyde, 2008).

As stated in the image above, "mindful learning is education underpinned by awareness, openness, and a larger perspective."With learning, all facets must be connected for critical thinking and the definition of mindful thinking only solidifies the fact that body, mind, as well as spirit must work in one accord for critical thinking and the most fulfilling experience.

Reference

Buchanan, M. T., & Hyde, B. (2008). Learning beyond the surface: engaging the cognitive, affective and spiritual dimensions within the curriculum. International Journal Of Children's Spirituality, 13(4), 309-320. doi:10.1080/13644360802439458

Spirituality in Learning and the Workplace

In response to Lisa Newkirk’s blog that discussed spirituality in leadership and the workplace.  Pawar (2009) proposes that there are three levels from which workplace spirituality can occur:  the individual level, which is about meaning in work; a group level involving a s sense of community at work; and an organizational level wherein the focus is on one’s spirituality and it’s alignment with organizational and corporate values.  With that, I can completely identify with the importance of spirituality in leadership and the workplace.  When a leader is able to effectively communicate the vision and mission of the organization, it encourages employees to connect with the institution in a meaningful way and have a desire to move the mission forward.  Work productivity is improved when employees make a spiritual connection with their leader and the work they are charged to accomplish.  

A prominent leader in the community I live is an excellent example of using spirituality in leadership and learning.  The video below is a compilation of excerpts from various addresses he has given to faculty, staff and students at the institution he oversees...High Point University.  The language he uses and how he encourages those under his leadership to connect with a power outside of themselves for the good of others, exemplifies how effective spirituality can be in the leadership and learning process.  

References:

Pawar, B. S. (2009). Individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes. 

Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 30(8), 759–777.

High Point University President Nido R. Qubein - Best North Carolina College. Retrieved March 8, 2015. from http://youtu.be/-ImwxPlpVMw

Body and Spirit in Learning

Sunday, March 8, 2015

The Spirit in Learning

As 21st century skills become the mantra of public schools, it's important that we see our students as individuals. In Daniel Rechtschaffen's video, he addresses the irony of teachers telling students to "pay attention".  What does that really mean and when are students taught how to pay attention, how to be mindful, or how to be present in each moment?  Teachers expect students to come to school knowing how to pay attention. Teachers never think about how students have acquired this skill or who taught it to them.  Mr. Rechtschaffen works with Mindful Schools. Through this program he teaches students to be mindful and present in each moment so that students are able to focus on the lesson that is being taught.  

   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBVPh5-h5SU#

I also liked what Amy Burke had to say when she talks about mindfulness being a 21st century skill.  When students are taught to be mindful and present in the moment this is a skill that will help them for a lifetime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2B44sLVCM#t=30

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photography-meditation-office-woman-calming-down-busy-environment-image31999267

Spirituality in Adult Learning

Initially, it was thought that adult development occurred much like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

Retrieved from http://www.holisticlearningcenter.com/images/headers/transformation.jpg

The premise was that once someone reached adulthood they were complete or finished. It’s as if they had crossed the finish line and there was little development or change after that.  Many years of research seemed to reveal otherwise.  Much of the research contends that instead of crossing the finish line they are actually completing the first lap in the long race of man laps.

Retrieved from http://www.finallapracing.com/gbpubrun/images/Final-Lap-logo_white.png

Erikson is one of the best known in the research of adult psychosocial stages of development. Each of his stages are characterized by a particular issue or crisis that needs to be addressed. (Merriam & Bierema, 2014) The video below discusses Erickson’s different stages of development.

Retrieved from http://youtu.be/PxwWr6T_O6s

 Learning and development seem to go hand in hand.  Learning is required for further development and development is required for future learning.
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Fransico, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Body and Spirit of Learning

The Spirit in Learning

As an adult, I can attest that I have to be mentally comfortable when I am in a learning mode.  At one time I did not understood that I had to eliminate all distractions before comprehending what I was attempting to learn.  I learned that I had to settle down and clear my mind. Being an adult pursuing a higher education I recognize that I learn differently than when I was younger.

Until recently a rational perspective on adult learning dictated both practice and research.  Other than recognizing that adult learners were different from children, and that adults needed a psychologically comfortable environment to learn in, little was written about nonrational ways of knowing (Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. 2014).  

Source:  http://pixabay.com/en/brain-think-human-idea-20424/

Embodied Learning

We need to move from worrying about how our outer body looks and return to the lived body:  “The lived body is the felt body where we make connections to the multiple sensations around and within us.  The feel of the wind on the skin, fingers typing at the computer, the pain in the lower back, the joy of one torso swimming, and the tears in the belly all connect us to the lived body” (Lawrence, 2012).

Leadership and Spirituality

Leadership, which cuts across organizations and areas of adult education practice, has also been studied with regard to spirituality.  Leaders “must give up the old dogma of planning, organizing and controlling and realize the almost sacredness of their responsibility for the lives of so many people.  A manager’s fundamental task… is providing the enabling conditions for people to lead the most enriching lives they can”  (Senge, 1990).

References

Embodied Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDDMx0eb6s8

Jody Fry: Spiritual leadership model and organizational commitment. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oLXrx4paoM

Lawrence, R. (2012). New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. In Bodies of knowledge embodied learning in adult education (Vol. 134, pp. 53-60). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2014). Body and Spirit in Learning. In Adult learning: Linking Theory and Practice (1st ed., pp. 127-145). San Franciso, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday/Currency.

The Complement of Rational Thinking and Learning

Some may think that the complement of Rational Thinking is Irrational Thinking. Then this post is especially for you. There is so much more than that. For example, there is (among other!) Embodied Learning.


Have you ever met a person that right from the first moment you met him/her, you felt that "something has to be wrong" about that person?  Or that something just "doesn't add up" to a story without being able to clearly identify what is exactly what made you think this way?

source:https://kosmoactions.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/intuition/

Can this be rational thinking, if you feel something is wrong, but there is no apparent reason? I don't think so. This is "knowing without reasoning and transcends the cognitive" (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, pp. 130).

"We access intuitive knowledge through dreams, symbols, artwork, dance, yoga, meditation, contemplation, and immersion in nature. Most of these processes call upon embodied knowing" (Lawrence, 2012, p. 5-6). 

source:http://www.work-stress-solutions.com/body-language.html

"Our bodies reflect our emotions" (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 132) and there is so much we can learn about us just by paying attention to our "Body Language". Embodied Learning is "seeing our body as an instrument of learning"  (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 132).


So why limit our learning to Rational Thinking?  "Why would anyone play a one-string guitar when there are five other strings" (Virginia Griffin, 2001, p. 131)

source:https://kosmoactions.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/intuition.jpg

References:

Griffin V. (2001). Holistic learning. In T. Barer-Stein & M. Kompf (Eds.), The craft of teaching adults (3rd ed.) (pp. 107-36). Toronto: Irwin/Culture Concepts.

Lawrence, R. L. (Ed.). (2012).  Bodies of knowledge: embodied learning in adult education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, No. 134. San Franciso, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2014). Experience and Learning. In Adult learning: Linking theory and practice (1st ed.). San Franciso, CA: Jossey-Bass.

When Should We Break Tradition?

A Child's Toy

After reading Tamara’s blog and reflecting on ‘when should we break traditions’, I started researching and pondering on different traditional learning/teaching approaches and how generations have learned from them.  I reflected on a child’s toy that was created by an adult.  I learned from this toy, my children, and now my grandchildren have. 

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice, or practice-based learning, as it is sometimes called is learning that is acquired through reflection on or in practice (experience). The “practice” arena is most often thought of as whatever job or field we work in and thus there is much emphasis on reflecting and improving our practice.I believe this practice is what the Hasbro Company has used.

Trend Changes

The MR. POTATO HEAD character hit the U.S. market in 1952 when he became the first toy ever advertised on television, paving the way for millions of other toy commercials in the six decades since.  Key moments in MR. POTATO HEAD character's history since its launch reflect trends at that time, for example:

•When antismoking campaigns were raising awareness in 1987, MR. POTATO HEAD surrenderedhis signature pipe and became the official "spokespud" for the American Cancer Society's annualGreat American Smokeout campaign.

•Americans started to pay more attention to their waistlines and MR. POTATO HEAD gave up his "couch potato" status, receiving a Presidential Sports Award from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1992.

•As "tweets" and "likes" became part of our vernacular, MR. POTATO HEAD became one of Hasbro's first brands with a Facebook page and gave fans across the world the chance to communicate with the character through social media (2012).

Tradition - 1952

Innovation 2015

References

Hasbro's Iconic MR. POTATO HEAD Character Celebrates 60th Birthday. (2012, February 14). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=648475

HASBRO MR. AND MRS. POTATO HEAD COMMERCIAL. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGxCJQkNUc

Hasbro Playskool Mr Potato Head Optimash Prime Review - New Transformers Toys 2014-2015. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tef7LyTMQFU

Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2014). Experience and Learning. In Adult learning: Linking theory and practice (1st ed.). San Franciso, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mrs Potato Head Party Spudette and Mr Potato Head Tater Tub of Toy Story Movie. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7oEaaSGrg

Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze

As I was reading Tamara’s post about breaking tradition using Lewins’ Organizational Change Theory, all I could think of was the movie Frozen. Anyone who lives with a little girl right now, has been so inundated with this movie that they probably relate many things to it. In the movie, Arendelle has been inadvertently frozen by Queen Elsa using powers she cannot control.  I compare this to how we learn. We learn through and by our experiences. This information is “frozen” as a part of us much like the town is frozen.  

image retrieved from  

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/35000000/Arendelle-disney-frozen-35006939-684-282.png

Once new information is introduced to use, we see a difference between what we already know and this new information. This requires us to “unfreeze” our previous knowledge so that we can change it using this new information. This is much like the kingdom of Arendelle. Once the knowledge of Queen Elsa’s freezing power is known and she “learns” how to control it, she can unfreeze Arendelle.

image retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d6/13/58/d61358fcd8294c928b87d50684f388af.jpg

After we acquire this new learning and we have changed our knowledge and thinking, the information can be refrozen. This allows us to update our older knowledge on a subject. This new updated form, then become a part of us.  Since Queen Elsa can now control her powers, she can refreeze the parts of Arendelle that she chooses to because of the control that she has learned.  

image retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/474x/1f/9e/d3/1f9ed360389fbd3135c1a1f3c5cd191d.jpg

This theory can be used in many types of organizations. The video below gives a brief overview of the theory.

As teachers of adults or children I feel like this theory can be very helpful. Using various teaching techniques allows instructors to reach more students. The traditional sit in the class, read the book, take a test, teaching is becoming a thing of the past. Even in my daughter’s elementary school, I see the teachers employing new strategies that are more interesting and even “fun” for the kids. I have seen them implement many of the Innovations that are shown in Tamara’s post.

image retrieved from https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/yp0Y4BMmlH0Rz-mObXU3LeF1FMNjEgZx0dn4ux5WDqF7DBCDZuwaH2Pk7PwxMH1p0WuZa_Vty4R6sNPLcgisbnGIvoMQ3O4lAmatdQTVW0maH_TEiw

References
Merriam, S., & Bierema, L. (2013). Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. United States: John Wiley & Sons Inc.