Module 5 Blog

Chapter 12 of the Woolfolk text focuses on motivation and goals.  The two types of motivation discussed are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  Intrinsic motivation is the inherent tendency to seek out and conquer challenges as one pursues personal interests. One does not need punishments or rewards as the activity itself is fulfilling and rewarding.  Extrinsic motivation has little to do with the activity itself but includes when one does something for a grade, the teacher’s praise, or to avoid punishment (Woolfolk, p. 445).  The best type of motivation that leads to more positive outcomes and academic achievement is often thought to be intrinsic motivation.  It is important, however, to note that there may be positive aspects of extrinsic motivation, such as providing incentive for students to try new things or finish a task.  Students are often not motivated by just intrinsic or extrinsic factors but a combination of both. When thinking about goals and what an individual is trying to accomplish, the type of goals that one sets often influence the amount of motivation they have to reach those goals. The best goals are specific, elaborate, moderately difficulty, and attainable within a short period of time (Woolfolk, p. 452).

In Chapter 14, the text describes characteristics of effective teaching and teaching every student.  I think this is a key point that we as teachers must remember: we must teach each individual student as not all students are alike and there is not a “one size fits all” approach that we can take. I liked one teacher’s approach that they have a rule, “Ask three, then me.” The student in their class have to ask three other students for help before seeking help from the teacher (Woolfolk p. 545). This promotes students to work well with others in a group and can benefit both the student seeking help and the other students to be better able to understand the material by explaining it to other students in the classroom.  I also liked how the text stated that there is no one best way to teach.  Every student brings different challenges to the table and may require direct instruction some of the time and more open informal methods at other times to encourage creative and abstract thinking (Woolfolk, p. 550).

Classroom assessment and grading is reviewed in Chapter 15. The validity and reliability of a test are discussed as well as the many factors that may be errors or lead to bias when a student takes a test.  Writing a test is something I have had no experience with prior to this most recent project in class.  Writing multiple choice questions with good distractors and essay questions was discussed.  I liked the idea of including a grading rubric after an essay question so students know exactly what information you are looking for in their answers (Woolfolk, p. 579).  Also, grading all of one essay question before moving on to the next, shuffling the papers between grading essay questions, and having students put their name on the back of the paper so grading is anonymous and as fair as possible are some things that I could see myself doing in the future (Woolfolk, p. 579).  Standardized testing is also discussed and the controversy that surrounds the role of these tests.  Some problems with testing can be not teaching what is actually being testing and evaluating teacher performance based on student’s test scores when some students may be far below grade level at the beginning of the school year (Woolfolk, p. 600).