Module 5
In chapter 12 Woolfolk went over all of the important concepts of motivation when it pertains to education. There were many areas that caught my interest and I am going to go over them. The first concept that I found important was on page 460. Learned helplessness was included in my test that I constructed and I feel that it is something important. Woolfolk describes learned helplessness as " when people believe that the outcomes in their lives our out of their control". Learned helplessness can lead to some horrible affective problems. Students can become depressed and face cognitive deficits when they lose hope. Learned helplessness is something that can be avoided and it is something that should never be overlooked in an educational setting. Students who obtain learned helplessness may have been told that they cannot do something. It is important to never tell a student that they are unable to achieve anything. I believe that when I coach or teach I will make it a number one priority to make sure that my students believe in themselves and never give up.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs was a pyramid that mapped out a theory for motivational needs. On page 450, Woolfolk describes Maslow's theory as " a way of looking at the whole student, whose physical , emotional, and intellectual needs are all interrelated". I like how this theory puts physiological, safety, love and belongingness, and esteem as the most important needs. If the deficiency needs are not met for a student then it will become difficult for the student to focus. This is why I believe it is important to understand the complete make-up of the student. Knowing our students is important and if there are problems at home for them then that is something that will affect them. For example, I am coaching baseball at the high school level and a player of mine is having a tough time at home. I have been doing extra work with him and am trying to get his mind away from the negativity in his life.
On page 474, Woolfolk discusses how cooperative learning is more important than competitive learning. There are some important concepts expressed. When students are involved in more cooperative learning activities then they enhance more complex problem solving skills and students with lower abilities are likely to have more success. Students love to interact with each other so it becomes a part of their learning when they are involved with cooperative activities. Competitive settings produce more individualistic performance goals rather than mastery goals from students. Students that work cooperatively are able to teach each other and learn to properly communicate in a group. Competitive environments create selfish classmates that only work for their individual purposes rather than coming together to obtain the main goal of learning. I see this work greatly while coaching. I create groups with the pitchers, outfielders, and infielders. These groups all learn to work well towards their skills and then at the end of practice everyone comes together to complete activities or drills. They are constantly working in groups and I always see them smiling and laughing which is a great thing to see. They are getting better and earning while having fun and enjoying life.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs was a pyramid that mapped out a theory for motivational needs. On page 450, Woolfolk describes Maslow's theory as " a way of looking at the whole student, whose physical , emotional, and intellectual needs are all interrelated". I like how this theory puts physiological, safety, love and belongingness, and esteem as the most important needs. If the deficiency needs are not met for a student then it will become difficult for the student to focus. This is why I believe it is important to understand the complete make-up of the student. Knowing our students is important and if there are problems at home for them then that is something that will affect them. For example, I am coaching baseball at the high school level and a player of mine is having a tough time at home. I have been doing extra work with him and am trying to get his mind away from the negativity in his life.
On page 474, Woolfolk discusses how cooperative learning is more important than competitive learning. There are some important concepts expressed. When students are involved in more cooperative learning activities then they enhance more complex problem solving skills and students with lower abilities are likely to have more success. Students love to interact with each other so it becomes a part of their learning when they are involved with cooperative activities. Competitive settings produce more individualistic performance goals rather than mastery goals from students. Students that work cooperatively are able to teach each other and learn to properly communicate in a group. Competitive environments create selfish classmates that only work for their individual purposes rather than coming together to obtain the main goal of learning. I see this work greatly while coaching. I create groups with the pitchers, outfielders, and infielders. These groups all learn to work well towards their skills and then at the end of practice everyone comes together to complete activities or drills. They are constantly working in groups and I always see them smiling and laughing which is a great thing to see. They are getting better and earning while having fun and enjoying life.
You're right that learned helplessness is a big issue, especially in lower socio-economic areas. It is one thing to tell students that you believe in them and that they can achieve, but it is very difficult to actually get them to believe in themselves. A good teacher (or coach) will design learning activities which will result in a high success rate initially, but that doesn't mean that they can't be challenging. Teachers just need to make sure that the proper supports are in place so that students really can be successful. Once they experience some success, they will find that rewarding and be more inclined to continue trying so they can experience that reward again.
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