Modules 16 & 7: Blog Post 1

• Discuss one question or confusion that you had about the material.

- My question is about beliefs of ability. Is there ways teachers can help control/encourage incremental view of ability and diminish entity view of ability?

• When are INTRINSIC forms of motivation most beneficial or appropriate, compared to extrinsic forms? What do they offer?
  

- Intrinsic forms of motivation are preferred over extrinsic forms. Intrinsic motivation is when the child is curious and focused on learning; they are willing to push themselves without having to expect something for their behaviors. They receive pleasure and enjoyment out of learning without having to receive a reward for it. Children that are more intrinsically motivated tend to better academically than those who are not. Intrinsic forms of motivation are most beneficial and appropriate when children are required to do work outside of school and/ or study for an exam. It can also be beneficial in the classroom when the teacher tries to engage the class in learning through participation in activities. These forms are best for the situations because the teacher is not there to tell them what to do or remind them about what needs to be done. In the classroom, having students willing to participate, makes classroom activities easier, makes students more comfortable with their peers, and creates an optimal learning environment.

Intrinsic forms are better because they allow the students to create a competency belief, self-value, attainment value, and self-expectancy. These factors help the child believe in his/herself, their work, their abilities, and allows them to push themselves forward to what they can handle. These factors in-turn help make a more enjoyable learning environment for the child, where they can motivate and push themselves when necessary, instead of having to be worried about studying/doing homework to receive a good grade. This form of motivation is also more beneficial so the teacher does not have to rely on extrinsic forms to get students motivated. If the students are willing to motivate themselves, it puts less pressure on the teacher to get the students motivated about learning. Overall, intrinsic motivation creates a great environment in the classroom, where the child and teacher can interact in a dynamic fashion.

• Even though intrinsic motivation describes something internal, it's something that CAN be affected by external factors, like teachers. Discuss some specific ways that you can increase intrinsic forms of motivation for your students. (For example, are you attributing success/failure to factors they can control or factors that are inherent?)

- To increase intrinsic forms of motivation in the classroom, engaging students in learning is important. Finding out different learning styles, interests, and curiosities is a great way to balance the class and keep things interesting. If some students like hands-on activities and others like group work, balancing them both so all students can be engaged and interested in learning is key. Creating an atmosphere where students feel safe, comfortable to ask questions, appreciated for their hard work are important things to consider when teaching students. More specifically, a intrinsic motivation technique a teacher can use is to encourage students to set personal goals. This allows students to have a motivation they are passionate about and working towards. Since children have different learning abilities and capabilities this allows them to work towards something that is suitable for them, they are passionate about. Overall, creating opportunities for students to actively learn while encouraging intrinsic motivations, improves the chance they will develop these motivations for themselves.