Modules 16 and 17 Blog 1

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

I did not find anything confusion but I would like to know more about how a teacher can help a student use intrinsic forms of motivation.

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

Intrinsic forms of motivation are most beneficial to a student when they are genuinely interested in the subject or topic they are learning about. Oppose to extrinsic motivation, which deals with external rewards such as grades or money for a particular behavior, intrinsic motivation is when the reward is simply the learning of the subject. Students who study out of interest or enjoyment retain more information because they are not solely worried about receiving a certain grade but rather learning for personal achievement. Intrinsic forms of motivation offer students persistence on understanding the subject and mastering whatever it is they need to.

• 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?)

One way that I would increase intrinsic forms of motivation in my classroom would be to focus on a student’s progress in the classroom rather than the letter grade they are going to receive. I know that when I was in a class where the teacher focused so much on letter grades I would get very nervous and not do as well as I would in classes where my teacher focused more on each students personal achievements and abilities. I want my students to know that everyone progresses and/or learns differently than other.