What it is
Involving students of all ages in the decision making process and taking their perspective.
Why it is important
Students who feel autonomous tend to
- have better grades
- be more engaged
- be less disruptive
- have more positive emotions
How to do it
- take the student’s perspective
- share decision making with students
- allow students to express their emotions
- give students choice in what, how, and when to work
- minimize “shoulds”
- be patient
- explain why the work is important
- let students pursue their own interests when possible
What it is
Focusing on understanding and engagement with learning; encouraging students to see their strengths and progress rather than focusing on comparisons
Why it is important
Students who pursue mastery goals tend to
- have better understanding of the material
- desire more challenging work
- report more enjoyment and interest
- explore the topic outside of class time
- be more creative
How to do it
- recognize student progress
- use formative assessments
- avoid comparisons
- have clear grading criteria/rubrics
- don’t rush students
- share decision making with students
- provide informational feedback
What it is
Establishing and maintaining relationships across the different domains of a student’s life by meaningfully connecting with students and building community across the whole school
Why it is important
Students who feel connected to their teacher and peers tend to
- be more intrinsically motivated
- be more interested
- feel more competent
- be more engaged
How to do it
- create a safe and respectful environment where mistakes are ok
- focus on the school as a community
- build personal relationships with students
- collaborate and communicate with parents
What it is
Demonstrating passion and love of learning; being engaged with material; using the self as an example of the learning behaviours desired from students
Why it is important
There is evidence of contagion in the classroom! Enthusiastic teachers tend to have students who enjoy learning more. And when students enjoy learning they tend to
- be more intrinsically motivated
- be more interested
- feel more competent
- be more engaged
How to do it
- teach with energy
- demonstrate enthusiasm for topics
- share your curiosity
- demonstrate why you are interested in topics
- model self-regulated learning strategies
What it is
Connecting subject learning to everyday life, designing interesting and enjoyable learning tasks
Why it is important
When students understand how learning applies to their real lives they tend to
- be more engaged
- learn more
- persist longer and register for more advanced courses (especially in STEM)
- be more interested
How to do it
- provide opportunities for students to make connections between material and their lives
- build authentic assignments
- use problem based learning to peak interest and curiosity
- learn about student interests and use them in designing tasks
- group work and hands on activities
- involve students in the task design
What it is
Considering rewards when tasks are just not very interesting to help trigger students’ interest
Why it is important
Our brains are hardwired to respond positively to rewards. Rewards:
- make us feel good
- can trigger interest
- can help students who feel helpless
- eventually lose their appeal
How to do it
- best for tasks that are of low interest
- keep the reward unexpected
- praise can be used as a reward
- don’t let them be your long term plan
- consider the 5 Ws
- who is giving it
- what is it
- when it is being used
- why is it being used
- where is it being used