Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to summarize and reflect on what you’ve read and learned in Module 3.
Directions: For this assignment, please video post your reflection and respond in writing to a classmate’s post. The creator of the video posts a written reply to the classmate who responds to the video.
Zoltan Dornyei has been a student of motivation for many years. Recently he has shifted his perspective to include the concept of engagement. When we think of motivation, we generally focus on the individual. The concept of engagement widens the lens to look at the environment in which learning takes place. Engagement also depends on the level of interest an individual has in the topic at hand. Dornyei suggests that students today are bombarded by myriad distractions that prevent them from becoming engaged in their learning. He cites a Gallup poll of 900,000 K-12 students that shows only 50% of them are engaged; with that number dropping to 34% by the 11th grade.
Dornyei speaks about engagement when children are physically in the school and in the classroom. Last year and this year have been very different (to say the least). We experienced a sudden shift from in-person instruction to online or virtutal classes. Then many of us found ourselves teaching with some students in the classroom and others with us virtually, with various COVID protocols enforced. Students (and teachers) continue to deal with a myriad of issues related to the virus: health, economic, and psychological.
- Given what you have learned, create a video using YouTube or Canvas. Make sure to reference what you learned in the readings. Your video reflection should be 3-5 minutes. Elaborate on the part(s) that were most striking to you by sharing your thoughts on the following:
- How do we engage students in these different scenarios (in-person, virtual, online, or a combination)?
- Those of you who are teaching, please share which modalities and COVID protocols your school will use when you start in the fall.
- How can we encourage students’ intrinsic motivation and keep them engaged with their teachers, their peers, and the content of classes?
- Include in your video your reactions to the articles regarding the Ethic of Care.
