1) The document discusses principles of student motivation and engagement in reading. It outlines five key principles: meaning is motivating, learning is social, self-efficacy, interest/relevance, and control and choice. 2) Each principle is explained and examples are given of instructional practices that can help apply each principle, such as collaborative learning activities, choice in assignments, and connecting lessons to students' interests. 3) The importance of student motivation and reading engagement for achievement is discussed. Strategies are presented to help shift students from a performance to a mastery orientation in their learning.

1. MOTIVATION &
ENGAGEMENT
2012
Jennifer McCarty Plucker, Ed. D.

2. Learning Targets
 I can examine the importance of increasing
student engagement in text.
 I can dialogue about strengths and areas of
need in my current practices in relation to
engagement.
 I can reflect on the principles of engagement
and apply them to my instructional practices.

3. Guiding Principles
1. Meaning is Motivating
2. Learning is Social
3. Self-Efficacy
4. Interest/Relevance
5. Control and Choice
Adapted from J.T. Guthrie (2008)

5. Opening Anticipation Guide
 On your notes page 1, complete the
anticipation guide by deciding
whether you agree or disagree with
each statement.
READING
some motivation required

6. Influences

7. Our dilemma as educators
 Majority of students do not read for pleasure
 Students are unmotivated, apathetic, resistant
to reading school content
 69% did not read for enjoyment (a signal for
intrinsic motivation)
 2000 international survey-U.S. ranked 20th out
of 28 developed countries in reading
engagement

8. Importance of reading
engagement
 Engagement & motivation contribute to
achievement in reading
 Interest in reading correlates to reading
comprehension
 Reading engagement connects more strongly to
achievement than home environment
 “Today, more than ever, valuable classroom time
presents the best opportunity-often the only
opportunity-to turn kids on to reading” (Gallagher,
2009).

9. Reading engagement correlates to
reading achievement
highly higher
engaged achievement
low
engagement

10. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
 Have you ever offered incentives in class to
produce a desired outcome?
 Candy for quiet reading time
 Games on Friday
 What incentivized programs have you
experienced?
 Health club discounts

11. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
7 Reasons Carrots and Sticks (often) Don’t Work
(Pink, 2009)
Less of what we W ANT:
Intrinsic Motivation
High Performance
Creativity
Good Behavior
More of what we DON’T want:
Unethical Behavior
Addiction
Short Term Thinking

12. Meaning is Motivating

13. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
Special circumstances where “carrots” won’t hurt, and
might help.
If assignment doesn’t inspire deep passion or
require deep thinking, rewards c a n help. BUT:
 Offer a rationale as to why the task is
necessary.
 Acknowledge that the task is boring.
 Allow students to complete the task their own
way.

14. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
Essential Requirement for Extrinsic Rewards
“Any extrinsic reward should be unexpected
and offered only after the task is
complete. In other words, where ‘if-then’
rewards are a mistake, shift to ‘now that’
rewards.”
(Pink, 2009, p.
66)

15. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
What is motivating our students?
Performance Goals Mastery Goals
 Show good behavior  Understanding is most
 Complete an assignment important
 Extrinsic rewards
 Argue, analyze, debate,
 get a good grade explain, organize,
connect, defend,
 Outperform others
conclude…
 Look smarter  Not isolated, connected
 Understanding text—not to “big picture”
important  Short or long-term

16. M se t
ind
“After seven experiments with hundreds of children, we had some of the clearest findings I’ve ever seen:
Praising children’s intelligence harms their motivation and it harms their performance.” by Carol Dweck

17. Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating
7 Practices of Mastery Motivation
1. Provide mastery goals
2. Make tasks relevant
 Relevance vs. Entertainment
1. Use hands-on activities
2. Transform text to meaning
3. Scaffold mastery motivation
4. Provide re-teach opportunities
5. Reward effort over performance

18. Turn and Talk
 Share with a neighbor your reflections on what
you’ve just heard or ideas about how to apply
Principle #1: Meaning is Motivating.

19. Learning is Social

20. Principle #2: Learning is Social
1. Open discussions
 Reduce teacher talk time
1. Student-led discussion groups
2. Collaborative reasoning
 C.R.E.W. time
1. Arranging partnerships
2. Socially constructing the management
3. Scaffolding social motivations over time
 Student input increases throughout year (i.e.
classroom library selections)

22. Principle #2: Learning is Social
Collaboration around text
 “Buzz about books”
 Book pass
 Book chats
 Trailers
 Confessionals
Animoto.com
Glogster.com
Xtranormal.com

23. “I Can because I think I Can” (Self-Efficacy)

24. Principle #3: Self-Efficacy
1. Recognize the gap
2. Match the text to the reading levels of students
 Shoe Size
1. Establish initial confidence
2. Set realistic goals; individual students
 Conference to discuss, reflect, & revise
1. “We grade the learning, not the knowing”
(Harvey & Daniels, 2009)
2. “I can because I think I can” Vacca (2006).
3. Student value-added assessments

25. Principle #3: Self-Efficacy
Self-Reflection
 DIY report cards
 Goal setting & reflection prior to teacher
feedback
 Use of learning targets
 Reflect on peer models and self

26. Interest/Relevance

27. Principle #4: Interest/Relevance
1. Making real-world connections
2. Personalizing with questioning
3. Extending intrinsic interests
4. Self-expressing
5. Puzzling (working through inconsistencies in
text)
What is not here…?
 “Packaged” or “one size fits all” ways to
respond to text

28. Principle #4: Interest/Relevance
Ignite a Passion
 Target Alliterate Readers
 Know Your Players—Four Most Important
Words
 “I thought of you…”
 Start a modeling career
 Throw a Party!
Layne, 2009

29. Reflect
Pause and Reflect
What are you doing WELL? Which of your
instructional practices align to these principles?
Where have you been challenged? What needs
to change for your students and your teaching?

30. Control and Choice

31. Principle #5 Control and Choice
Seek to balance teacher vs. student centeredness
Practices that cultivate motivation:
 Ownership of text
 Options for how to learn
 Autonomy with Accountability
 Input into curriculum
 Self-selection of knowledge displays
 Fed Ex Day
 Voice in standards for evaluation
 Inquiry projects

32. Principle #5 Control and Choice
Who is in Control?
 “Excessive te a c he r-centeredness is more
disengaging than we imagine. At the
same time, excessive s tud e nt-
centeredness may be unproductive. Our
goal is to move from teacher overcontrol
to student empowerment.”
Eng a g ing A o le s c e nts in Re a d ing , p. 35
d

33. Reflect
 On your notes sheet, write your reflections on
what you’ve just heard or ideas about how to
apply Principle #5: Control and Choice.

34. Closing Remarks
 Professional Book Studies
 We are motivated by the same 5 principles!
 “We may have taught them the skills, but
without the desire to use those skills, where is
the benefit? In many cases it will be what
happens or doesn’t happen in school that is
going to make the difference” (Layne, 2009).

35. “I may not reach everybody, but every time I
reach somebody, I’m doing more than I would
be doing if I were doing nothing. It’s one more
thing to try, and it surely can’t do any harm”
(Layne, 2009)