Hi again (!) to all you folks out in OnlineLand! It’s OLLie here, back from a little hiatus.
Here in OLLieVille at the University of South Alabama, we’re always trying to come up with new ways to motivate students to learn, whether its online or in physical classrooms. One of the best ways we’ve come up with is to start early. Most of you school teachers out there have just begun your summer breaks (and I know, you don’t want to even *think* about work for a while!), but now is the time to plant the seed in your minds about how you’ll motivate your students in the fall. Chances are, you already know what you’ll teach, so keep a notebook handy with you throughout the summer and, just as a writer jots down notes of interesting thoughts that may wind up in a novel, you’ll record your ideas for inspiring students too.
Let’s talk about how you might organize your thoughts on motivation. One of the simplest motivational models for education is the ARCS model, designed by John Keller. The basic components of ARCS are Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction. Easy enough to remember, right?
Attention is the first component and its basic function is to gain the student’s attention (simple enough). You can do this by telling a joke, relating an exciting story, showing a funny graphic, whatever would interest your group of students and connect it to the topic. The idea is to surprise and/or peak students’ curiosity.
Once you’ve gotten the students’ attention, its time to move onto the second component of ARCS, relevance. This is when you really “hook” your students into being motivated to learn the topic—you relate it to something that is important to them. How can this topic relate to their everyday lives or things that interest them?
Now, you’re ready for the next component of ARCS, confidence. Allow students to see that they have the ability to grasp the content. This can be done by dividing the lesson up into “bite size” portions that students can more easily grasp. Another method is to provide detailed objectives and feedback, so that students know that they are on track. Still another option (especially for older students) is to provide choices of assignments, such as with a learning contract. This allows students to take more ownership of their part in the lesson.
Finally, we come to the last component of ARCS, satisfaction. This can be accomplished through feedback and allowing students to use their newly attained skills. Rewards for work well done will also reinforce the desire to learn more.
Now that you know something of the ARCS model, as you jot down your classroom ideas over the summer, you can place an A, R, C, or S beside them, labeling them as part of the ARCS model. When it comes time to prepare for classes, simply plug in your ideas into your lesson plans and brainstorm to fill in the gaps. You’ll see your students’ motivation levels climb!
'Til next time, this is OLLie, signing off!