Julia Slade (VCC student) posted:


Julie Zimmermann wrote: "How do I feel about motivation and students??



We have students who come to us that are there because they always wanted to be a nurse and couldn't dream of doing anything else. We also have other students who are there because perhaps their parents told them they need to go to school and take something, "pick any career, just pick one!" So, they choose nursing for whatever reason, or maybe because their Mom or Grandma was a nurse and they can't think of anything else at this time, or the course started soon after they started looking, perhaps they like the look of scrubs, the stethoscope looks cool, they always liked the show 'Grey's anatomy' or because it pays not too badly.......whatever the reason, they come to us, but for some it isn't with a 'burning desire to become a nurse', it isn't 'because it's what they always dreamed of being or wanting to do', somebody told them to 'give it a try' or such. This type of student often lacks intrinsic motivation because they lack the innate desire to pursue it, which makes it difficult to engage this student in learning. So how do we engage these students?
I have found that creative thinking activities help them to seek ways that they can relate to nursing, if anything is going to help engage and motivate them, it will be this---the student needs to find something relatable in nursing, if they are going to engage in the learning and commit.  (There are a million and one creative thinking activities on the net to choose from).
Just because this type of student has invested money or their parents told them to do it, intrinsic motivation is a must in order to be successful in our program. The long hours, the stress, the amount of content covered,  the responsibility of people's lives, is not worth it to the person who lacks intrinsic motivation to be a nurse.

For some students (i.e those who lack confidence or those not really wanting to be there), we have to be their external motivation until their intrinsic motivation kicks in, if at all. We do this either through activities that get them to visualize themselves in the role or get them to see something in nursing that is appealing to them. Sometimes a student lacks motivation because nursing isn't for them. If the student appears disinterested, sometimes a heart to heart with the student is in order, we ask them what interests them and what do they picture themselves doing. Sometimes just posing the questions gets the student to consider what they really want to do and be honest with themselves, are they really all that interested in nursing? who's dream is it for them to be a nurse? It isn't that we want to 'counsel people out', but it is a demanding career that would be a serious challenge for someone who does not really want/care to be a nurse. I feel that it is a responsibility of the Instructor to recognize if a student is struggling within the program as well as with the decision to be or not to be in the program"- JZ.

Considering Confirmation Bias in Design and Design Research

Gregory M. Hallihan and L.H. Shu
* Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada


Abstract

Confirmation bias is an innate and pervasive human tendency to preferentially attempt to validate beliefs instead of invalidating them. However the design community, which is increasingly concerned with the cognition of designers, has largely overlooked this phenomenon. This paper discusses the relevance of confirmation bias with respect to its potential to influence designers and design researchers.

For more info:
http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/labs/bidlab-pubs/Journal/2014_HallihanShu_JIDPS_ConfirmationBias.pdf

https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-work/making-group-contracts

Summary of discussion forum: Group Work for PIDP 3250

Forum Analytics:

      65  Total postings  (from my original threads)

 

      5 Discussion threads and one introduction thread

 

1.       Pros and cons of 'Group work'

§  21 posts

2.       Types of Group work and the +/ - of each

§  11 posts

3.       Group contracts: a necessary evil?

§  18 posts

4.       How to monitor the effectiveness of 'Group work'

§  7 posts

5. Bits and bobs on Group work

§  6 posts

 

Key Ideas:

The definition of group work, and the pros and cons were well defined. There was some discussion on the definitions of group work vs collaboration, which most people were fans of the latter. There was a lot of discussion about the pros and cons, unfortunately, the cons outnumbered the pros this time.

Joanna wrote: “Pro: 

- Less time consuming grading for the instructor

- Students tackle a big project, similar to how they might in the workplace 

- Social aspect 

- Learn collaboration and teamwork 

- Learn from new skills, perspectives, work experiences

- Time management skills

- For some, I see leadership skills develop

 

Con: 

- Conflict can occur

- Instructors in my experience either devote too much class time or not enough, which means that students are spending a lot of outside time trying to coordinate project

- One or more students may take the bulk of the project while another does very little

- Can be a challenge for the instructor to manage the conflicts and grade appropriately

 

Andreas added: “To the pros I would add that: 

-Students have the opportunity to learn from and support each other

-Some weaker students may be forced to up their game

-Students gain real perspective where their strengths and weaknesses lie compared to other students

 

To the cons I would add: 

-A bad apple may pull the whole group down

-Introverts are overpowered and may not be able to contribute as much as more assertive people(See Journal 2)

 

The question to even evaluate group work was introduced by Doug and there were differing opinions on this, people were mostly unsure what to do about the proposed question, but definitely one that got people thinking.

The common feelings surrounding group work are mostly negative due to unfair workloads. While most recognize the need for group work and that people must learn to work together, most people have had very negative experiences in the past and do not look forward to group work in general.

 

Promoting positive group dynamics was also revisited as this is a concept familiar to many. Ice breakers, games and fun activities were seen as examples of promoting positivity.

For monitoring of group effectiveness, the idea of peer evaluations was recommended which included an individual mark and a group mark. Concerns with giving a peer a low score and the ramifications of this was also introduced which was thought might bring on hurt feelings and thus negative future group work.

Confirmation bias was introduced as a side note and Gloria and I both became very excited with this find! ‘Searching out literature to support our beliefs’…...definitely something I want to go and research more of. Perhaps I will find more confirmation bias about my confirmation bias research!

Lisa-Marie wrote: “One way to ensure the marking is fairly distributed would be too have the learners journal their own participation and experience throughout the project and to self-assess both their own contributions and their efforts to act as a contributing group member. If the expectation is there from the beginning of the project or activity,  individuals will be more conscious of and aware of what their responsibilities are.” (Nov, 12, 10:48pm).

An interesting suggestion which I am curious to try and which now leads me to my next key point, the group contract. I thought the pros and cons would have generated the most interest, but it turned out it was the group contract. Much interest resulted and many are eager to implement this in a future project. Many felt this is most likely the only way to implement group work that will be fair and produce the positive results that everyone goes in hoping for. Doug asked about teamwork contracts and the internet had many resources available supporting the use of and I believe I was objective in my research. The research also provided templates for teams to consider.

Susan Cain felt that we needed to “stop the madness for constant group work”!!! (Ted Talk).

Articles & videos:

"Team Concept Maps" http://sho.co/16ZPO students digital assignment link.

The two articles below list the pros and cons of group work.

 https://busclass47.wordpress.com/2012/10/28/pros-and-cons-of-groupteam-work/

https://quizlet.com/7791986/chapter-11-pros-and-cons-of-group-work-flash-cards/

http://blog.mindjet.com/2012/07/great-teamwork-begins-with-a-social-contract/

 

Susan Cain “ The power of introverts” Ted talk. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=susan+cain+ted+talk+the+power+of+introverts&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=5C6C8A8B8149973EEE635C6C8A8B8149973EEE63

 

An interesting read about social contracts and team contracts http://managementstudyguide.com/team-contracts.htm

 

Team contract samples http://www.marketingurl.com/forms/TEAM_CONTRACT.PDF

 

More info on the group contract. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/group-contracts-ntn

 

 

 

 

Books:

Barkley, E.F. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. San  

         Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Brookfield, S. (1987). Developing critical thinkers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Brookfield, S. D. (2006). The Skillful Teacher: On technique, trust and responsiveness in the

classroom (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Merriam, S. B. (2007). Learning in Adulthood: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass

“stop the madness for constant group work” (Susan Cain)

 

 

 

Susan Cain said that we need to teach our students to be able to work on their own, to “stop the madness for constant group work” and allow them the ability to go off on their own and develop deep thought which generally only happens in solitude (Susan Cain, TED talks). Some of the greatest thinkers in history, Ghandi, Eleanor D. Roosevelt and ‘Dr. Seuss’ were introverts, yet society expects, respects and pushes people to be extroverts (Susan Cain). Elizabeth Barkley said that “it is not safe to conclude that if students are talking to each other, they are learning. It is equally risky to conclude that students are learning when they are listening to other students talking” (Barkley, pg.16).  Students who listen attentively to self-questioning lectures are learning more than those involved in some discussion (Barkley, 2010). Maslow argued that that when students feel more connected to a community, learning takes place which involves participating in collaborative activities.

 

 

Reflective:

 

The meaning in all of this for me is that I realize extroverts are not always the most engaged learners and the introverted learner may be having the greatest learning experience and I honestly hadn’t really considered that. As a child, my report cards would in the beginning refer to me as a daydreamer because I was quiet. I would often observe and take in more than what was spilling out of my mouth (my Dad taught me you have two ears and a mouth for a reason, so that you can listen twice as much as you talk), so I did, but I learned that this was not appreciated in the school system, so I became more extroverted and it won me praise. Having not thought of this for so long, I hadn’t even considered my own experiences and how I teach. Amazing that it never occurred to me since I had to develop ‘expected classroom behavior’ but it really wasn’t who I was initially. I conformed to the expectations of what a ‘good student’ should be, not who I was or wanted to be. In some ways I perhaps had my learning squashed and it is now apparent that is what I have done to some of my students.

 

According to Barkley, sense and meaning equal retention of learning (Barkley, 2010). If students are not allowed to go off in some sort of solitude, make sense and  meaning how can they engage in deep thought? Where is the learning? Students need to make connections with learning, it is an individual and dynamic process that students need to develop, it takes time and in an environment that creates harmony. Learning is more than thinking rationally, ‘body, heart and mind are all involved in learning and are necessary for engagement’ (Barkley, 2010). So is this likely to happen in the classroom environment? I am guilty of facilitating far too much group work, I used to believe that ‘two heads are better than one’, better to stimulate ideas within a group, learn from each other, but I didn’t have it quite right. I also called upon ‘quieter’ people to share their thoughts when I hadn’t heard from them, thinking I was ‘helping’ and sometimes because I thought they might be ‘tuned out’. I believed that if I involved them in the discussion, they would be more engaged (learn more) and feel more supported and their opinions appreciated.  I am also guilty of thinking that the most outspoken in the group are the most attentive and are actively learning, boy did I get this all wrong. I probably had the opposite affect, in that while someone might have been (quietly) engaged in learning, I put them under a spotlight and took them out of their quiet comfort ‘learning’ zone, just so I could see if they were engaged.

 

 

Interpretive:

 

The significance in this for me is that I cannot assume that introverted students are not listening, nor can I assume that the introvert is actively engaged in deep thought. While it continues to be a challenge to evaluate the learning that takes place I will be less quick to assume the worst (not learning). I must remember my young self a bit more and remember how I wanted to learn and how I felt having to change into a different student did not feel good. I will be more understanding of the introvert and also the extrovert, recognizing that perhaps they are not as engaged as I thought. I was surprised to hear Susan Cain report that 1/3-1/2 of people are introverts. I am an ‘ambivert’ (Susan Cain) which is a new term for me. I am obviously very extroverted at work, yet at home, I take on the quiet role, listening to everyone’s day. I used to think that perhaps I was just tired of socializing, after working all day, but perhaps it’s not as simple as that.

 

Decisional:

 

 

I will definitely have less biased opinions of my students. I will call on the introverts much less, recognizing that that is perhaps how they wish to be. I will also remember not to assume the quiet are learning and the ‘noisy’ are too. Perhaps I never get it exactly right, but I can moderate the amount of group work and balance it with individual work so that students can learn the skill of working autonomously and also in a group setting. I will keep learning, trying and asking questions, getting to know my students more will help. I will focus on more of the transformational learning and mentoring (Daloz, 1986). Allowing for more opportunities for the student to go off and make sense of the learning through independent study times. Coming back together for the ‘forming’, etc.

 

I will put more positivity on the introverted and support them more now that I understand more. I must also remember that Adult learners have established their learning style and I must be the one to adapt instead of trying to assimilate everyone (Merriam, 2007).  It was also a wake up call for me to have more quiet times to be by myself so I can engage in some deeper thought. When I am home, I am greeted by my husband, 6 year old and 2 year old, not conducive to quiet, deep reflective moments ;) but as much as I wouldn’t trade them for the world, I recognize the need for solitude and to ‘get inside my own head’.

 

Definitely an enlightening video, and I hope I haven’t squashed any future “Ghandi’s, Mohammed’s and ‘Dr. Seuss’s”.

 

 

 Motivating Adult Learners.....Intrinsic motivation versus  
 extrinsic motivation:


         Motivation is an important concept in psychology.   It provides insight into why we may behave the way we do.  Motivation is an internal process that reflects the desire to achieve certain goals.  Motivation can be divided into two basic types:  intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation
Intrinsic Motivation: What is intrinsic motivation?   Intrinsic motivation reflects the desire to do something because it is enjoyable.  If we are intrinsically motivated, we would not be worried about external rewards such as praise or awards.  If we are intrinsically motivated, the enjoyment we experience would be sufficient for us to want to perform the activity in the future.
Examples of Intrinsic Motivation:Writing short stories because you really enjoy writing them, reading a nonfiction book because you are curious about the topic, and playing chess because you enjoy effortful thinking are some intrinsic motivation examples.
  
Extrinsic Motivation: What is extrinsic motivation?   Extrinsic motivation reflects the desire to do something because of external rewards such as awards, money, and praise.  People who are extrinsically motivated may not enjoy certain activities.  They may only wish to engage in certain activities because they wish to receive some external reward.

Examples of Extrinsic Motivation: There are many possible extrinsic motivation examples.  The writer who only writes poems to be submitted to poetry contests would be one example of extrinsic motivation.   The person who dislikes sales but accepts a sales position because he or she desires to earn an above average salary is another example of extrinsic motivation.   A third example of extrinsic motivation is selecting a major in college based on salary and prestige, rather than personal interest in the major.

The Possible Benefits of Intrinsic Motivation: Teachers may be very interested in fostering intrinsic movitation.  If students are only interested in receiving grades or praise, and do not enjoy learning, then teaching may be very difficult.  Students may not wish to think or apply their knowledge.  They may only be concerned with what will be on the tests.  In contrast, students who are intrinsically motivated may enjoy challenging work, and may think in greater depth about ideas.  Teachers may be able to foster intrinsic motivation by having students work on projects that allow them to see how the information is relevant to their lives.
      Supervisors may also be interested in ways to increase intrinsic motivation.  The ideal employee may be one who is self-motivated and does not require constant supervision.   Intrinsically motivated employees may be less likely to be late.  They also may be more likely to excel at their jobs.  It is possible that supervisors may increase intrinsic motivation by allowing employees to have greater autonomy, making the workplace fun, or encouraging creativity." (Retrieved from http://www.psychologyandsociety.com/motivation.html)



My Input now:
Ohhhhhh this is a great topic! one that is near and dear to my heart......how do we motivate students who lack intrinsic motivation? We have students who come to us that are there because they always wanted to be a nurse and couldn't dream of doing anything else. We also have other students who are there because perhaps their parents told them they need to go to school and take something, "pick any career, just pick one!" So, they choose nursing for whatever reason, or maybe because their Mom or Grandma was a nurse and they can't think of anything else at this time, or the course started soon after they started looking, perhaps they like the look of scrubs, the stethoscope looks cool, they always liked the show 'Grey's anatomy' or because it pays not too badly.......whatever the reason, they come to us, but for some it isn't with a 'burning desire to become a nurse', it isn't 'because it's what they always dreamed of being or wanting to do', somebody told them to 'give it a try' or such. This type of student often lacks intrinsic motivation because they lack the innate desire to pursue it, which makes it difficult to engage this student in learning. So how do we engage these students?
I have found that creative thinking activities help them to seek ways that they can relate to nursing, if anything is going to help engage and motivate them, it will be this---the student needs to find something relatable in nursing, if they are going to engage in the learning and commit.  (There are a million and one creative thinking activities on the net to choose from).

Just because this type of student has invested money or their parents told them to do it, intrinsic motivation is a must in order to be successful in our program. The long hours, the stress, the amount of content covered,  the responsibility of people's lives, is not worth it to the person who lacks intrinsic motivation to be a nurse. 

For some students (i.e those who lack confidence or those not really wanting to be there), we have to be their external motivation until their intrinsic motivation kicks in, if at all. We do this either through activities that get them to visualize themselves in the role or get them to see something in nursing that is appealing to them. Sometimes a student lacks motivation because nursing isn't for them. If the student appears disinterested, sometimes a heart to heart with the student is in order, we ask them what interests them and what do they picture themselves doing. Sometimes just posing the questions gets the student to consider what they really want to do and be honest with themselves, are they really all that interested in nursing? who's dream is it for them to be a nurse? It isn't that we want to 'counsel people out', but it is a demanding career that would be a serious challenge for someone who does not really want/care to be a nurse. I feel that it is a responsibility of the Instructor to recognize if a student is struggling within the program as well as with the decision to be or not to be in the program.
 

More info: 

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

“Intrinsic motivation is associated with curiosity, exploration, spontaneity, and interest…extrinsic motivation is associated with undertaken to attain an end state that is separate from the actual behavior…determined by some external contengency such as good marks or the avoidance of negative consequences.” (Muller, 2004) Adults are motivated by some external factorcs, such as promotions, salaries, and pressure from authority figures. However, internal motivators that help adults solve problems in their life, such as increased job satisfaction, self-esteem, quality of life, and the opportunity to self-actualize, tend to be more powerful motivators (Knowles, 2005).
Simons (2004) describes two different motivational patterns and learning styles. He states, “Students can have both orientations, but only one can be prevalent when achieving.”

• Task/Mastery or Learning Goals
  When develop a skill or acquiring knowledge following task or learning goals, a student will take on a challenging task, even if there is a risk of making a mistake. They learn from these mistakes, enriching their learning process.
• Ego or Performance Goals
  The main concern when working on tasks focusing with ego or performance goals is how a student’s performance will be viewed relative to others. They are concerned about looking incompetent or judged in a negative way by others, often avoiding the task all together.

Intrinsic Motivation
According to Ryan and Deci (2000), learners who are intrinsically motivated, therefore being interested leaners:

• are more content in their learning processes.
• acquire knowledge in a more differentiated and more coherent form.
• show a long-term retention of what was learned.
• apply their knowledge more often than others.
• show higher academic achievement.
• perceive themselves as more competent.

Simons enhances Deci and Ryan’s studies by listing the following characteristics of internally regulated learners:

• emphasize personal development or growth.
• are more task oriented.
• are more excited about the course.
• use more deep level learning strategies.
• persist more and perform better.
• have more interests.
• are more confident.
• persist longer.
• receive better exam scores.

“Intemalisation involves an individual's transformation of regulatory processes that are extemal to the self into intemal regulatory processes. These now internalised values and regulations are integrated into and become part of one's self” (Muller). However, a person must have their basic psychological needs met before self-determined motivation and the development and maintenance of personal interest can take place (Muller).
Muller provides reasons a student will perform an activiey for its own sake, stating that this is intrinsic. Motivation in this case:

• derives from activity level, interest, and curiosity.
• taps into the natural human tendency to pursue interests and exercise capabilities.
• doesn’t require incentives because the process itself is inherently motivating.
• students often experience “flow”, defined as a feeling of enjoyment that occurs when they have developed a sense of mastery and are concentrating intensely on the task at hand.

Extrinsic Motivation
Simons lists the following characteristics of exernally regulated learners:

• are more approach and avoidance ego-oriented.
• study less regularly.
• show less excitement.
• persist less.
• use more surface level strategies.
• have lower exam results.
• are less interested in the course.

If a student is presented with a task and provided external incentives and reinforcements, they generally may not develop an intrinsic motivation to learn. In addition, if a student is provided external incentives to perform a task and they would naturally find motivating, their desire to perform the tasks can actually decrease (Muller). Generally, when students focus their attention on external incentives, the rewards become the end themselves, rather than serving their proper function, to provide feedback on progress the students are making. (Retrieved from http://userpages.umbc.edu/~koconne1/605TheAdultLearner/ivse.htm)

 References
Knowles, Malcom S., Holton, Elwood F. III, & Swanson, Richard A. (2005). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development (6 th ed.). Burlington, MA: Elsevlier
Müller, Florian H., Louw, Johann. (2004). Learning environment, motivation and interest: Perspectives on self-determination theory. South African Journal of Psychology, 34, 2, 169-190.
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54–67.
Simmons, Joke, Dewitte, Siegfried, & Lens, Willy (2004). The Role of Different Types of Instrumentality in Motivation, Study Strategies, and Performance: Know Why You Learn, So You’ll Know What You Learn! British Journal of Educational Psychology. 74, 343-360.