Thursday, July 21, 2016

MAT 671 Assignment 3A- Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation


Inspiring Event

I strongly believe that behind a great student there is always a GREAT teacher.  As teachers we have the power to impact lives and this is what happened to me with a great teacher.  I have a particular learning style because I cannot just memorize things; I really need to understand deeply in order to continue.  If not, I block myself and I cannot function.  Well, this teacher took the time to think out of box and did not give up on me.  Her feedback and criticism was always positive (even thought I was a disaster).  My point is that thanks to this teacher I understood that “yes I can” and everything is possible if I want it.  My desire was to prove her that I was able to perform well; and I did it.  It was not only for the grades; it was the teacher who make me feel comfortable, important and loved. 
Every time I am frustrated for any reason (in education and in life); and I want to give up I remember this teacher.   I try to focus and think positively and then at the end I do it.

Uninspiring Event

When I was studying ESL at the Community college 10 years ago I had a bad experience with a History teacher.  I decided to take this History class before I finished my ESL classes.  Still today, English is really hard for me but back then it was really difficult.  I remembered that we started the semester and we had to write an essay about a particular unit.  I did my draft and then the teacher was really rude. I cannot express with words how I felt that day.  I cried a lot because she did not give me a positive and constructive feedback; it was completely the opposite.  Basically, in her words with this kind of writing it won’t be impossible for me to graduate for community college and or university.  I know my English is not perfect but I am trying always my best. 
After that incident of course I dropped the class, but I promised myself to finish my AA and go for my BA and I did it. Now I am working on my MA in Education.  Is it easy? No, nobody says that this is easy but I am here fighting every day because I believe in myself.  According to my mom: “si se puede” (yes we can), we only need to work hard, with dedication, passion and never let people treat us without respect.  This is my motivation.

Motivating my students

As a Spanish teacher I do not have the opportunity to have my own classroom and I have several students. However, every single year I take the moment to know my students better because I like to find a connection with them and their families.  My goal is to be a role model for my students.
I strongly believe that learning should be fun; this is the reason why I always make Spanish fun and I do my best to incorporate different learning strategies because I keep on mind all the students and the different learning styles. I have been learning in the graduate school about different and new strategies that I am planning to implement in my classes the next school year.  I would love to learn more about PBL and cooperative learning because I believe these have huge benefits for my students; and also this type of activities can motivate the students.
In addition to this, I need to be careful about the feedback I give to my students because if I express something in a wrong way; I can cause a harm to my students’ motivation.  Also, I think is important to teach them to be careful when they are going to express themselves. Sometimes, students say things spontaneously and they can hurt others’ feelings. 


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