Student Motivation Essay -- essays research papers fc

Motivation in Schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The topic I originally planned to look into for my Action Research Paper was the affect of reward systems on a student’s academic performance. My idea was that a student’s performance could be influenced by the presence of a reward system. I was interested in seeing if certain subject areas were more likely to use such systems than other subject areas. I strived to see if a student’s academic performance could mean more than just their exam scores and ability to complete assignments. I wished to see if a reward system could change the way a student was motivated in the classroom; to see if their overall attitude could be changed. I also thought to look into their attendance in classes where motivation was present. I wanted to see if they were less frequently absent and if they participated more. And lastly, I thought it would be interesting to see if students felt they could in turn change their â€Å"destiny† in education, or if they s imply believed they are predestined for something else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I was looking further into my topic at hand, I decided to go a different way with my paper. I got away from the â€Å"reward system† and decided to look into student motivation as my topic, focusing on the teacher-student relationship. In high school, I can remember one teacher that changed the way I saw science and it affected me greatly. Before this teacher, although I was always in advanced science classes, I never achieved high grades. I always struggled to keep up with other students, and when I performed poorly on exams, my previous teachers never thought to why I had done so. She approached science in a way I had never seen before, and she offered recognition and praise. She set up the classroom in such a way that I never felt I was being left behind, and she encouraged us always to work up to our potential, and then some. I was motivated to do well and in a way I had never cared for before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose to look from the student’s point of view, instead of talking only to teachers. I thought it would be more useful to see what the students thought, as I am pursuing my graduate education in Secondary Education. My ultimate goal, to be a teacher, could only benefit from the research I was setting out to collect. I wanted to know what circumstances student’s felt most... ...ving them the option to say what they feel a teacher should be could be a positive growing experience for both them and myself. Each class could want different things, and I feel it is my job to realize their needs and try to address them as best I can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I know it sounds corny, but I truly feel that education in the classroom is a two way street. Teachers and students can only flourish when able to both get to where they are going by removing obstacles that would limit their driving experience. I look forward to my teaching career, and although I know I’m bound to have a few fender benders along the way, I hope the journey as a whole is a productive one. Works Cited Daniels, H. & Bizar, M. (1998). Methods that Matter. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. Ryan, K. & Cooper, J. (2004). Kaleidoscope: Readings in Education (10th Ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin. Michie, G. (1999). Holler if you hear me. New York: Teachers College Press. McDevitt, T. & Ormrod, J. (2002) Child Development (2nd Ed.). Columbus, OH: Pearson Prentice Hall. http://216.239.57.104/u/nydoe?q=cache:OaYbZiCK2GkJ:www.emsc.nysed.gov/repcrd20 http://www.alfiekohn.org