Unit 3: Student Engagement and Motivation
Return to: Emily McAlpine's Portfolio Page, Teaching Middle School Mathematics Intervention (AIS), Unit 2
Overview
As you have read about and possibly experienced, student engagement and motivation is a major challenge for instructors of an intervention course, particularly in Math. It is also one of the biggest determinants of student success and performance. Research supports that when our students are engaged and motivated, their learning and behavior can improve drastically. Issues with engagement and motivation can be tackled in various ways, including through the classroom environment, instructional strategies, and a reward system, all of which will be covered in this unit.
This unit will be broken up into three lessons and a final reflection. You may find it useful to revisit resources from previous units as you navigate these lessons.
Lesson 3.1: Classroom Environment
Objective
Explain the importance and benefits of student engagement and motivation in math intervention classes.
Background/Context
It should not come as a surprise, based on past units, that the classroom environment plays a huge role in student behaviors, including their level of engagement and motivation. So far, we have addressed this from the standpoint of teaching students about a growth mindset and activating them as agents of their own learning. These are important aspects of an intervention classroom environment, however, there are other ways you can tailor the environment to promote engagement and motivate students.
Introduction
As teachers, it is our job to create and foster a positive classroom environment where all students feel valued, respected, and safe to be themselves. There are many ways this can be accomplished and you will soon read about some of those strategies. I would first like to highlight some strategies and methods that I have found to be beneficial in my classroom. The first is to include students in the process and educate them on topics such as the growth vs. fixed mindset and internal vs. external motivation. The second is to establish an environment in which students feel safe making mistakes. When our students are preoccupied with the fear of failure, they are less likely to engage and participate in class. These strategies can be greatly beneficial to students with respect to their motivation to persevere when they are faced with a challenge or make a mistake.
Read and Connect
Directions: Please read the following article, keeping in mind the ideas discussed above.
Making Connections: In your reflection journal, respond to the following questions.
- What are some ways that you can create a positive classroom environment?
- How does the classroom environment contribute positively to student engagement and motivation?
- Did you notice or make any connections between the ideas discussed in this article and the ideas covered in Unit 2?
Lesson 3.2: Instructional Strategies and Activities
Objective
Identify instructional strategies and activities that engage students and build fluency and problem-solving skills.
Background/Context
Students in regular math classes are often faced with traditional instructional methods such as lecturing, direct instruction, and note-taking. While there can be benefits to these forms of instruction, there is a right place and time for them. Additionally, many students do not respond to or benefit from this type of instruction. In some cases, that may be a part of the reason a student is placed into an intervention class. An intervention course provides opportunities for non-traditional methods of instruction and these can be differentiated to meet the varying needs of each student. In doing so, students are more likely to engage and participate in class.
Introduction
Research supports that students have a better chance of understanding a topic, developing a skill, and/or engaging with the content if it is presented in multiple forms. Thus, intervention teachers should focus on offering students differentiated, unique, and engaging instructional strategies and activities. In terms of strategies, these could include small group work and discussions, stations, conferences, interactive formative assessments, and the use of multimedia tools such as videos and music. Some examples of activities that I use in my classroom include leveled task cards, escape rooms, scavenger hunts, mad libs, mazes, Jeopardy, and mystery/Clue games. In any case, it is important to take into consideration your students' interests and provide them with tasks that are applicable to the real-world (when possible). When students can relate to what they are learning or see the greater value in it, they are more likely to be engaged.
Explore and Identify
Directions
The following links will take you to websites that include some of the examples mentioned above. Some of these activities can be utilized for free, purchased, and/or serve as inspiration for an activity that could be adapted to your classroom.
As you explore, please identify at least two new strategies or activities that you would like to try in your own classroom. Consider what would be the most impactful in terms of engaging and motivating your students. Also, consider how the strategy or activity could be differentiated or scaffolded to target individual gaps in knowledge.
Links/Websites
Flocabulary - Music/Videos, Worksheets, Games, Formative Assessments, etc.
FactMonster Flashcards - (Fluency Practice: all 4 operations, 7 levels each, timed)
- Click here to revisit the Fluency Data Tracking Sheet from Lesson 2.2.
Teachers Pay Teachers - Escape Rooms, Task Cards, MathLibs, Error Analysis, Station Activities, etc.
NearPod or PearDeck (Google Classroom compatible) - Interactive lessons and formative assessments
Edulastic - Interactive lessons and formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments
Jeopardy Labs - Pre-made and editable templates for Jeopardy games
Lesson 3.3: Reward System and Grading
Objective
Describe methods for individual and whole class reward systems in place of traditional grading.
Background/Context
Today, students are often motivated externally by quantitative data and grades. This provides a challenge to the interventionist and/or AIS provider as these courses are not typically designed for a traditional grading system. In my school, students received comments on a report card that ranged from "no evidence of learning" to "evidence of learning". These comments had little impact on my students and I felt that there was a need for external motivation and accountability, considering the lack of grades. I provided this in the form of a reward system.
Introduction
When designing a reward system for your class, keep in mind the importance of holding individual students and the whole class accountable. Oftentimes, students in an intervention class who lack motivation will rely on other students in the class to contribute and participate. By creating a reward system that holds the whole class (in addition to individual students) accountable, students will be more motivated to engage and participate in class. It is important that this reward system is based on effort, participation, and engagement, not on performance. Be cautious that your whole-class system does not pit students against each other or highlight individual differences in students' math abilities. The purpose is to provide motivation for students to engage with the content and hold them accountable for the effort (or lack of effort) they are putting in.
Examples
You will now read about two rewards systems that I have used in my classroom. Please note that there were challenges encountered and adjustments made to the systems throughout the year. These systems should be tailored to meet the needs of your students and class, and you may find that there is not a one-size fits all approach. These should merely serve as an idea or starting point to guide you in designing your own system.
AIS Math Reward System
This system was centered around punch cards that I purchased from Amazon but they can also be made using a printable template (see Image 4). I set specific criteria that students needed to meet each class in order to receive a punch on their card. This criteria included things like participation and effort, rather than performance, and was clearly and continuously explained to students. Each student had their own card and once they received ten punches, they earned a prize. Once everyone in the class received ten punches, they received a class prize. For some added fun, we would spin a prize wheel to determine the reward. You could also allow the class to vote on a reward. The punch cards were kept in student folders so they could keep track of their progress and recognize if they were meeting expectations. This also allowed students to maintain privacy with respect to their individual progress.
Virtual Math Reward System
This system was utilized during the pandemic as classes were being held virtually. One of the greatest challenges of virtual instruction is student engagement and motivation, particularly if the school does not have requirements in place for students to turn their cameras on. This was the case for my school and, in an effort to respect students' boundaries, participation in the reward system was presented as an incentive for engagement, not a requirement.
I called this system "Camera Wars" as it was centered around rewarding students and classes for turning their cameras on to engage and participate in class. At the time, I taught five different sections of math classes. For each class, I would keep a running tally of how many students had their cameras on. There were clear guidelines presented to students (regularly) including that their camera needed to be on for the majority of class, not just for a few minutes at the beginning or end. At the start of each class, students were shown the Point Tracker (see Image 5) so they could keep track of their progress as a group. At the end of each quarter, the class with the most tallies received a class reward. Additionally, individual students who regularly had their cameras on were recognized and rewarded. We would then start from scratch the following quarter.
| Individual | Whole Class | Either |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Prizes (fidget toys, school supplies, small crafts, etc.) | Class Outside (if possible) | Bonus Points (quiz, test, etc.) |
| Snacks/Food/Candy (if allowed) | Movie, TV Show, or Shorts | School reward system compensation (ex. PBIS Bucks) |
| Homework Pass (turn in to be exempted from an assignment) | Game Day | Choose your seat (temporary or permanent at teachers discretion) |
| Lunch with a friend in classroom (if feasible) | Pizza or Ice Cream Party (if feasible) |
Brainstorm
Think of some ways you might approach a reward system in your classroom. Consider my examples and, in your reflection journal, describe what might work well or what might not work well in your classroom.
What changes might you make to best meet the needs of your students?
If you already use a reward system, or have in the past, was there anything you learned in this lesson that could help you improve upon that system?
Would you use any of the rewards provided in the example? Do you have any other ideas for rewards/prizes?
Unit 3 Reflection
Directions: In your reflection journal, please address the following questions and anything else you would like to make note of from this unit.
- How can the ideas discussed in Unit 2 (activating students as agents of their own learning) be used to support the ideas discussed in this unit (engagement and motivation)?
- (Current Teachers) Was there anything you learned in this unit that has motivated you to change how you structure your lessons or classroom?
Continue to Unit 4
References
(n.d.). Flashcards. Fact Monster; Sandbox Networks Inc. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards.
(n.d.). Math Resources. Teachers Pay Teachers; TPT. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Grade-Level/Seventh,Eighth/PreK-12-Subject-Area/Math/Type-of-Resource/Activities,Centers.
(n.d.). K-12 Math. Flocabulary; Flocabulary. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://www.flocabulary.com/subjects/math/.
Ryan, A. M., & Patrick, H. (2001). The Classroom Social Environment and Changes in Adolescents’ Motivation and Engagement during Middle School. American Educational Research Journal, 38(2), 437–460. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3202465.
(n.d.). Teachers. Edulastic; Snapwiz, Inc. Retrieved May 8, 2023, from https://edulastic.com/teachers/.