Restoring motivation and choice

How Can We Restore the Motivation and Choice Lost Upon Students in School
Rita R. Corbett
Norfolk State University

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Identify Topic Area/Research Question

How Can We Restore the Motivation and Choice Lost Upon Students in School

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Abstract

This thesis examined the perceptions of intermediate students based on schedulebased curriculum, classroom management strategies, psychological and sociological
roles, and the various types of stimuli used in a classroom setting. Furthermore, the
thesis entails the findings of research from second grade up to fourth grade. There has
been controversy over the lack of understanding why motivation has decreased
drastically in students when introduced to new lessons throughout the school year as well
as lessons strictly correlated with a schedule-based curriculum and their effectiveness
towards childhood academics. Critiques come up with numerous shortcomings stating
that such strict guidelines should be less dependent on when students learn a lesson as
opposed to how they learn each lesson and if students truly comprehend the material.
For those who agreed and use this style of teaching, I observed the daily interactions of
the classroom for a period of two months. My findings show the difference of results in
those classrooms who participate in a less demanding setting as opposed to those who do
not participate in them and the overall effect of the new knowledge the students received
after each lesson quiz.
Keywords: Motivation, schedule-based, curriculum, interactions, visual stimuli.

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Theory of Motivation
Control Theory of Motivation created by world-renowned psychiatrist and education
consultant William Glasser says that behavior is inspired by the wants of people at any given
time; outside stimuli is never a direct causation. This theory provides understanding that shows
how human beings control their behavior based on their needs as well as the motivation behind
doing schoolwork. For the proposed research study I used the control theory as a lens for the
research problem of decreased motivation, lack of choice, and behavioral self-regulation. By
knowing what the students truly need, the teacher can help figure out how to structure lesson
plans to provide the most effective results for learners. The control theory and its model is based
on the response and feedback students give due to the provided curriculum, assessment, and
instruction.
As human beings we have five basic needs; survival, belonging, power/respect, freedom,
and fun. As students we see or analyze actions and lessons learned through two worlds, a
perceived or abstract world and a quality or structured world. Based upon the lessons learn we
compare which one benefits us the most. This depends on how we choose to act, we can either
resist, learn, or master the lesson. Understanding the difference between being a boss teacher
and lead teacher allows you to negotiate with the student and modify the learning environment to
tailor it to the students desired and basic needs.

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Competence-Based Classroom

As an aspiring teacher the main goal for me would be to teach each and every one of my
students key essentials that they will take with them for the rest of their lives. I believe that
every child starts with a tabula rasa or blank slate and therefore there is no limitation on when
or how early a child begins to learn and interdisciplinary studies is the perfect way to ease them
into it based on how carefree and open-minded children are during their early years of schooling.
William Glasser believes that a true classroom consists of meaningful and carefully constructed
lesson plans and classrooms that decline the use of a grading scale because ultimately this is
what contributes to students not having the desire to come to school or lose their enthusiasm for
learning. Setting a standard passing and failing grade scale only hinders students thoughts. The
notion of putting in so much effort into an assignment yet being given a barely passing grade (C
to C-) only decreases the students confidence. If educators were to take away those standard
measures of success, not fully but to some extent, throughout each lesson and instead use
positive reinforcements which encourage students progression rather than the focus solely on
weaknesses then the amount of motivation students hold would only increase.
Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa is a cognitive mechanism that every man, woman, and child has when they
are brought into the world. The phrase means blank or blank slate. I believe Ayn Rand defines it
best as saying Man is born with an emotional mechanism, just as he is born with a cognitive
mechanism; but, at birth, both are tabula rasa. In her book, The Objectivist Ethics, she explains
how at birth the childs mind is tabula rasa, blank. The child is of conscious mind but he has no
content. I believe that this is true. As we grow older and learn the world around us we absorb
the happenings around us or the chaos we face which we learn to dissect and perceive with the

restoring motivation and choice

mechanisms provided, both emotional and cognitive. For interdisciplinary students we are able
to remain open-minded and respect the views of a situation from others perspectives to come to a
solution which benefits all. Interdisciplinary studies helps a person to learn better methods of
communication and interaction like triangulation. Being able to bring together ideas from two or
more individuals and create something new. I believe that this is most commonly used when
teaching younger students. Especially for intermediate students, they learn to share, interact, and
display independence, and behavioral self-regulation within their environment. Though, at the
time, children as well as some teachers do not realize they apply interdisciplinary skills every
day, they do, and this increases the complex mechanisms that we each are born with.
Behavioral Self-Regulation
The great thing about having a tabula rasa as a child is that there are no limitations on the
knowledge a child can absorb. Think back to when you were a child, remember how many
questions you would ask your teacher or siblings and parents? Most of us do and after a while
we would get the same responses, either go look it up or stop asking so many questions.
Sound familiar? Well this is known as blockage. So imagine that strict schedule-based
curriculum that has a demanding and limited pace of learning that each student in a classroom
has to adapt to even if they dont fully understand each and every portion of a lesson. This
demanding schedule could be considered a blockage because a standard is being set upon the
student instead of having the students at one point set the pace of how they learn or comprehend
new information. Due to this common blockage students begin to lose their confidence and
along with that confidence they lose their voice of choice in how they learn and interpret lessons.
As stated before, as children we all start off with a blank slate and as we grow and learn to
process the world around us we begin to form questions also known as curiosity. The old saying

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Curiosity Killed the Cat is a popular used myth which aids in blockage tricking the mind and
making curious young minds to believe that growth is not possible when in fact the limits of
which one can learn is what truly is not possible. The important factor is to help nourish the
childs curiosity and want for learning, but also to increase growth development. By trying to
tame a childs need for a steady pace, encouraging classroom mentoring, having a patient teacher
and surroundings, you decrease the potential knowledge that they could gain which in turn
decreases their developmental growth and willingness to learn and explore the world around
them.
To conclude, I believe that individuality is what sets us apart, makes us each uniquely
different as well as accept views from others perspectives while maintaining our originality. To
simplify, I believe that we each have our own views, ways of learning, ways of understanding,
thoughts, and opinions, but with the help of interdisciplinary studies we are able to integrate,
come together, to connect us all as well as accept views from others perspectives while
maintaining our originality. I believe that we each have our own views, ways of learning, ways
of understanding, thoughts, and opinions, but with the help of interdisciplinary studies we are
able to integrate, come together, to understand and explore the world around us and create ideas
based not only on one persons views but multiple views to formulate something new and
exciting. This begins with teaching our youth the importance of interdisciplinary studies and
how it could ultimately affect their whole lives, broadening their views of life, learning, and
growing.

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References

Public Broadcasting Service. (2013). Grade-by-Grade Learning: First Grade [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/grade-bygrade/first/
Beckford, M. T. Personal communication. October 2015.
Fenichel & Mann, (2001). Handbook of Psychology, Developmental Psychology.
McClelland, M. M., Cameron, C. E., Winless, S., & Murray, AT. (2007). Executive function,
behavioral self-regulation and social-emotional competence: Links to school readiness.
Gervais, Michael. (2015). 6 Early Childhood TipsFrom a 5th Grade Teacher? [Wed log journal]
Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/early-childhood-tips-5th-grade-teachermichael-gervais.
Handler, G.W. (2011). A comparision of multi-year educational programs and regular
educatonal programsutilizing scale scores in reading. (Master's thesis, University of
Virginia.)
William Glasser, The Quality School, Harper & Row, 1990.
Thomas Bellows, Chart Talk. W. Glasser The Quality School: Choice Theory, 2000-2003.

Ogbu, J. U. (2003). Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic

Disengagement.

Rand, A. (2001). The Objectivist Ethics. New York.

Repko, Allen F. (2013). Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies.

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