EDUC 2320, EDUC 2322 Assignment 3b

Motivation, Learning, Teaching for Learning and Assessment.

In this essay, I will discuss the importance of promoting motivation, developing learning
strategies, teaching for learning transfer, and using assessment to assist learning. I will argue
that promoting motivation is critical for all students to achieve and that developing self-
efficacy, connecting students’ interests to their learning, and a positive classroom climate are
essential for motivation. I will also argue that helping students to develop their own strategies
for learning is essential to foster self-regulated learners. I believe it is important to teach for
true understanding of topic content so that students can apply their knowledge to problems and
scenarios outside of the context they learnt it in, instead of simply remembering information.
Finally, I will argue of the importance of using a variety of assessment strategies. Assessment
is key for the teacher to gauge student progress and identify students who require extra help or
different teaching strategies. I believe that the goal of assessment should be to motivate
students, allow for self-reflection, promote deep understanding of content, and to continue
developing as a learner.

Promoting motivation in the classroom is imperative for learning and development. Students
have many complex needs which must be met so they can be engaged in the classroom.
Humanist theories of teaching argue that the needs set out by Maslow (1943) must be met, for
positive learning outcomes to occur. Based on this, I believe promoting high self-efficacy is a
crucial part of motivating students. Students who have high self-efficacy and confident
perceptions of their abilities are often more motivated, engaged in their learning, and have
overall higher achievement (Bandura, 1997). According to Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive
theory, student self-efficacy comes from their perceived successes and failures. Based on the
social cognitive theory, an effective method to promote high self-efficacy is; strong feedback
which emphasises where students have been successful as a result of their actions, and areas
where they can improve (Van Deur, 2018). Promoting mastery orientation is an important
aspect of teaching, as students become self-directed learners and develop deeper understanding
of topics (Van Deur, 2018). Strategies to promote mastery orientation over performance
orientation include; the use of learning strategies, setting realistic and personal goals, and
linking the interests of the students to the lesson objective. Finally, I believe that a focus on
promoting growth mindsets is crucial in ensuring high achievement for all students. Learners
with a growth mindset are engaged and want to work hard to develop their own learning; these
learners are resilient and will work to improve after failures (Dweck, 2010). Students with fixed

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mindsets see intelligence as a fixed trait and will rarely challenge themselves (Dweck, 2010).
A major aspect of developing growth mindsets is creating a positive classroom environment
where learners feel safe, are not afraid to make mistakes, and are free from negative
competitiveness. Other strategies for promoting growth mindsets include praising effort and
dedication that has been put into a task (instead of the the end-product), and directly teaching
students about growth mindsets (Dweck, 2009). Motivation is required for students to learn
and develop; therefore I believe promoting high self-efficacy and growth mindsets is a crucial
aspect of teaching.

Students with growth mindsets are students who will be able to become self-regulated learners,
which is crucial given the limited amount of individual time with their teacher. It is crucial that
students are taught, and practice a variety of learning strategies. Understanding how students
learn new information, and how they can be taught to improve how they learn is imperative to
effective teaching. Learning is a conscious action, and therefore requires learners to be
motivated. Students may struggle to learn when they are distracted, the information being
presented is too dense, and new knowledge does not build on the students’ prior knowledge
(Hattie & Yates, 2014). For effective learning outcomes students should firstly; be motivated
and eager to learn, and secondly; new information should be taught in a way which builds on
prior knowledge that students have (Hattie & Yates, 2014). For students to be self-regulated,
they must learn how to learn; this involves teaching a wide variety of learning strategies (Van
Deur, 2018). Learning strategies that students can be taught include; chunking information,
self-questioning and testing, summarizing information with charts or concept maps, mental
imagery, and mnemonic images (Van Deur, 2018). Before deep understanding of topics can
occur, students must first learn and retain the factual basis of them, therefore I believe that
teaching students how to effectively utilise a variety of learning strategies is crucial, so that
students can later learn to transfer and apply their knowledge.

I believe that teaching for transfer of knowledge is essential, as students develop the ability to
apply their knowledge to situations outside of the classroom and solve problems. Teaching for
learning transfer also promotes deeper understanding of topics. Students may have been taught
to remember content, and may fare well in tests, but often struggle to apply this knowledge to
solve problems (Bransford, 2000). Bransford (2000), argues that for learning transfer to occur,
mastery of a subject is required. Based on this, I believe students must be active, self-regulated
learners who are motivated, and able to use learning strategies. Teaching for meaning and

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understanding, rather than remembering is also an important aspect of transfer and requires the
learner to be active (Van Deur, 2018). An important technique based on understanding is asking
students to reflect on whether they understand the content and how they could improve their
understanding (Van Deur, 2018). Once students have a good understanding of topics, strategies
for transfer can be utilized; this can include applying new knowledge to problems, or contexts
outside the one they were originally learnt in. A major issue faced when teaching for transfer,
is over contextualised learning, which causes students to struggle applying their knowledge
outside the context it was learnt in (Bransford, 2000). Therefore, a strategy for teaching for
learning transfer, is using information and providing problems and tasks which use the
information in a variety of contexts. Finally, using inquiry based learning (IBL), design based
learning (DBL), or project based learning (PBL) is effective in transferring learning and
developing deeper understanding. These types of learning experiences are valuable as they
require students to gain and understand new information and apply it to a project, they are also
useful as they can be tailored to the interests of each student. In summary, I believe it is
necessary to strive for learning transfer, so that students gain deeper, more meaningful
understanding of topic content.

Finally, I will argue of the importance of assessment as an essential learning tool. Using both
formal and informal assessment is necessary in order to monitor student progress, grade student
progress, motivate students and monitor success of teaching methods (Marsh, 2004, cited in
Van Deur, 2018). Assessment should be used as a continuous process and as more than a
quantitative performance indicator. Formative assessment is crucial to continuously evaluate
students understanding and progress, as well as the effectiveness of teaching. Types of effective
formative assessments include observation, discussion, analysing student work, peer-
assessment, self-assessment, and quizzes. These types of assessment highlight student progress
and importantly, identify students who are struggling and require extra attention or
differentiated teaching strategies. Formative assessment is also necessary as it allows for
regular opportunities for students to receive feedback (OECD, 2005). Formative assessment is
used as a tool to foster learning; while summative assessment aims to assess what has been
learned by a student. This however, is not to say that summative assessments are not important
and do not have to follow traditional test formats; summative assessments can be used in a way
which still contribute to learning, particularly transfer of learning through PBL style tasks
(Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner, Krause, 2016). Summative assessments are also important to
update parents with their child’s progress. These assessments can also be used as a motivational

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goal for students, as well as an opportunity for self-reflection. In summary, assessment is a

continuous process which must be undertaken by all teachers. Formative and summative
methods must be used in unison, with the main goal of fostering learning and the underlying
necessity of assessing what has been learned.

In conclusion, I believe that it is essential that students develop deep understanding and mastery
of subjects, rather than superficial understanding. Motivation is the starting point for this
process and must be fostered by promoting high self-efficacy and growth mindsets. Teachers
must equip students with a variety of learning strategies which allow students to become self-
directed in their learning. To truly understand subjects, students must have the ability to transfer
their knowledge to contexts outside of the school; this requires mastery of subjects and
classroom tasks which require students to apply their knowledge to a range of problems in a
variety of contexts. Finally, a combination of formal and informal assessment methods must
be used to foster learning by providing meaningful feedback, adjusting teaching methods and
allowing students to self-reflect. By focusing on these aspects of education, teachers will
provide students with a deeper understanding of subjects which allows them to transfer their
knowledge to all aspects of life.

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References

Bandura, A,. (1997) in Joet, G, Usher, E.L., & Bressoux, P. (2011). Sources of Self-Efficacy:
An Investigation of Elementary School Students in France. Journal of Educational
Psychology,103(3), 649.

Bransford, J. D. (2000). 'Learning and transfer', in Bransford, John D, Brown, Ann L &
Cocking, Rodney R (eds.), How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school,
Expanded edn, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 51-78.

Duchesne, S, McMaugh, A, Bochner, S. & Krause, K. (2016). Educational Psychology for

Learning and Teaching (5th ed.). South Melbourne, Cengage Learning, pp.500-503.

Dweck, C. (2010). Mindsets and Equitable Education. in Van Deur, P. (2018). Motivation for
Learning, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322 & EDUC 2320 Learners and their Development,
Flinders University, S.26.

Dweck, C, (2009). Mindsets: Developing talent through a growth mindset. Olympic

Coach, 21(1), pp. 6-7.

Hattie, J, & Yates, G. (2014). Visible Learning: the science of how we learn. Abingdon, Oxon:
Routledge, pp.113-115.

Maslow, A. (1943) in Van Deur, P. (2018). Theories of Learning, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322
& EDUC 2320 Learners and their Development, Flinders University.

OECD (2005), Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms, OECD

Publishing, Paris, pp.21-23.

Van Deur, P. (2018). Motivation for Learning, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322 & EDUC 2320
Learners and their Development, Flinders University.

Van Deur, P. (2018). Learning strategies for learning, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322 & EDUC
2320 Learners and their Development, Flinders University.

Van Deur, P. (2018). Teaching for Learning Transfer, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322 & EDUC
2320 Learners and their Development, Flinders University.

Van Deur, P. (2018). Assessment, Lecture Notes, EDUC 2322 & EDUC 2320 Learners and
their Development, Flinders University.