Engaging and Motivating Learning Environments

RDG 323

Morgan Wawrzynski

Because moving classes online comes with motivational difficulties, it is very important

to find out how to engage and motivate the students in the class. According to the article

“Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy” by Irvine, et. al. “People are understandably reluctant to

persist at behaviors that they do not enjoy or that make them feel incompetent—adolescents even

more so” (11). This being said, it is difficult for students to stay motivated in an area where they

are doing something they don’t like or makes them uncomfortable. According to the survey I

have conducted, the biggest issue facing online learning with every student surveyed is the lack

of motivation they have in the class. A lot of students surveyed report that forcing the cameras on

zoom to be on and breakout rooms are great ways to ensure focus and engagement but they still

lack motivation to be there because they are not learning things that interest them.

While motivation for students is important, it is also important for teachers to stay

motivated in an online setting. One tip to help both teachers and students is by separating work

from home. On page 8 of “Teacher Guide to Online Learning” (Michigan Virtual, 2017) they

discuss that creating a separate office area you can go to with school work and stay organized is

an essential key to online teaching or learning. Over 80% of those surveyed that stated they have

difficulties staying focused also mentioned they do not have a designated area to complete their

school work.
 Based on the survey responses, teaching online has to be motivational and engaging for

my students. Many students say that having the camera on forces them to pay attention and put

away technology. Other students mention that relevancy to real world and real interests as well

as making things competitive is the biggest way to get them motivated. They reported that the

least motivating thing to do is read texts and watch presentations online. I included an open

ended question on what can teachers do to engage students online and most of the responses

consisted of providing extra credit, holding them accountable, and being enthusiastic about

teaching.

Survey link:

https://PollEv.com/surveys/13c8p3QdBeY2AYYwTY3ul/respond
 Resources

Irvin, J. L., Meltzer, J., & Dukes, M. S. (n.d.). Student Motivation, Engagement, and

Achievement. ASCD. Retrieved February 4, 2021, from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Student-Motivation,-

Engagement,-and-Achievement.aspx

Michigan Virtual. (2017). Teacher Guide to Online Learning. Teacher Guide to Online Learning,

1, 1–40.