Students as Content Creators: Bringing Intrinsic Motivation to the Classroom
By Kate Greenberg
The internet brings a wide breadth of content right to our fingertips. It also empowers anyone with access to a social media account to be a content creator. We may feel a push to create content to show off our social lives, accomplishments, and achievements. This push is likely intrinsic; we are creating content because we want to for our own personal satisfaction (Waterford.org). Students may also feel an intrinsic motivation to create content online. Often, however, the motivation to create content for the classroom is extrinsic, based solely on a requirement and a grade (Mulvahill). How do we translate the intrinsic motivation to create content online to students creating content in the literacy classroom?
1. Bring the online format to the classroom.
We can recreate or mimic the mediums that entice students to create online as classroom assignments. If students love posting videos to YouTube, have them post a video to Flipgrid. Online tasks can also be taken offline. If students love sharing photos on Instagram and Facebook, have them create a photo album to show the events in a book. If students love finding photos on Pinterest, have them create a mood board or photo collage that represents a literary character. You are only limited by the imagination of yourself as your students.
In 2020 I worked as a long-term substitute middle school music teacher. I wanted my students to do biography reports on famous composers, but I wanted to make it more fun than a traditional paper. I created a template for students to make a Facebook page for their composer. This resource can work well for any biography assignment. It is listed for free on my Teachers Pay Teachers account here.
2. Create assignments tailored to your students (Mulvahill, Waterford.org).
"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life."
-Marc Anthony
Technology is not the only medium you can adapt for classroom learning. Do your students love art class? Give them an art project! Do your students live for gym and recess? Get them up and moving by acting out stories and vocabulary words. Pay attention to what students ask for and what they want more of during the day, and see how you can incorporate that into more of your lessons.
3. Vary your activities.
“Unless you open yourself up to trying new things,
you can’t find what you love.” -Anonymous
Keep things fresh by varying your approach to lessons. While routine is important, if every lesson of every day is the same as the last, you and your students will become bored. Use a mix of sensory approaches such as auditory (music, podcasts, and books on tape), visual (pictures and videos), and kinesthetic (hands-on projects and manipulatives). Use a mix of individual, partner, group, and full-class tasks (Mulvahill). There is something novel and exciting about a new task that helps spark intrinsic motivation.
4. Give students ownership.
"The pen that writes your story must be held in your own hand."
-Irene C. Kassorla
Involve students in decision making processes. At the beginning of the year, the students should have a say in creating the classroom rules and expectations (Mulvahill). As the year goes on, students can help determine ideas, guidelines, and expectations for projects and assignments (Waterford.org). The teacher does not have to do all of the work by themselves! When students are involved in decision-making, they are more likely to care about the outcomes.
5. Teach content that is relevant to the student's lives (Mulvahill, Waterford.org).
“Education without application is just entertainment.”
-Tim Sanders
We care about things that are directly related to our lives and experiences. Help students see the connections between what they are learning in school and the world around them. Provide students with materials that they can personally connect to. When choosing books, be sure to select a combination of window, mirror, and sliding door texts. When students are given rich literary resources, they will be able to see the connections and importance the materials hold.
6. Let students see your enthusiasm (Waterford.org).
Attitudes are contagious, and children are sponges. If the teacher is sullen, annoyed, or frustrated, the students will feel that too. If the teacher is smiling, happy, and upbeat, the students will reciprocate that energy. When the teacher is excited about a task, the students are more likely to be excited about it as well.
In order to create a classroom where students are intrinsically motivated, teachers need to know their students, know their content, and allow themselves and their students to be flexible and creative. This will spark joy in the classroom, and students will enjoy the learning. When students enjoy the learning, they complete tasks for their intrinsic value. The work stops being about a grade or because the teacher told them to, and more about the internal joy and reward of accomplishing an interesting task. See how intrinsic motivation can shift the attitude of your classroom.
References
Mathewson, T. G. (2020, March 30). Intrinsic motivation is key to student achievement – but schools kill it. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/intrinsic-motivation-is-key-to-student-achievement-but-schools-kill-it/.
Mulvahill, E. (2018, July 3). Understanding Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation in the Classroom. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/understanding-intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation-in-the-classroom/.
Strategies for Motivating Students: Start with Intrinsic Motivation. Waterford.org. (2020, October 22). https://www.waterford.org/education/how-to-motivate-students/.
Kate- great job on your blog post! I really enjoyed all of your ideas and how you incorporated new and innovative lessons to keep your students motivated! I completely agree that by increasing student's intrinsic motivation, it also increases their engagement, which can help with their understanding of the subject. It also allows students to develop a sense of agency and ownership of their learning. By providing students a space to learn about topics in different ways or with different perspectives, it allows room for students to think critically about the world around them.
ReplyDeleteYes Kate! Awesome blog. I believe that intrinsic motivation can lead students on a better path and lead them to a more independent lifestyle as well. I believe it is important for students to feel intrinsic motivation but we must teach them and give them an environment to be able to support intrinsic motivation. Like you said, giving the students choice and ownership are some ways to create an environment for them where they are working to improve themselves and not just to receive a good grade. Do you think this is something that teachers should have more instruction in before they begin teaching? How does one get a student to transition from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation?
ReplyDeleteThis was so powerful, Kate. Thank you for sharing your wonderful resources and input on this topic as a whole. As I was reading it felt like each suggestion you were giving us, built upon the one before it. All of those things are so important, which most of us know as teachers. The hard part is finding a balance and implementing appropriately. Your template is so cool, what a great spin you put on that project and it's perfect for middle school. My students love art and reading graphic novels, I'm trying to bring technology in so I can have them create their own using their writing pieces. A goal of mine is providing students with more choice and ownership, I believe it engages and inspires them as learners. I can't wait to check out your TPT store :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Kate for such a motivating blog post! I do agree that when students are able to incorporate technology in the classroom to enhance their work it is truly internally motivating for them and for their classmates. It really brings the learning off of the paper and into the hands and minds of the learner. I agree with your idea that, "Using a mix of sensory approaches" such as auditory, visual, kinestetic, and tactile modalities are all utilized when incorporating technology in the classroom. I loved your idea about incorporating art and technology too. Last year the students were begging for an online "Art Smart" lesson when we were online, so I ended up posting their artwork on Padlet and they loved sharing their work that way. Looking forward to tapping into some of these intrinsically motivating strategies!! Laura A
ReplyDeleteHi Kate! You brought up some really awesome and interesting points in your points and shared some really awesome resources. I particularly thought the points about giving the students ownership, as well as focusing on enthusiasm is really true. I remember in student teaching a few times where instead of me being in charge of a small task, such as passing out papers, getting the students involved made them feel more connected to the lessons. I feel like there is often a pressure to do it all yourself, but leaning on the students can be a great way to get kids engaged. Additionally, the attitude aspect you brought up is huge. Kids really have a sense for what is going on around them, so being mindful and cognizant of that is huge towards making sure the students feel like they are part of a safe and fun environment. Great points all around!!
ReplyDeleteHi Kate! I love your recurring idea of establishing a mindset of being open to trying new things - and various things, as it’s a very widespread concept that can apply in any aspect of our lives! If we show students that we are willing to be flexible or consider their ideas or likes/interests, they will in turn hopefully return that behavior and be even more engaged with their work. I know I definitely always felt more excited completing tasks where I could choose a topic or project format about something I liked or enjoyed doing, and made completing what I needed to do more enjoyable, especially if it wasn’t always a straight forward simple concept. When we break new or complex thoughts down into smaller pieces that make sense to us, it’s often easier to build on versus trying to blend everything into one master set. So I believe making those personal connections from child to child make all the difference as well!
ReplyDeleteKate-
ReplyDeleteI know that you worked with students online a lot so this is coming from a place of experience. As someone that only taught online a handful of times this was very helpful and provided me with great tips. I especially loved when you wrote about giving students ownership. I think providing autonomy in the classroom is so important whether it is academically or behaviorally. When students feel as though they have some type of ownership over their education it is met with a motivation to try harder to meet their goals. This was really well done. Thank you for sharing!
- Grace
I totally agree with you that intrinsic motivation is a powerful thing! I have always felt that strengthening intrinsic motivation can be challenging but the strategies you have provided are motivating. Teachers may implement a few of these techniques regularly but it is helpful to learn other ways to motivate our students to be creative in the classroom. Your blog reminded me of Structure 1: A Clear Focus on Our Students from Read the World. The strategies you highlighted are student centered and emphasize the importance of teachers getting to know their students well. Providing choices for our students based on their interests is a huge motivator and can be done in any subject area. Thank you for the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog Kate. I really like the flow of your format. I also found your thoughts on "Bring the online format to the classroom" helpful. Your thoughts made sense and I agree with you. Find out what your students like to do and expand it to create something new. I also agree with you about give students ownership because they will be more interested in the outcome. In my Reading Teacher world for students in RTI Tier 2/3, I found my teaching leading into games for my students to keep them motivated during the end of a very crazy Covid year. Crazy games like "beat your score" when trying to teach them new phonics skills, or thumbs up or down if their partner can manipulate sounds in words automatically. They are interested in games and it does keep them motivated for the outcome. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHI Kate,
ReplyDeleteThis was a wonderful blog post about encouraging student's intrinsic motivation to flourish in the classroom. Because of how integrated technology is into modern children's' lives, I agree that online content creation can be an effective way of engaging and motivating students. You included so many helpful resources and suggestions to bring this blog post to life, and to showcase ways to improve intrinsic motivation. I agree that involving students in decision making, showcasing your own enthusiasm, and keeping activities varied are great ways to keep your class interesting. I can't wait to use these strategies when I am teaching next year. Thanks !
-Shawna Zeisner
Hi Kate! I loved reading your blog post. An important aspect of my philosophy of teaching is the belief that lessons/learning activities must be genuinely engaging for students in order for them to be effective. The various ideas you listed in your blog are so engaging, and will result in students developing intrinsic motivation. You also integrated technology into these activities in a way that adds value to the lessons, which is so important.
ReplyDeleteI also love how you discuss the importance of varying the activities that you use in your classroom. I agree that routines are important, but I've noticed that some teachers may lean into their routines too often and it definitely lowers student engagement, as students end up almost just going through the motions. One thing I used to do with my second graders to keep lessons exciting was occasionally integrate pixar short clips into reading lessons when teaching new literacy concepts. It was such an easy and fun way to change up the routine of having a traditional read aloud, and my students absolutely loved it.
-Colleen Konkol