EDUC 421 Final Group Mastery Project  (PDF Version)

Week #13 – March 31, 2022

Chapter 7 – Choose a question from the “Pause and Ponder” section on p. 130 of the text.

What are the barriers to student investment?

What are the root causes of those barriers?

 

Pause and ponder; that is something I most certainly did, and what a lovely rabbit hole I found. The chapter itself clearly defines that “[I]n order for student investment to be possible, teachers must believe that the actions they take will help students learn. They also must believe that when students act, they will learn. This type of efficacy is the foundation for this tenet” (p. 112). The sixth and final tenet is Student Investment, and therefore, a lack of positive self-efficacy for both students and teachers would be the root cause of barriers to students. However, efficacy is a new word in my academic vocabulary. Although I am embarrassed to admit it, I have struggled around it, like I would a foreign name in a book, where I think I have got it, but I am not quite sure.

If efficacy is the foundation, and I need to understand the barriers, I better get a better hold on this word. Hello – YouTube, and thank you very much! Click, click, click – the puzzle is much clearer now – back to the text… re-read… now I could quickly write in all of the things they list as opposite, and those would be barriers, right? For example, if “…teachers believe learners can achieve, the self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in, and learners tend to achieve” (p. 119). Therefore, if teachers do not believe learners can achieve or learn, that may become a self-fulfilling prophecy and significantly negatively impact students’ efficacy; thus, their motivation to learn will decrease, and learners will tend not to achieve.

Well, it is not my thing to just quote the text, so I thought someone else has probably researched this and summarized it in a really nice way, so I can pull it all together and deepen my understanding and next thing you know… I’m listening to podcasts! There was one that held my attention for almost an hour. It featured Dr. Robyn Jackson and was titled, How to motivate and engage reluctant learners (Watson, 2020). I was pulled into it so quickly that I even started jotting down notes because of my connection between what she was discussing and Dr. Tina Fraser’s Nine Rs on the concept of reciprocity in the classroom. (Fraser, 2021). Nearing the end of the podcast, I also connected that I was so drawn to the motivation strategies that Dr. Jackson was suggesting because they are fundamentally the same as Dr. Martin Brokenleg’s Circle of Courage. (Brokenleg, 2015).

In the podcast, Dr. Jackson discussed the standard four barriers, which I had seen elsewhere being narrowed down to the concepts of 1) instructional, 2) institutional, 3) interpersonal, and 4) internal. She introduced four motivation styles for people (learners and teachers alike) and proposed that teachers generally teach primarily to/with their default motivation style – how they tend to be best motivated, which does not work for all students. The four categories she refers to as “Will-Drivers” were Mastery, Purpose, Autonomy, and Belonging. (Circle of Courage: Mastery, Generosity, Independence, Belonging. If one looks at Generosity as a purpose to do something – for the greater good or to contribute, it is spot on.)  Dr. Jackson recommends that teachers reflect on their own Will-Driver as a beginning step to developing a classroom of invested learners. She suggests that educators must create spaces not by tricks, treats, or fancy decorations but by ensuring each student is rewarded through their Will-driver (reciprocity) for their investment. Dr. Jackson gives examples of how teachers can implement strategies to ensure all for Will-Drivers are met each day student’s efficacy, motivation, and learning follow. She urges that this does not mean superficially meeting each student’s Will-Driver, but through finding unique ways to “feed their Will-driver in a way that shows you really care.”

Often in the past seven months, I have heard references how embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into your classroom, including the First Peoples Principles of Learning, is not only mandatory, essential, the right thing to do, promotes inclusivity, but it is also for the good of all students. I know this to be true after using the Circle of Courage at the Alternate school for two years. After only a few moments of additional research, I am confident that Dr. Jackson’s Will-Drivers on student motivation are based on more extensive motivational theories, which I am sure I will dive into another day. I suppose it is just nice to know that I have more resources to draw upon one day down the road in my Circle of Courage style-classroom!

 

References

Brokenleg, M. (2015, October 26). First Nations Principles of Learning. [Video}. Retrieved October 10, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PgrfCVCt_A

Fraser, T. (2021, September). EDUC 446-3 Aboriginal and Indigenous Education: Epistemologies. [Course Syllabus]. Nine R’s. BC, Canada: University of Northern British Columbia. School of Education.

Watson.A.  (2020, March 15). Angela Watson’s Truth for Teacher’s Podcast: EP191 How to motivate and engage reluctant learners (with Dr. Robyn Jackson). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7eeFK_zjkY

 

 

Week #11 – March 17, 2022

Chapter 6 – Choose a question from the “Pause and Ponder” section on p. 110 of the text.

No matter their roles, what can teachers do to define and support

instructional agility in the school or school system?

 

Dear Journal, I must admit this is a chapter that I did not connect with at the start. When I think of “Instructional Agility,” I know exactly what it is. In fact, it is that one skill that I did not have a name for, but I knew I was awesome at before I became a non-certified teacher. However, the chapter takes me down a path of disconnection, and I get it: I would have a hard time explaining it past a paragraph, and I certainly have never thought to break it out in the areas of focus that the authors have.

I cannot imagine teaching without instructional agility. I have such fluidity in my teaching; it has gotten me in trouble with my scouting leadership team several times because I change the plan so often based on the kids’ needs (i.e., end activity early, add in breaks…). When I think of the BC Curriculum through the lens of instructional agility, I can only be thankful for the flexibility it provides classroom teachers in our province. We are afforded the autonomy of one year’s time, scope and sequence.

I looked at this “Pause and Ponder” as to how I could contribute to promoting instructional agility within a school; this is not an easy task that can be explicitly taught. However, I agree with the authors that practicing strategies and tools in pre-planning questions, generating engaging conversations, analyzing errors, and promoting continual thinking (p. 105.) are all great strategies for teachers to improve their instructional agility skills. Although, they suggest practicing in team meetings, conferences, and observation opportunities (p. 98.) I believe the simplest possibility exists in upholding your regular commitment to BC Educator Standards #7: Educators engage in professional learning (BCTC, 2019). I cannot imagine a Professional Development session where educators can genuinely say they walk away with zero learning. With each bit we add to our educational lexicon, we improve our ability to become more instructionally agile with our students. So, I suppose that is what I will do; I will remember to advocate to my colleagues both the benefit and their obligation.