TA Training: Fostering Student Motivation
Introduction
Student motivation is an important part of teaching and learning in general. And certain classes amplify motivational issues. For example, some students have less intrinsic motivation in theoretical classes than applied ones, in online classes than in-person ones, etc. Therefore, and in general, it is useful to explicitly design motivation-related items into the class(es) you teach or TA.
Motivation building exercises can be elaborate, or they can be as simple as including explanations of how what students are learning will be helpful to them in the future, finding ways to link topics to students’ interests, or giving students some choices in what material a course covers.
Your Task
This activity consists of a number of steps:
- Read the Faculty Focus article Five Factors That Affect Online Student Motivation. Although this article focuses on online classes, most of the discussion in it applies to all classes. However, if that article isn’t useful to you, do a general search and find another online resource.
- Reflect on what motivates you in your learning. What is most important? What is de-motivating? Then reflect on what motivates students in the class you are TAing. Remember, not all students have the same motivations, and what motivates some students will be different from what motivates you.
- Then think about two or three specific ways you can work student motivation into your TA work. Write these down, and plan to use them once classes start.