Motivating Your Students (and Yourself) in Trying Times

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Join Ellen Usher and Anita Woolfolk for a discussion on motivational strategies to engage the minds and emotions of students at a time when teaching and learning are challenging and rapidly changing. 

Dr. Ellen Usher, University of Kentucky
Dr. Anita Woolfolk Hoy, The Ohio State University

There is no shortage of motivational theories, but which explanations provide valuable guidance and strategies? In this webinar we explore two particularly useful approaches — one that focuses on basic human needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and the other that highlights the role of how we perceive the value and costs of our efforts.

We all need to feel capable, to have control and the ability to make our own choices, and to have meaningful and supportive connections with other people. When these needs are reasonably met, both students and their professors are more likely to be engaged and intrinsically motivated. But how can we meet these needs in the disconnected world of teaching and learning today?

Also, people are not likely to be motivated if they don’t really value the outcome — why work hard if you don’t care about the goal or if doing so comes at too high a cost? How can professors help their students value learning and see the beneficial side of putting forth the effort needed to learn? We will explore some specific strategies and share cases from recent K–12 and college classrooms that bring these ideas to life.

 

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