Relationships Between the Perceived Value of Instructional Techniques and Academic Motivation

Relationships Between the Perceived Value of Instructional Techniques and Academic Motivation

Elias, Jenann

ET, CA

Komarraju, M., & Karau, S. J. (2008). Relationships Between the Perceived Value of

Instructional Techniques and Academic Motivation. Journal Of Instructional

Psychology, 35(1), 70-82.

In this article, the authors discuss the relationships between the perceived value of instructional techniques, including technology enhancements like course material websites (lecture notes, review sheets, grades, sample tests), and the student motivation and learning.

The authors propose that instructional techniques do not impact all students equally. Research prior to this paper has been on the relative effectiveness of different instructional techniques. This assumes that these techniques are perceived equally by all students.

All 172 subjects, students in this case who were enrolled in psychology or business classes. Most had easy access to a computer. The subjects were questioned on their perception of different instructional techniques. All the courses had an online presence including lecture notes, review sheets, grades, sample tests, and links to articles). They stated the perceived value of course websites, active learning, and traditional lectures. The subjects were asked to fill an Academic Motivations Inventory (AMI) that consists of 90 items and includes 16 dimensions of academic motivation.

About 93% of the students reported that they find the course websites useful. The interesting part was that when the 16 dimensions of the AMI and the three instructional strategies (website usage, active learning, and traditional lecture) were correlated, some statistically significant correlations emerged. In layman's terms, “one size does NOT fit all.”

The authors state that “The results of our study clearly suggest that various teaching techniques are significantly associated with distinct aspects of students' academic motivation.” Three profiles of academic motivation emerged, they were engagement, avoidance, and achievement motivation, each associated with unique learning preferences.

From a teaching perspective, engaged students are ideal for learning. These students desire self-improvement and will respond to the widest spectrum of teaching techniques. Avoidant students worry about their performance and grades and are more likely to dislike school and experience stress. They present a challenge to the teacher. Achievement motivated students placed a high value on traditional lectures as well as course websites and online learning.

It is surprising that the questions that the authors, Meera Komarraju and Steven J. Karau, raise here have not been asked before. From my own experience in the field of education (both as a student and as a teacher), I find that not all students react the same way to a presentation, whether in class on online. I am glad that they addressed this point in this paper. My observation is that further study is needed, and with much more refined statistics. The authors acknowledge that there were some internal inconsistencies. It will be interesting to hear the experiences of teacher-librarians and other information professionals working in these situations.

New Assessments Help Teachers Innovate in Classrooms

Eric Sanderson

CA / IL

Jayson, S. (2016, October 13). New assessments help teachers innovate in classrooms [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.hewlett.org/new-assessments-help-teachers-innovate-in-classrooms/

Summary. In this post on the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation education website, Jayson reports on contemporary models of formative assessment associated with emerging best practices of 21st century learning and teaching. First, Jayson provides a snapshot of formative assessment using digital badges at Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California. Second, Jayson sketches out the development and introduction of periodic “performance-based tasks that can be done in an hour or less” at Two Rivers Public Charter School in Washington, DC. Finally, Jayson summarizes the efforts of Henry County Schools outside Atlanta, Georgia, to follow a “personalized learning model” in which “feedback is the focus.”

Evaluation. While this post does not provide detailed information about any of the formative assessment concepts described above, it is a useful introduction to 21st century curriculum and assessment models and to the variety of schools and districts implementing them. This post also provides a generalized overview of the need for reevaluating formative and summative assessment models during this time of transition in primary and secondary education.

From Common Core Standards to Curriculum: Five Big Ideas

Gina Ruocco

From Common Core Standards to Curriculum: Five Big Ideas

McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2012). From common core standards to curriculum: five big ideas. Retrieved from:  http://www.stancoe.org/scoe/iss/common_core/ela/ELA_planning_tools/five_big_ideas.pdf.

CA

Article summary:

This article highlighted misconceptions surrounding The Common Core Standards and identified and explained five big ideas that could serve as recommendations for educators working with the Standards. The recommendations are meant to help educators use the Standards in a way that will guide students to their full potential and to ultimately arm them with independent transfer skills.

The five big ideas in the article included :

1. Big Idea # 1 – The Common Core Standards have new emphases and require a careful

reading;

2. Big Idea # 2 – Standards are not curriculum;

3. Big Idea # 3 – Standards need to be “unpacked”;

4. Big Idea # 4 – A coherent curriculum is mapped backward from desired

performances;

5. Big Idea #5 – The Standards come to life through the assessments;

Evaluation:

I found this article extremely helpful in defining sometimes ambiguous educational terminology (standard, curriculum, assessment). I also thought the writers did a great job communicating how daunting it is as a teacher to be presented with new Standards and revamp a curriculum in order to meet the new Standards. The idea that it takes time to unpack the Standards and plan backward is key and could perhaps galvanize administration into providing more time for teachers to backward plan and prepare for the upcoming units.

Collecting and Documenting Evidence of Best Practice

Eric Sanderson

CA / CO

Moreillon, J. (2014, November). Collecting and documenting evidence of best practice. School Library Monthly, 31(2), 27-28, 59.

Summary. In this brief article, Moreillon addresses the need for school librarians to take an active role in collecting evidence that demonstrates meaningful learning and teaching outcomes associated with library instruction and with classroom teacher-school librarian collaboration. Using the foundational concepts of evidence-based practice as an organizational framework, Moreillon introduces school librarians to a documentation process that extends far beyond the collection and reporting of traditional school library metrics (e.g., inventory data, circulation data, visitation data). Moreillon provides both broad background information and specific application examples to help school librarians of all experience levels better understand (a) the idea of evidence-based practice and (b) the steps associated with developing and documenting best-practice interactions with students and educators.

Evaluation. Though basic, broad, and brief, I found this article to be a useful complement to the Module 2 component of INFO 250. In other words, it is not enough simply to collaborate with classroom teachers or to create and implement lessons that look good on paper or on a knowledge building center—planning, reflection, and documentation based on evidence-based practice and guided by best-practice principles are fundamental expectations in an education climate marked by accountability. I believe Moreillon’s article is an excellent practical introduction to a complex topic that will grow progressively more important in the years to come.

Research on Learning and Instruction for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Acacia Wilson

CA

Goldman, S. R., & Pellegrino, J. W. (2015). Research on learning and instruction implications for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(1), 33-41.

Summary: This article focuses on 21^st century learning and the skills that education needs to focus on to develop 21^st century learners. Curriculum and instruction should focus on problem solving, challenging tasks, collaboration, and self-monitoring and self-regulation. Students should not be treated as passive receivers of knowledge, but active participants in the process. Assessment should focus on ongoing formative assessment to inform teaching. The goal is for students to master the material, not for the majority of students to preform at an adequate level on a summative assessment.

Review: This article does a great job looking at and describing current, popular, and productive issues in curriculum and assessment and touches on some issues relevant to education theory. If you know little about those topics, this is a great overview and introduction to the most relevant issues in curriculum and assessment today. If you already have a good understanding of the topic, this will serve as a refresher on the most current trends.

The Common Core Frequently Asked Questions

Duffy, Leah

CA- Common Core States Standards

The Common Core FAQ. (2014, May 27). Retrieved May 20, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/05/27/307755798/the-common-core-faq 

 

Summary/ Evaluation

 

NPR's educational arm compiles 25 FAQ about the Common Core to try to debunk some of the misconceptions surrounding the standards and clarify what it is for the common person.  The questions cover everything from who developed the Common Core State Standards; to how it effects testing, teaching, math, etc.; to who stands to financially gain from the Common Core.  

 

There is a lot of good information compiled into a single resource for anyone interested in understanding Common Core better.  I liked the general use of easy language that is designed for non teachers.  This is a great starting point for any novices to education that want a foundation understanding of Common Core before they jump further into the standards.

Visions, Reality Collide in Common Tests

Angela Brugioni

CA - Curriculum Assessment CA - Common Core Assessments

Sawchuk, S. (2014). Vision, Reality Collide in Common Tests. (cover story). Education Week, 33(29), S8-S12.

This article examines the progress and obstacles that have been helping and hindering the development of assessments for the Common Core by two main coalitions, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). When these two coalitions won the government bid (of 360 million) to develop assessments they committed to significant design criterion. Some of the original goals that are being met include the use of technology in testing. In the future most students will not be filling in bubbles with No. 2 pencils but will instead be using computers. Also big on the list is the inclusion of more and better performance testing, which means writing essays using one or more (preferably original) resources, analyzing data, explaining mathematical reasoning, and conducting research. Both consortia undertook to create assessments that could be scored artificially, however this has proven difficult when scoring performance based tests, so as of now some pieces will need to be evaluated by trained professionals. Part of the difficulty is due to the short time table of development. Tests are scheduled for release by 2014-15, but the complexity and novelty of this type of assessment design demands more time. Also a concern is the use of technology in testing. Some districts simply may not have the capacity or capability to test with technology.


I welcome a change to the STAR test, I celebrate it. The new assessments may have snags and need some work, but it’s sorely needed in my opinion. A main objective of these redesigned assessments is to provide teachers with timely information and “tools and resources that would help teachers translate year-end testing targets into instructional units.” Tests should be designed to improve and advance instruction to the benefit of learners. One thing I found interesting is that for-profit (and to be fair, some not-for-profit) vendors are waiting in the sidelines for these new tests to fail so they can push their own product. This is a theme I’m finding in many of the articles I’ve reviewed. There is a fear of expensive and questionable test design from third party sources. I guess it’s not surprising that companies are looking to make a profit on the educational system (textbooks, I’m looking at you), but I feel like this would sway the balance of fairness in schools as ultimately those with enough money can buy the best design and those with no funds are left without.