Growth Mindset and Motivation TIPR + edTPA Prep

Current Teacher Behaviors

A growth mindset, according to Dr. Dweck, is "the understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed,"(mindsetworks.com). Using this theory in the classroom can be very beneficial for students because they can understand that putting in effort is beneficial and can greatly improve their academic achievement. The teacher who I am observing uses the idea of a growth mindset by giving the students the opportunity to learn how to play a different sport each unit and how to incorporate heart rate monitors into different types of workout plans. He lets the students know the importance of living a healthy lifestyle outside of the classroom and incorporates the use of the heart rate monitors to show the students why it is important to have a higher heart rate during physical activity and exercise. He uses extrinsic motivation, which is "behavior that is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise," (verywellmind.com) in his Fitness for Life class when he grades the students on a four point motivation scale. The motivation scale is based solely off of the heart rate monitor. There is a set heart rate zone that the students are motivated to be in during the exercise. In order to receive all four points, the students must be in that goal zone for 80% of the time. This is considered extrinsic motivation because the students because this type of motivation comes from an outside source--their grade. This idea is directly related to the Extrinsic Theory of Motivation. It is also related to the Goal Theory because the students are given performance goals that they are encouraged to reach during class. My cooperating teacher also uses intrinsic motivation, which is "the act of doing something without any obvious external rewards," (healthline.com) during his weight training class. The weight training class is an elective at the high school that he teaches at, so many of the students already are using intrinsic motivation to lift weights to begin with since they chose to take the class as their elective. I also noticed that he is much more relaxed with the weight class than he is with his fitness for life class. I asked him what he does when his students don't participate (which is much more common in the weights class) and he said that he will encourage them to start moving and lifting, but if they are not going to workout, then that is on them. I don't know if I necessarily agree with this concept, but I can sort of understand why he chooses to go about in this way. This concept of intrinsic motivation is directly related to Intrinsic Theory of Motivation. It is also related to the Self-Determination Theory--Ryan and Deci--because the self-determination theory, more specifically, autonomy (the universal urge to be causal agents of one's own life and act in harmony with one's integrated self) is used every day in his weights class. This is then related back to intrinsic motivation.

edTPA Prep

1. How does the teacher design lessons in a way that challenges students to engage?

My cooperating teacher designs lessons in a way that challenges students to engage by using both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in every lesson that I have observed. By using both of these types of motivation theories, the students are definitely more engaged than they are in other classes that I have observed. In his fitness for life course, all of the students are required to wear a heart rate monitor for the exercise portion of the course. I noticed that almost every student is very engaged and motivated to participate in the exercise portion because they can see where their heart rate is at during the workout.

2. What does the teacher do during class to further challenge students to engage?

Other than using the heart rate monitors, I have noticed that the teacher connects to the students personally and individually to further challenge students to engage. An example that I witnessed last week was that there was a student who was complaining about the workout being too hard and that he felt like he was out of breath. My cooperating teacher started talking to him about the upcoming soccer tryouts--which the student was planning on attending--and how this workout will help him with those tryouts because he will be working on his cardiovascular strength. This is just one example of engaging students in many ways which the teacher uses with multiple students throughout the day.

3. What does the teacher do to build mutual respect and rapport with the students? 

The cooperating teacher does not allow phones or other tablet devices use during his class. Since he expects this out of his students, he also does not use his phone or any other device during class. The same thing goes with dress code. He has an expectation for his students and he also abides by this dress code. I think that by doing this, the teacher is building trust and respect with his students. He also speaks to them like adults, not children. He does not demean them or talk down to them in any way. Because of this, I have noticed that the students seem to be more comfortable with him.

Student Needs

I would say that the majority of the students have a good mindset when they enter his fitness for life class. I am surprised to say that I have not noticed a lot of complaining regarding the workouts or activities that the teacher has prepared for the students. The majority of the students are also very motivated. I think that a lot of this comes back to the heart rate monitors and participation points. The students all wear heart rate monitors which track their heart rate during the 45 minute exercise portion of the class. In order to receive full participation points, the students must keep their max or goal heart rate for 80% of the workout. I think that the students could be more motivated if they had personal goals that they were trying to reach throughout the semester instead of goals expected of them.

Plans for your Lesson

I plan to address these needs when I teach my mini-lesson to this class by giving each of them the opportunity to write down their own personal goals for the day. I think that by writing down goals and putting them on paper can drastically make a difference in the drive and motivation that a student, or anyone, has.



Sources:
https://www.mindsetworks.com/science
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-extrinsic-motivation-2795164
https://www.healthline.com/health/intrinsic-motivation
https://www.learning-theories.com/self-determination-theory-deci-and-ryan.html