Motivation and Gifted Learners
A Resource for Parents of VBCPS Gifted Students [Oct. 2017]
About This Issue
Motivating Underachieving Students
Mommy? Daddy? Why Do I Have to Learn this Stuff?
Why do some students who seem capable of outstanding performance fail to realize their potential? What causes some gifted students to be more motivated than others? This presentation presents strategies that parents can implement to motivate their child to achieve academic success. Click on the PowerPoint presentation below which can assist you in understanding many facets of motivation.
Motivation for Learning: Competition vs Collaboration
Many students are motivated by competition: getting the highest score in the class, or being the first to turn in an assignment. But is competition really the key to success? According to this article, collaboration is far more beneficial in creating a successful student and learning environment. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Collaboration allows us to uses other’s strengths to compensate for our weakness. This article offers some solutions to encouraging collaboration over competition.
Learn more at: http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/work_in_progress/2017/02/grades_competition_and_collabo.html?qs=motivation
Personalized Learning and Motivation
What motivates someone to put forth the effort to complete a task? There are two reasons one is motivated to complete a task. He or she either enjoys it or values the outcome of that task. For example, reading a novel or playing a video game are enjoyed activities. Doing laundry is not an enjoyable activity but the outcome of clean clothes is desired. While there are many factors, motivation is key to academic success. Motivated students exhibit three key concepts. First an environment is established where students expect to succeed and be willing to take risks. Second students value the task or outcome of the learning activity and third, they demonstrate self-efficacy: the confidence in one’s abilities. When students possess these three motivational factors, set realistic goals for themselves and are given the strategies and skills to perform a task, the student will be engaged in a task and excel.
Recently, Virginia Beach City Public Schools has begun to implement the concept of personalized learning. Personalized learning is instruction that motivates and engages the student. It uses the student’s personal goals, as well as strengths, interests and needs to create a learning experience for the child. Please see http://vbplearn.weebly.com/ for specific information about Personalized Learning in Virginia Beach. Personalized learning allows students to make some choices in what they learn and how they learn it. It gives students ownership of their learning which naturally motivates them. Teachers observe and assess students to determine where students’ needs are and meet them at that point. For example, students may choose among three topics related to their current science unit. Referring back to the Achievement Orientation Model (see diagram above), this concept of student choice creates meaning for a student, so they are more likely to value the task. Teachers also develop a classroom where students are comfortable taking chances (environmental perceptions) by encouraging Growth Mindset philosophy (self-efficacy). Lastly, based on continual student assessment, teachers will differentiate each learning unit based on student skill readiness. Also paramount in convincing a child to “buy in” to his or her learning is student goal setting, where the student sets a goal and understands the steps to achieve the goal enhancing self-regulation. Melded together appropriately leads to student engagement and achievement--in short motivation leads to success.
The website http://vbplearn.weebly.com/personalized-learning-in-action.html contains several videos of students in Virginia Beach participating in personalized learning. Watch some of them and consider the following:
Does the student have a choice?
Does he or she seem to value the task?
Is the learning environment conducive to allowing a child to learn and take risks?
Have realistics goals been set to help the student complete the learning experience.
Is the student motivated and achieving?
Works Cited
Siegle, Del, and D. Betsy. McCoach. Motivating Gifted Students. Prufrock Press, 2005.
“Personalized Learning
Virginia Beach City Public Schools.” Personalized Learning
Virginia Beach City Public Schools, vbplearn.weebly.com/.
Motivating Gifted Learners in the Classroom
Tips for Keeping Your Gifted Student Motivated
- Help your child set both short- and long-term academic goals for themselves, focusing on accomplishments that are meaningful to them. Goals set by parents or teachers for them may have little meaning, so allow them to weigh in what their goals and ambitions will be.
- Talk long term. Help your child to understand the long-term benefits of school and the daily responsibilities it requires. While one particular assignment or project may not seem all that important now, teach them that it will help them to be successful in school now—leading to things that they may value in the future, such as acceptance at the college or university of their choice, scholarships and more.
- Follow your child's passions. Find the things that your child is naturally excited about and allow them to explore those interests.
- Encourage your child to track their progress throughout the year, either by charting/listing important milestones or making videos of them performing certain tasks. It's rewarding for gifted students to see how they have developed and mastered different skills throughout the year.
- http://www.metrofamilymagazine.com/August-2013/Motivating-Gifted-Students-in-the-Classroom/
Four Strategies to Motivate Your Gifted Child
Beyond goal setting, this article features numerous suggestions for aiding parents in helping their gifted child to stay focused and intrinsically motivated in school.
https://www.nsgt.org/four-strategies-motivate-unmotivated-gifted-child/
Planning Tools and Additional Resources
About Our Team
We are a K-12, Collaborative Learning Committee comprised of VBCPS Gifted Resource Teachers who are working in tandem to support the goals outlined in the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted and the VBCPS Compass to 2020 Strategic Framework.
Please contact your child's Gifted Resource Teacher, should you wish to make an individual appointment regarding any of the strategies shared in this newsletter:
Barbara Kimpan, Glenwood ES
Valerie Frederick, Rosemont Forest ES
Sunny Betancourt, New Castle ES
Melissa Knight, Providence ES
Michelle Eastlake, Salem MS
Angela Boubouheropoulos, Salem HS