Describe the relationship between engagement and motivation. Discuss how individual experiences, culture, language development, and mild to moderate disabilities affect a student’s intrinsic motivation and the ability to initiate and maintain engagement in the classroom environment.

Answer:

It is our job as teachers to help children reach their fullest potential academically. For this to occur, teachers must plan lessons that will spark students’ interest as well as differentiate instruction within the lesson. Students should be engaged and motivated to learn because if interest is lost then the its hard for a student to comprehend what is being taught. Engagement is successful through motivation of the students in the classroom. Motivation is successful when the teacher gets the lesson to engage with their world (personnel) and the world around them.

The best way to motivate children to learn is by presenting them with something that they like, something that they care about, something that they would like to learn about (Making Connections, 2018). For me, discussion in my lessons are very essential in that it provides a stage for children to express themselves and verbalize their thoughts and interests.

The child must be motivated before the child can engage with the material at hand. The child can be motivated through the engagement with their culture, language, and disability. In order for this to occur the teacher must provide a judge-free and safe environment where all individuals can share without feeling judged or stopped. This is achieved through positive teacher-child interactions. Affective praise is an effective way to motivate children and keep them engaged with the lesson. An affective praise to say nice things about a child’s work for example and say why you feel that way. For example, I could say “good job”! “I liked the way you got up from the chair and pushed it back in the table” (Conroy, 2008) . Speaking clear about what is expected and the results they gave is important because it helps children understand what they did right and help them to stay engaged.

Reference:

Conroy, et al. “Creating a Positive Classroom Atmosphere: Teachers' Use of Effective Praise and Feedback.” Journal of Research in Education, Eastern Educational Research Association. George Watson, Marshall University, One John Marshall Drive, College of Education and Professional Development, Huntington, WV 25755. e-Mail: Eerajournal@Gmail.com; Web Site: Http://Www.eeraorganization.org, 30 Nov. 2008, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ869681.

“Making Connections to Motivate Student Learning.” Tchers' Voice, 27 June 2018, www.teachingchannel.org/video/student-motivation-techniques.