Concrete strategies to promote intrinsic motivation and student agencyThree psychological needs which teachers must address in order to foster student motivation and agency as they do the rigorous work expected of them in the classroom are autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Self-Determination Theory, widely considered to be a leading theory of human motivation, provides important insights into the ways teachers can foster intrinsic motivation and drive within their students. The role of teachers as facilitators of student-led learning becomes one of empowerment, curation, and community building by which teachers put into place technology, resources, and supports that promote independence and interdependence.
The following nine strategies for teaching and learning—three for each psychological need—are foundational ingredients of the “…natural processes of self-motivation and healthy psychological development,” necessary for intrinsic motivation and well-being among students. (Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L., 2000).
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How I empowered students to be advocates and 21st-century communicatorsAs a Spanish teacher in Title I public schools in Washington, D.C. and Vista, California, I served students who faced obstacles in life as a result of socio-economic status, race, sexuality, gender, origin, language background, and ability level. Systems of inequality and oppression surrounded my students so that their success was an uphill battle for which they were unprepared. My schools leveraged extracurricular programs to help students become self-advocates and leaders through after-school programs, learning extension, arts integration, and community partnerships. However, I wondered how I impacted students through teaching and learning: As their Spanish teacher, how did I provide access to learning opportunities that promoted self-advocacy and civic engagement? How did I help my students become successful global citizens and respectful communicators?
Strategies to facilitate engaging, impactful, and relevant online classesEducation endures even when school buildings close. Classrooms across the world feel the impacts of COVID-19 as students and teachers face the challenge of creating community and facilitating learning virtually. In the wake of this global pandemic, educators search for ways to create student-centered learning environments characterized by engagement and motivation. To foster a virtual classroom culture of student-led collaboration and creative problem-solving, teachers must identify and leverage...
The 2019 California Language Teacher Association conference was a blast! I thoroughly enjoyed networking with so many passionate and driven teachers, both in my own 6-hour training and in the conference in general. This year, I gave a full-day session titled, "Creating a 100% Student-Centered Classroom - Interactive Workstations" and provided teachers with opportunities to experience learner-led learning for themselves. After spending all morning in a classroom-like environment in which participants worked through a series of five workstations, we spent the afternoon discussion our findings and questions, as well as working on developing out own student-centered learning environments. Participants started the afternoon in a whole-group discussion, and then ended by writing norms for student-led work and drafting workstations to take back to their classrooms. Below, take a look at the slides from my presentation to get a better idea of how we spent the day. Additionally, click here to access the instructional materials participants got to try in our hands-on instructional experience. 2019 CLTA Session on Workstations - Virtual ActivityTake a look at some samples of teaching and learning through student-centered small groups. I have included sample videos from both primary and secondary contexts. Through the lens of autonomous student-centered learning in the world-language classroom, consider the following questions:
Hi all,
Check out my latest conference presentation under the "Presentation and Publications" heading! Click here to see the resources and content of my talk on metacognition in the target language. Thanks to all who attended and participated in my presentation in Anaheim. Joey
The culminating celebration of our great success in 2018 was a community-based Mexican Posada on December 16th, 2017. |
Currently ReadingAs I work toward developing the perseverance and drive to achieve my goals, I am reading Grit by Angela Duckworth. My biggest learning so far has been the importance of identifying and defining my inner compass, "...the thing that takes you some time to build, tinnier with, and finally get right, and then that guides you on your long and winding road to where, ultimately, you want to be" (p. 60). I use this compass to set goals, plan my daily actions, and reflect. Archives
October 2020
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