Building Autonomous Learners


Book Description

This edited work presents a collection of papers on motivation research in education around the globe. Pursuing a uniquely international approach, it also features selected research studies conducted in Singapore under the auspices of the Motivation in Educational Research Lab, National Institute of Education, Singapore. A total of 15 chapters include some of the latest findings on theory and practical applications alike, prepared by internationally respected researchers in the field of motivation research in education. Each author provides his/her perspective and practical strategies on how to maximize motivation in the classroom. Individual chapters focus on theoretical and practical considerations, parental involvement, teachers’ motivation, ways to create a self-motivating classroom, use of ICT, and nurturing a passion for learning. The book will appeal to several different audiences: firstly, policymakers in education, school leaders and teachers will find it a valuable resource. Secondly, it offers a helpful guide for researchers and teacher educators in pre-service and postgraduate teacher education programmes. And thirdly, parents who want to help their children pursue lifelong learning will benefit from reading this book.




Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education


Book Description

A practical, comprehensive teaching guide for college faculty, no matter what the discipline or course, on using evidence-based, validated strategies and assessments for increasing student motivation to learn online and in-person—the pressing problem instructors face in these challenging times.




The Highly Engaged Classroom


Book Description

Student engagement happens as a result of a teacher’s careful planning and execution of specific strategies. This self-study text provides in-depth understanding of how to generate high levels of student attention and engagement. Using the suggestions in this book, every teacher can create a classroom environment where engagement is the norm, not the exception.




The Handbook of Behavior Change


Book Description

Social problems in many domains, including health, education, social relationships, and the workplace, have their origins in human behavior. The documented links between behavior and social problems have compelled governments and organizations to prioritize and mobilize efforts to develop effective, evidence-based means to promote adaptive behavior change. In recognition of this impetus, The Handbook of Behavior Change provides comprehensive coverage of contemporary theory, research, and practice on behavior change. It summarizes current evidence-based approaches to behavior change in chapters authored by leading theorists, researchers, and practitioners from multiple disciplines, including psychology, sociology, behavioral science, economics, philosophy, and implementation science. It is the go-to resource for researchers, students, practitioners, and policy makers looking for current knowledge on behavior change and guidance on how to develop effective interventions to change behavior.




The Motivated School


Book Description

`The book is a pleasure to read and whether the model is adopted in whole or in part, as a lens through which to examine and understand what is going on in a learning community it has much to offer′ - Improving Schools `As a head of department in a comprehensive school in an education action zone, this book has made me think about not only the way I relate to the students I work with but also about relationships with the teachers in my department. I therefore warmly recommend to teachers and especially to headteachers and others in positions of leadership in both primary and secondary phases′ - Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties `The Motivated School is an important book. It addresses a number of key issues which are central to Scottish educational policy, including Better Behaviour: Better Learning, Inclusion and Raising Attainment. It is also a controversial book, challenging as it does "woolly thinking" on issues such as self-esteem, rewards and motivation to learn′ - Scottish Education Review `This book is well written and demonstrates the author′s commitment and dedication to an individual′s psychological well-being and positive, effective learning environments′ - The Psychology of Education Review `The best education books frequently challenge our assumptions. Alan McLean′s The Motivated School demonstrates with a kind of forensic exactness, the way we over-emphasize the importance of student′s self-esteem. We can′t make students motivated: we can only create the right conditions. There is much to admire in this book. It isn′t difficult to read, and the format is generous and accessible. I suspect all school leaders will learn something from it′ - Geoff Barton, Times Educational Supplement, Friday Magazine Some students do not achieve their full potential, while others of similar ability achieve more than predicted. This book shows how important students′ motivational mindsets can be in influencing the way they learn. The author brings together evidence from recent research, shows how successful learning contexts can be created, and provides real-life suggestions for teachers working with disengaged learners. Increasing pressure to meet targets has sent schools down the path of trying to motivate students `from the outside′. By recognizing that genuine motivation comes `from the inside′ and that self-motivation needs to be nurtured, this book provides a practical guide to both teacher and student motivation. This book will be of interest to anyone seeking to develop their skills in motivating young people to learn. It will be of particular interest to teachers, educators and management at all levels.




Autonomy Support Beyond the Language Learning Classroom


Book Description

Through the application of self-determination theory (SDT) to research and practice, this book deepens our understanding of how autonomous language learning can be supported, developed and understood within environments outside of the classroom. Theoretical, empirical and practice-focused chapters examine autonomy support in a range of contexts and settings, dealing with learning environments and open spaces, communities and relationships, and advising and self-access language learning. They reveal what occurs beyond the classroom, how socializing agents support autonomous motivation and wellness, and how SDT can enhance our understanding of supporting language learner autonomy. It will be of interest to language teachers, university lecturers and learning advisors who are providing support outside the classroom, as well as to graduate students and researchers who are working in the fields of applied linguistics and TESOL.




Empirical Research in Teaching and Learning


Book Description

Empirical Research in Teaching and Learning: Contributions from Social Psychology draws upon the latest empirical research and empirically-based theories from social psychology to inform the scholarship of teaching and learning. Provides an accessible theoretical grounding in social psychological principles and addresses specific empirical evidence drawn from teaching and learning contexts Features concrete strategies for use in the classroom setting Includes contributions from experts in both social psychology and the scholarship of teaching and learning




The Science and Psychology of Music Performance


Book Description

What type of practice makes a musician perfect? What sort of child is most likely to succeed on a musical instrument? What practice strategies yield the fastest improvement in skills such as sight-reading, memorization, and intonation? Scientific and psychological research can offer answers to these and other questions that musicians face every day. In The Science and Psychology of Music Performance, Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson assemble relevant current research findings and make them accessible to musicians and music educators. This book describes new approaches to teaching music, learning music, and making music at all educational and skill levels. Each chapter represents the collaboration between a music researcher (usually a music psychologist) and a performer or music educator. This combination of expertise results in excellent practical advice. Readers will learn, for example, that they are in the majority (57%) if they experience rapid heartbeat before performances; the chapter devoted to performance anxiety will help them decide whether beta-blocker medication, hypnotherapy, or the Alexander Technique of relaxation might alleviate their stage fright. Another chapter outlines a step-by-step method for introducing children to musical notation, firmly based on research in cognitive development. Altogether, the 21 chapters cover the personal, environmental, and acoustical influences that shape the learning and performance of music.




Supporting Students' Motivation


Book Description

This is a book about teachers’ classroom motivating styles. Motivating style is the interpersonal tone and face-to-face behavior the teacher relies on when trying to motivate students to engage in classroom activities and procedures. The over-arching goal of the book is to help teachers work through the professional developmental process to learn how to provide instruction in ways that students will find to be motivationally-enriching, satisfying, and engagement-generating. To realize this goal, the book features six parts: Part 1: Introduction, introduces what teachers are to support—namely, student motivation; Part 2: Motivating Style, explains what a supportive motivating style is; Part 3: “How to,” overviews the recommended motivationally-supportive instructional strategies one-by-one and step-by-step; Part 4: Workshop, walks the reader through the skill-building workshop experience; Part 5: Benefits, details all the student, teacher, and classroom benefits that come from an improved motivating style; and Part 6: Getting Started, discusses ways to begin using these skills in the classroom. Based on a successful workshop program run by the authors, teachers successfully improve their classroom motivating style. In doing so, they experience gains in their teaching skill and efficacy, job satisfaction, a renewed passion for teaching, and a more satisfying relationship with their students. This multiauthored book provides teachers with the practical, concrete, step-by-step, skill-based "how to" they need to develop a highly supportive motivating style.




Handbook of Classroom Management


Book Description

The field of classroom management is not a neatly organized line of inquiry, but rather consists of many disparate topics and orientations that draw from multiple disciplines. Given the complex nature of the field, this comprehensive second edition of the Handbook of Classroom Management is an invaluable resource for those interested in understanding it. This volume provides up-to-date summaries of research on the essential topics from the first edition, as well as fresh perspectives and chapters on new topics. It is the perfect tool for both graduate students and practitioners interested in a field that is fascinating but not immediately accessible without the proper guidance.