Book Description

Uniquely structured around the typical daily classroom practices of teachers, Classroom Motivation focuses on the practical applications of motivation research. The book is organized around actual research-based instructional practices that teachers use everyday in their classrooms, like the use of rewards, the grouping of students for learning activities, the nature of academic tasks, and the assessment of student learning. The book also examines the research base behind topics that are appealing to educators, including promoting self-esteem, providing students with autonomy, and holding high expectations. The new edition addresses current issues like high-stakes testing's impact on student motivation and how technology affects student motivation, and it includes even more case-studies of actual classroom teachers and additional applications exercises. From reviews of the book: "The key strengths of this project include: an integrated, pragmatic approach to classroom motivation, valid scientific research, and a wide range of specific strategies and techniques to promote motivation. . . . This work is on-target as far as other texts . . . currently available for my course. Since most of my students are practicing educators, I find that the emphasis on application is invaluable. Students invariably wish to come away from a course with concrete skills. Classroom Motivation not only provides the skills, but the theory behind the skills." --Darren J. Akerman, University of New England "The writing style of this textbook is exceptionally clear. Even the abstract and theoretical content are presented clearly and concisely, and often situated in engaging classroom scenarios that concretely illustrate the theoretical and applied concepts. Because the material is presented so clearly in this book, it would be appropriate for use with learners who come from diverse educational levels and professional backgrounds." --Jeffery Liew, Texas A&M University