-       Helps to manage our cognitive resources and overseas the overall operations of the brain.

-       Executive Functioning (E.F for short) develops with age.

-       Core functions: Working Memory, Shifting and Inhibition 

-       Important role in learning for both mathematical outcomes and literacy skills. (Example given in reading)

-       E.F have been linked to learning related behaviours such as 

1.     Higher levels of involvement

2.     Sequential learning behaviours

3.     Disengagement from the classroom 

 

-       Gathering information from a variety of sources e.g. standardised tests (helps to compare individual student’s performance to a large sample) and observations from teachers and parents.

Examples of standardised tests:

1.     Questionnaires and checklists 

2.     Paper-and-Pencil Tests

3.     Computerised Tests 

-       The used of computerised training/computer games which is a popular online tool. However, there is limited transfer of training to other skills. 

-       Consider the used of martial arts and mindfulness practices for example the effectiveness of TKD in improving and executing functioning skills.

-       Classroom curricula (e.g. Tools of the Mind)

 

-       Students having trouble remembering.

-       Students showing difficulty in switching between tasks. 

-       Students get distracted easily. 

-       Students have different reasons for learning and these reasons are closely reated to how they gain competence. 

-       Approach focus:  approaching success

-       Avoidance focus: Avoiding failure

-       Goal orientations are generally positive and tend to motivate students. 

-       There are different ways to measure goal orientations and one widely-used measure is the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (refer to notes).

 

-       There are other factors such as class and learning environments that may influence students learning motivation. 

-       The effects of competitions and non-competitions also played an important role in students’ motivation and goal orientations. 

-       In general, research findings from Asian countries suggest that classroom competition goal structure is not recommended as motivational strategies for students learning whereas classroom task goal structure is recommended.  

-       Strong focus on classroom competition goal structure tends to exacerbate the relations between personal performance-avoidance goals and a number of student outcome measures (e.g. engagement).

·         Five Basic Human Needs

·         Expanded Hierarchy of Needs

·         Implications for Practice
 
 

·         Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

·         Types of Extrinsic Motivation

·         Amotivation

·         Autonomy-Supportive Motivating Style

·         Implications for Practice

 

 

Two need-based perspectives of motivation: (a) Maslow’s (1968) hierarchy of needs and (b) Deci and Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory of motivation

Maslow

Need is an internal force or drive to attain or avoid a certain state or object
 

1.     Biological and physiological needs 

2.     Safety needs 

3.     Love and belongingness needs 

4.     Esteem needs 

5.     Self-actualization needs 

 

2. Self-Determination Theory 

Intrinsic motivation takes place when a person finds performing a behaviour or engaging in a task is satisfying, enjoyable, and pleasurable 

extrinsic motivation occurs when a person performs a behaviour or engages in an activity in order to attain some separable outcomes 
 

2.2. Types of Extrinsic Motivation 

2.2.1. External Motivation 

2.2.2. Introjected Motivation 

2.2.3. Identified Motivation 

2.2.4. Integrated Motivation 

2.3 Amotivation 

2.4 Autonomy-Supportive Motivating Style 

·         Need for competence: the desire to feel competent, have control over desired outcomes, and understand “how to do”. 

·         Need for relatedness: the desire to feel socially connected and experience warm and genuine social relationships with others. 

·         Need for autonomy: the desire to feel that one has control to choose tasks or activities aligned with one’s interests and preferences. 

 

2.4.1. Nurturance of motivational resources 

2.4.2. Language Use 

2.4.3. Communication of Values and Rationale of Tasks 

2.4.4. Acknowledgement of and Response to Students’ Negative Affect 

2.5. Implications for Practice 

To promote the satisfaction of students’ competence needs:
 
 

 To promote the satisfaction of students’ relatedness needs:
 
 

 To promote the satisfaction of students’ autonomy needs: 

Students may have different reasons for learning and these reasons are closely related to how students gain competence through their interpretation of achievement related test scores. The competence can be gained through three ways as listed in Table 1.

·         Reasons for learning

·         How to gain competence

·         Goal orientation and the standard 
 used to interpret achievement

 

1.1  Components of goal orientations

1.2  Types of goal orientations

1.3  Consequences of goal orientations

1.4  Measures of goal orientations

 

2.1  Competition and non-competition

2.2  Consequences of goal structures

 

·         Task design should be varied, diverse, challenging but reasonable in terms of students’ capabilities. Focus on meaningful aspects of learning activities.
 
 

·         Recognize student efforts. Be mindful when highlighting top students’ good performance in class or when showing the poor work done.
 
 

·         Focus on individual improvement, learning, progress and mastery.
 
 

·         Provide task-referenced and progress-referenced qualitative feedback for their work to draw students’ attention on how to improve and learn better. Marks may not be an effective way of feedback to promote motivation.
 
 

·         Avoid ranking and social comparison if possible.
 
 

·         Strive to make evaluation private, not public. Help students see mistakes as opportunities for learning.
 
 

·         Pay attention to students with avoidance goal. They are more vulnerable to competitive climate.

 

The class also shows more inclination toward Self-Determination theory by Ryan (2000).  This is in line with the goal of nurturing self-regulated children.  Children who are driven to learn and find out more on their own.  There definitely stumbling blocks along the way which requires patience from the teacher.

Nevertheless, I still move on and keep to the road of self-regulated pupils.  This is with the belief that they should be nurtured right from the start.  I started off self-regulated behavior with math online website - Koobits.  Got them to do online homework regularly on weekends.  This was started since late March and I'm quite happy that, at least 15 pupils in the class were trying Math questions in the website especially Daily Challenges without me telling them too.  Some may not have access to Internet therefore had been consistently reported as nil return.

The blue bar indicates whether the pupils' are on their way to being self-regulated learners.  This will monitored closely towards the goal of kids being self-regulated learners.