Cascading new knowledge on

"Fostering Student Motivation and Engagement"

Module 1 : Key
Concepts
Oleh: Indriyati Rodjan
Two key concepts in fostering students’
motivation and engagement:

Motivation = desire, willingness, and enthusiasm that

energizes goal-directed behavior

Engagement = the amount attention, optimism, and

passion that students show in the classroom

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
(Peace Corps 1992, 11)
Brainstorming

Share your thoughts about the following questions:

1. When you were a student, how motivated were you?
2. How can you tell when your students are really engaged in a
lesson?
3. What do you do to support your students' motivation and
engagement in the classroom?
 Padlet:
[Link]
 ● comes from outside the
Extrinsic learner, such as rewards
or punishments.
motivation ● Examples: studying for a
good grade, avoiding a
bad grade, or learning a
Motivation language for a future job.

● comes from within the

Intrinsic learner, driven by the joy
and satisfaction of learning
motivation itself.
● Intrinsic motivation is
generally more effective and
long-lasting than extrinsic
motivation.
Basic Psychological Needs Driving Intrinsic
Motivation

Competence Autonomy Relatedness (feeling

(feeling capable (feeling able to valued and
of success) make choices) connected in the
community)
…………….
……………. …………….
…………….
……………. …………….
…………….
……………. …………….
Basic Psychological Needs Driving Intrinsic Motivation (Ryan & Deci,
2000)
Competence (feeling capable of success)
Students will be more motivated to learn when they feel competent or
when they believe that they can succeed. We can support students’
feelings of competence in many ways, including:
● Design tasks at the right level of difficulty.

A ● Provide support for challenging tasks.

● Activate prior knowledge and pre-teach necessary
vocabulary/structures.
● Give clear instructions and success criteria.
● Use discovery-based learning.
● Encourage students with positive words and actions.
● Provide specific, precise feedback.
● Foster a growth mindset (seeing mistakes as learning opportunities).
● Teach students to reflect and monitor their own learning.
 Autonomy (feeling able to make choices)
Students will be more motivated to learn when they feel autonomous,
B that is when they believe that they can make their own choices. We
can support students’ feelings of autonomy in many ways, including:

● Help students define personal language-learning goals.

● Give rationales for less appealing tasks.
● Offer choices in tasks and activities.
● Make assignments relevant to students’ interests and hobbies.
● Connect learning to goals related to the target language culture.
● Provide access to additional resources of students’ choice.
 Relatedness (feeling valued and connected in the
community)
Students will be more motivated to learn when they feel related, that
C is when they believe that they matter in their community. We can
support students’ feelings of relatedness in many ways, including:

● Build trust and rapport with students.

● Promote a classroom culture of kindness, cooperation, humor,
and appreciation.
● Acknowledge each student’s contributions.
● Use collaborative group work and teach teamwork skills.
● Include plenty of classroom interaction.
● Foster connections to the target culture.
General Principles to Boost Motivation and
Engagement
● Motivation impacts learning quality and retention.
● Motivation can change over time and vary by situation.
● Teachers can help by building students’ confidence and
making lessons relevant to their lives.
Motivation Spectrum: Extrinsic and Intrinsic

● Motivation exists on a scale between extrinsic (external

rewards/punishments) and intrinsic (internal satisfaction).
● Both are valuable; students can move between them depending
on the situation.
● Goal: help students take ownership of their learning and reduce
reliance on immediate external rewards or punishments.
● The more students can self-reward, the more extrinsic
motivation becomes interna
 Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck)
Fixed mindset: intelligence is static; goals are to look smart, leading to
avoidance of challenges, giving up easily, seeing effort as useless, and
ignoring feedback.

Growth mindset: intelligence can be developed; challenges and mistakes

are embraced, effort is valued, feedback is welcomed as a learning
opportunity.

Teachers can encourage growth mindset by:

● Praising effort as much as results.
● Welcoming mistakes as learning opportunities.
● Encouraging risk-taking and persistence.
● Modeling a growth-oriented way of thinking.
John Keller proposed ARCS Model for promoting and sustaining motivation in
the classroom.
R – Relevance
A – Attention ● Explain the purpose of activities.
● Capture attention with ● Connect new learning to prior
surprises or humor. knowledge.
● Maintain attention with ● Link lessons to students’ goals and
curiosity-provoking questions interests.
and varied activities. ● Offer choices.

C – Confidence
S – Satisfaction
● Provide clear instructions and
● Help students feel proud when
expectations.
applying what they learned.
● Show evidence of progress.
● Encourage sharing or teaching
● Give students control over
knowledge to others.
parts of their learning.
 Elyildirim & Ashton (2006): “Creating Positive
Attitudes Towards English as a Foreign
Language”
Teaching Applications for Boosting Student Motivation
and Positive Attitudes
Diagnose and Understand Students’ Attitudes
● Conduct informal interviews or surveys to uncover students’ reasons for
1 learning English.
● Identify both positive and negative attitudes, as well as intrinsic and extrinsic
motivations.
● Pay attention to students’ difficulties (especially in speaking and listening)
and address them directly.

Apply Rigorous Learning

● Use challenging, meaningful content instead of oversimplifying lessons.
2 ● Include complex texts, thought-provoking themes, and emotionally
engaging topics.
● Maintain high expectations and encourage preparation before class.
 Use Literature to Engage Students
● Select short stories or literary works that:
○ Stimulate discussion and role-play.

3 ●
○ Provide cultural knowledge and new perspectives.
○ Encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.
Integrate pre-reading activities to activate background
knowledge.
● Apply the 3-D Literacy Model:
○ Operational: language skills and mechanics.
○ Cultural: awareness of history and traditions.
○ Critical: analytical and evaluative thinking.
 Build Connectedness and a Supportive
Environment
● Praise contributions and encourage participation.
4 ● Use humor to reduce tension and make learning
enjoyable.
● Design cooperative activities such as literature
circles, group projects, and peer feedback.
● Reduce fear of mistakes through positive
reinforcement.
 Develop Speaking Skills Actively
● Provide regular opportunities for speaking
5 through role-plays, discussions, and drama.
● Focus on pronunciation, stress, and
intonation.
● Encourage risk-taking in communication
without fear of ridicule.
 Foster Autonomy
● Let students choose activities, materials, or
story sequences.
6 ● Involve students in deciding learning goals and
methods.
● Encourage self-assessment and reflection on
progress.
 Monitor Progress and Adjust
● Use periodic achievement exams to track
improvement.
● Discuss results openly with students and
7 brainstorm solutions.
● Use end-of-semester surveys to evaluate
teaching methods and class atmosphere.
 Expected Outcomes
● Higher engagement, punctuality, and
responsibility.
● Improved exam results and skill development.
● Stronger integrative motivation (interest in
8 culture and communication).
● More positive and proactive learning attitudes.
 Student-Centered Teaching in Large Classes with
Limited Resources (Renaud, Tannenbaum, & Stantial (2007))
Context
● Many teachers in developing countries face overcrowded classrooms (50–80

1 ●
●
students), limited or no books, no electricity, and minimal teaching materials.
Common teaching advice in journals often feels irrelevant in such conditions.
Goal: adapt student-centered approaches to large, resource-poor classrooms.

Defining a Large Class

2 ●
●
Perception varies: some define 25 students as large, others 50+.
For this article, large = 50–80 students.
● Above 80, teaching becomes more like preaching rather than
interactive learning.
 Advantages of Large Classes
● More opportunities for interaction and peer teaching.

3 ●
●
●
Rich human resources and diverse skills.
Promotes cooperation and student self-help strategies.
Teacher gains professional growth through problem-solving.

Challenges and Strategies

A. Classroom Management
● Maintain discipline by:
4 ○ Creating student-generated classroom rules.
○ Using varied activities for different learning styles.
○ Establishing routines and signals for quiet.
○ Taking attendance with sign-in sheets or name cards.
○ Creating seating charts.
○ Giving advanced students leadership roles.
● Reduce marking load by:
Group writing tasks (one paper per group).
○ Peer and self-editing before submission.
B. Pair and Group Work
● Introduce gradually with short, simple activities.
● Form groups quickly (use seating proximity).
● Keep groups together for several lessons.
● Assign and rotate roles (facilitator, recorder, timekeeper).
● Use clear signals to start/stop activities.
● Provide one copy of handouts per group to encourage sharing.
● Set language-use goals (L2 over L1) and monitor.
● Teach polite communication rules.
● Give clear written and modeled instructions.
C. Teaching with Limited D. Motivating Heterogeneous
Resources Classes
● Explain the importance of English
● Use techniques like dictogloss early in the year.
for note-taking. ● Create extra activities for advanced
learners.
● Ask students to bring objects
● Move away from a student speaking
from home for activities. so all can hear.
● Prepare texts or questions on ● Adapt materials to different levels.
large sheets before class. ● Design multi-step activities for
● Use pictures, drawings, and different paces.
realia. ● Use advanced students as
assistants or mentors.
Use student-generated content
● Prepare activities to showcase
for language practice. varied talents.
● Build personal connections
before/after class.
● Make learning goals clear and
achievable.
Reading Resources
Creating Positive Attitudes towards English
1 as a Foreign Language

Student-Centered Teaching in Large Classes

2 with Limited Resources
 Thank You
See you in the next
module!