RSE-TASC L O N G I S L A N D R E G I O N A L S P E C I A L E D U C A T I O N—T E C H N I C A L A S S I S T A N C E S U P P O R T C E N T E R

When planning instruction, it is

extremely important to consider design elements that encourage student motivation to the greatest extent possible, as research makes it increasingly clear that motivation is an essential component for optimal learning. To contrast, a student who is unmotivated to learn is unlikely to fully participate in the lesson; and a student who does not fully participate is far less likely to achieve to their fullest potential. While this point may be logically self-evident, it may prove instructive to consider how motivation is related to other critical aspects of successful lesson design and delivery. In the January 2014 RSE-TASC Reporter feature article, entitled, “The F u n d a m e n t a l s o f F o r m a t i v e Assessment: Using the Feedback Loop to Identify and Close Gaps in Learning”, Dr. Monique Habersham illustrates that, “...when students take an active role in monitoring and regulating their own learning, the rate of that learning is dramatically increased” (Wiliam, 2007). As motivated students are much more apt to monitor and self-regulate, teachers may benefit from crafting lessons that are both highly engaging and interactive, two vital instructional approaches that collectively comprise the bedrock upon which student motivation is built. So, what then are the key differences in what at times may seem like interchangeable terms such as mot iva t ion , engagement , and interaction? If we take a moment to

look deeper into the definitions and optimal conditions of each, subtle yet critical nuances are revealed that may help to clarify how these concepts/strategies are related, but not necessarily transposable components of sound instructional practice. Knowing these differences, and strategically utilizing those understandings in lesson design can go a long way in the development of truly impactful instruction that maximizes student achievement and potential for growth.

Motivation Merriam-Webster defines motivation as, “a force or influence that causes someone to do something.” The most successful teachers relentlessly search for, identify and find ways, such as activating prior knowledge (APK), providing lesson importance and/or lesson relevance, as a structured and purposeful means of connecting to and thereby motivating students. Connections can be personal, academic, and/or related to the larger social-societal construct. Additionally, providing more than one connection increases the likelihood that all students in the class will be able to relate to the lesson. These connections are what motivates students to want to know more. It is this craft of making connections between the lesson and students’ interests and/or previously acquired skills that piques their attention. But, once you have it piqued and

they are accordingly motivated, what strategies might we utilize to keep their cognitive wheels spinning? Simply put, keeping students engaged with the lesson and interacting with its content and their teachers/peers through various means and mediums allows students to make further connections that are necessary to maintain/heighten initial motivation; to continuously monitor and regulate their own learning; and ultimately, to retain new information. To illustrate, research that began in the early 1960’s, and continues to this day, provides evidence as to the relationship between retention rates and teaching methods that encourage increased engagement and interaction. Although studies may differ on the percentages (see figure #1, “the Learning Pyramid” on page 2), it is universally accepted that students benefit from a variety of instructional methods. Therefore, in order to keep students motivated to learn, multiple opportunities to engage and interact with both the material and their peers, is essential. Engagement and Interaction Having established the importance of providing opportunities for engagement and interaction as a vehicle for sustained motivation, let us now look at the difference between these related, yet sufficiently different concepts/approaches. To be engaged means “to attract, or to occupy the attention of another or oneself” (Fisher & Frey, 2010). It is a one–directional force that catches the students’ attention. But once you have the students’ attention, there needs to be a means of keeping it. Here is where the one-directional force may become reciprocal by incorporating interaction. To interact means “to act upon another, or to have some effect on each other.” To understand the difference, consider the following example: a student (cont. on pg. 2)

In this issue: Motivation, Engagement and Interaction ~ Page 1 The Building Blocks of Engagement & Interaction ~ Page 2 Long Island RSE-TASC Regional Workshops ~ Page 3 Contact Information & Related Resources ~ Page 4

Please visit us...

on the web, at:

http://www.esboces.org/

reporter

January 2015 Volume 2: Issue 5

Motivation, Engagement and Interaction: How Do They Connect to Learning? by Marjorie Guzewicz, Special Education School Improvement Specialist (SESIS)

~ The energy and motivation that

occur when students are

engaged...results in meaningful

learning ~ (Frey & Fisher, 2010)

2

listening to an Ipod is engaged, while a student participating in a group activity analyzing song lyrics is interacting. To be interactive, a lesson must be a collaborative effort among the students and the staff in the classroom. This includes using student grouping of varying sizes, peer to peer activities, and student/teacher interactions as appropriate and necessary.

Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey created an instructional framework (see figure #2 on page 4) based on the gradual release of responsibility for learning from the teacher to the students. A key component of this framework is the inclusion of collaboration (interaction) into the lesson. In this portion of the lesson, students are working together. “It is when students work alongside their peers that they interact, using academic language and argumentation skills.” Collaboration allows students, among other things, to consolidate their understanding. What may seem counter-intuitive at first glance, specifically, that interaction as manifested through group work may result in even greater capacity for students to actually self-regulate, self-monitor and complete tasks independently, is precisely the result that may be achieved, as per the Frey & Fisher model. So how do we make a lesson both engaging and interactive (and therefore motivating)? Fisher & Frey (2010) list the following elements which collectively comprise the building blocks for

producing and evidencing engagement and interaction:

Enough background knowledge to have something to say

Every student in the class needs to make a connection to the lesson in order to be able to participate

Language support to know how to say it

Does every student have a means of expressing themselves?

A topic of interest

Was lesson importance and relevance established?

An authentic reason to interact

Is the activity purposeful to the student?

Expectations of and accountability for the interaction

Do the students know what is expected? How are they being held accountable for the learning / interaction?

An Understanding of the task

Instructions were explicitly delivered. Formative assessment was conducted to check that students understand the task. Students have knowledge of the norms of interaction

An established community of learners that encourage and support each other

A classroom environment has been established that encourages

collaboration and makes students feel safe during learning

Additionally, Lent and Gilmore (2014) state that for optimal student engagement you need to look simultaneously at both the teacher’s and students’ perspectives. This philosophy is outlined in the chart below:

Keys to Engagement: Student and Teacher Perspectives

As previously discussed, in utilizing these building blocks and perspectives to cultivate increased engagement and interaction, we are providing the impetus for authentic student motivation. In an article for Educational Leadership (September 2014), ReLeah Cossett and Barry Gilmore identify ten standards for motivation. They connect motivation to the Common Core State Standards (CCLS) by saying:

The CCLS describe the essential knowledge and skills that students should master. But where are the standards for the qualities that are at the heart of all learning? We believe that to meet learning goals while creating independent, lifelong learners, classrooms and schools should adhere to...standards for engagement and motivation (as well).

In conclusion, motivation is a key component for optimal learning. Truly effective instruction typically begins with an activity to activate prior knowledge to create student interest in the lesson and to motivate them to want to know more (see the December, 2014 edition of RSE-TASC Reporter here). Then, engagement typically involves the strategic use of multi-modal strategies to help keep students focused on the topic and/or task at hand. Finally, interactions help students create meaning through the provision of systematic, dynamic, collaborative opportunities where students further develop the capacity to monitor and regulate their own learning, and, interestingly, to complete tasks independently. While these are all separate concepts, when you put them together you have the potential for truly impactful instruction.

Keys to

Engagement Student Perspective Teacher Perspective

Clarity

What am I aiming for?

I can see how the pieces fit

together.

I can see the logic of what

I'm being asked to do.

I can track my progress over

time on a goal.

What am I asking students to do?

Provide clear goals and structures

for each task.

Explain the key steps and give

examples.

Show students what success will

look like.

Context

Why should I care?

I can use my strengths to

complete the assignment.

I can publish my work for a

target audience.

I can be a change agent in

my community.

Why is this important?

Determine the "why" of your

curriculum first.

Activate or provide background

knowledge.

Help students connect what they're

learning to their own lives.

Culture

Who is invested in my

success?

I can frame ideas, questions,

or predictions and take

action to figure the problem

out.

I can play, problem solve,

and fail in order to dig

deeper into the challenge.

I can be held accountable to

high standards.

How do I show my support?

Anticipate confusion.

Identify red flags.

Implement progressive

interventions.

Challenge

How is it working for me?

I can identify what I don't

know.

I can use resources to work

through challenges.

I can think about my

progress and whether I

should start over.

How do I balance challenge and

skill?

Provide growth-oriented feedback.

Focus on effort rather than ability.

Teach students that they can get

smarter.

Build resilience over time.

Figure #1

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L O N G I S L A ND R S E - TA S C R E G I O NA L WO R K S H O P S

BEHAVIOR WORKSHOPS • BILINGUAL WORKSHOPS • NON-DISTRICT WORKSHOPS • REGULATIONS • TRANSITION WORKSHOPS

To Register for our Regional Workshops, you may visit our new and improved website by clicking on this link: http://www.esboces.org/Page/89, or...

Please go to http://webreg.esboces.org to register online. Under “Search Options”, pull-down and check RSE-TASC and then click “Search”.

Then, simply scroll down to register for the workshop you are interested in. Clicking on the hyperlinked

workshop dates below will bring you directly to the respective MyLearningPlan® registration page.

• LONG ISLAND RSE-TASC REGIONAL CATALOGUE SAMPLE • FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF WORKSHOPS, VISIT OUR REGIONAL CATALOGUE

January

Transition Assessment to Inform the Development of the IEP (Nassau)—1/12/15 facilitated by Ms. Cathy Pantelides

Difference and Disability (Western Suffolk)—1/21/15 facilitated by Ms. Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez

Quality PLP and Goals for Secondary Students (Syosset HS)—1/21/15 facilitated by Ms. Arlene Crandall

IEPs for English Language Learners (ELLs) (Nassau)—1/29/15 facilitated by Ms. Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez

February

Transition Assessment to Inform the Development of the IEP (Eastern Suffolk)—2/3/15 facilitated by Mr. Matthew Jurgens

Helping Families of English Language Learners Understand the Special Education Process (Nassau)—2/4/15 facilitated by Ms. Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez

Alternatives to Suspension (Nassau)—2/9/15 facilitated by Ms. Michelle Levy, Mr. Gary Coppolino & Ms. Carolyn Candela

CDOS Module 2 and Module 3 (Module 2 is a pre-requisite to Module 3) (Suffolk)—2/25am, 25pm/15 facilitated by Mr. Matthew Jurgens

Student Exit Summaries (Nassau)—2/26/15 facilitated by Ms. Cathy Pantelides

March

Activating Prior Knowledge (APK) & Checking for Understanding: CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN LESSON DESIGN (Nassau)—3/3/15 facilitated by Mr. Laurance Anderson

4

IN SUFFOLK CALL • 631.218.4197 IN NASSAU CALL • 516.396.2989

CENTRAL OFFICE (Suffolk office): Vincent Leone, Long Island RSE-TASC Coordinator & RSE-TASC Reporter Editor in Chief

Lynn Hayes, Senior Clerk Typist Laurie Morin, Senior Account Clerk Typist

Victoria Jones, Clerk Typist

NASSAU SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SPECIALISTS (SESIS): Naomi Gershman

Stefanie DelGiorno Joane Vincent

Roxane Diamond, Senior Typist Clerk

SUFFOLK SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SPECIALISTS (SESIS): Marjorie Guzewicz

MariLuz Genao Lisa Boerum

REGIONAL TRAINERS (Suffolk office):

Laurance Anderson, Non-District Specialist Arlene B. Crandall, Regional Special Education Training Specialist

Elizabeth DeFazio-Rodriguez, Bilingual Special Education Specialist Michelle Levy, Behavior Specialist

Gary Coppolino, Jr., Behavior Specialist Carolyn Candela, Behavior Specialist

Cathy Pantelides, Nassau Transition Specialist Matthew Jurgens, Suffolk Transition Specialist

• RSE-TASC STAFF •

Making Group Work Productive

By Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher

**********************************

1. Creative tasks

2. Joint attention to the task

3. Development of group

social skills

4. Language and

organizational support

5. Optimal group size and

composition

6. An active teacher role

*******************************

http://www.ascd.org/publications/

educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/

num01/Making-Group-Work-

Productive.aspx

Source: Christina Fink

(Fisher and Frey, 2006)

Resources

Frey, N., & Fisher, D., (2011). Formative Assessment Action Plan. Retrieved on October 9, 2014 from: http://

www.ascd.org/publications/books/111013/chapters/Creating-a-Formative-Assessment-System.aspx

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2010). The Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind.

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. “Motivation requires a meaningful task.” English Journal 100.1 (2010): 30–36

Jackson, R., & Zmuda, A. (2014) “Four (Secret) Keys to Student Engagement”, Educational Leadership, (Vol. 72,

pp. 18-24). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept14/vol72/num01/Four-

(Secret)-Keys-to-Student-Engagement.aspx

Figure #2