Post #3

I think motivation is a very interesting topic because it applies to everyone and is different for every person. Personally, I think a mixture of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are most helpful for me. I tend to pay attention to topics that I think are interesting but I am also way more likely to learn something with some extrinsic motivators, such as rewards. If I have a personal interest in a topic, I don't necessarily need extrinsic motivators. On the other hand, if I do not like a topic and do not have any personal interest, extrinsic motivators are absolutely necessary to get my attention.

Because rewards continuous rewards or other extrinsic motivators cannot always be offered, it is important to know how to keep the students interested so they continue to learn. This can be accomplished through enhancing students' sense of self determination. That way they have intrinsic motivation instead of constantly needing extrinsic motivators. There are multiple ways to enhance the students' self determination in a band classroom:

-Providing opportunities for independent work and decision making: This can be accomplished through solo pieces for individual students.

-Presenting rules and instructions in an informational rather than controlling manner: This is conveyed through tone of voice and word choice.

-Giving students opportunities to make choices: I could ask them what pieces they like to play better? Or they can make musical choices in their solo pieces.

-Evaluating students in a non-controlling way: These evaluations can affect students' intrinsic motivation and this would be present in playing tests.

-Being selective about when and how you use extrinsic motivators: In elementary band, a student might get a small piece of candy for being able to play 1 or 2 major scales.

In my future classroom, it will be important for me to know how to enhance my students' self determination. I want them to succeed but some of that success is based upon how much they practice. I need to know what motivates them so they want to practice on their own, instead of needing a reward for every single aspect of the class. I will have to make band fun for them but also something they will learn from, work at, and want to succeed at.

Lastly, this is unrelated to the topic above, but this struck me in class today and I didn't have time to write it on my ticket out the door. Sara Beth and Karen brought up self-handicaping. I never realized how prevalent this is in our own society. I am even guilty. I think that so many people care what others think about them, even if they claim not to. I think fear of failure and the need for relatedness intermix. For example, if I have a conducting practicum that I worked really hard for, I still might be scared of failing. Then I say things that undermine my hard work just in case I fail. If I fail, I wouldn't want to be considered a failure by others, especially if I worked hard. I would much rather say "I am going to fail" to begin with so I don't have others judge me as harshly.
I'm not sure if that made complete sense, but I think this is a very common problem in today's culture.