James Jackson

Rita, we all gain motivations from both Intrinsic and Extrinsic factors. The purpose of this discussion thread is for all of us to bring forward our thoughts concerning both types. Intrinsic motivations tend to be deeper rooted and can fulfill our funnels with respect to true fulfillment but for some the Extrinsic provide that level of fulfillment. At the end of the day, it is all about your students and how well they achieve the learning outcomes. If you students learn from you, graduate, and become productive members of society then whatever you are doing is working well. : -… >>>

George, first allow me to say thanks for your service to our country and for the freedoms we enjoy each and every day. Your experience in the military has prepared you well to be an educator. The challenge at times is not having a chain of command within which to manage results and the lack of consistent rules such as the UCMJ to ensure a unified method of treating everyone equally. Students come to us with different strengths and areas of weakness and we must build upon our knowledge of our students to know how best to meet their needs… >>>

Marshall, you may be missing the point of our discussion. There are many instructors that achieve very complex learning objectives and never use a traditional assessment. I do not mean to over simplify the topic here but you need to keep an open mind and consider that other methods do exist to deliver learning objectives and to get students actively involved. Brute force assessment is a tool for less skilled educators. Connecting with your students and learning from them to better meet their needs is as much an art form as it is a science. Become a student of your… >>>

Ahmed, students tend to respect those that respect them as individuals. Problems in their lives can at times cause them to not return the respect you have given but my experience has been they are not reacting against the instructor as much as they are reacting to what life tends to dish out to them. Always be respectful and when that respect is not given back, understand out students have many challenges in their lives and it is rare they are addressing their aggression against you personally. Always be willing to look deeper and understand the root cause of their… >>>