A large problem in schools faced by educators is motivating their students. Motivating, meaning, giving their students a reason for the work they must complete. Working without a purpose can be very challenging for students and will keep them from appreciating and taking care of their work in a satisfactory approach. In the Problem Problem by Gerald Graff he expresses his feelings towards the motivation of students. He discusses how students don’t appreciate the work they do and how they should. Graff believes that most students have a negative attitude towards their work and they simply wonder why they are doing certain assignments. The three main topics Graff breaches is the students’ ability to write an analytical paper, an argumentative paper, and a persuasion paper.
In class when students receive an analysis assignment, not all but most of them frown. Analysis is a very pitied assignment due to the feelings and attitudes students have towards them. Students merely don’t understand the point in why they are analyzing a topic they do not care for. In Graff’s essay he gives an example from a student by the name of Karen. Her attitude toward analyzing topics is incredibly poor and from the tone in the essay she wrote it is extremely noticeable that she believes writing an analysis is stupid. For example she writes, "It seems to me that we analyzed things that didn’t seem to have much to analyze….Another reason I do not like to analyze, though this may sound arrogant, is because it is not important to me(Gerald et al, p.2b, 2003)." Karen has no care for analyzing any sort of literature or event that happens in her life, which makes her come off as a disinteresting person. Karen is one of many students who share the same or a si...
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...nment to be successful and well done the student needs a purpose that they believe in or know of. Simply writing an essay because a teacher assigned it is not viable in the eyes of Gerald. There needs to be a purpose for quality writing and expression.
Gerald’s ideas are exceptionally easy to agree with. His points are all valid and reasonable. He makes no false statements about the avid student and he understands the incapability of student to write without purpose. It would be preposterous to disagree with a written document such as this one because of the easily identified problems he shares and the quality of the content he shares. Problem Problem is incredibly accurate and adequately shows the views of the well certified author, Gerald Graff.
Works Cited
Gerald, G. (2003). Clueless in academia. New Haven, CT: Yale.
According to Runciman, there are many plausible reasons that students and other people don’t enjoy writing. Evidence, assumptions, and language and tone are the basis for which Runciman makes his argument. Overall, this argument is effective because reliable and well known sources are used in a logical fashion. Also, the assumptions made about the audience are accurate and believable. Runciman used his assumptions wisely when writing his claim and in turn created a compelling, attention capturing argument. The article was written so that students and teachers at any level could understand and easily read it. This argument is interesting, captivating, relevant through its age, and can relate to students and teachers at almost every academic level.
Mike Rose met many struggling students at UCLA’s Tutorial Center, the Writing Research Project, and the school’s Summer program. He first describes the loneliness students feel upon arriving at college, and that as they try to find themselves, they all to often lose themselves because they are bombarded with ideas that are so foreign to them. He introduces his audiences to Andrea, a bright young girl out of high school who, despite hours of memorizing in her textbook, could not obtain a passing grade on her Chemistry mid-term. How is this possible if she spent so much time studding? Rose explains that she failed because in college, and in this course in particular, it is not enough for a student to know the material, but rather, to be able to apply it in a various amount of problems. Yet the problem Andrea faces is that she was never taught this in high school.
The use of a highly debated topic give good reason for someone to give the essay a read without prior knowledge of the underlining message within the essay. As a result of this, one can understand why this eassy was published in this magazine and has received limited
In the essay, “Other Voices, Other Rooms” from Inquiry to Academic Writing, Gerald Graff argues that students learn things differently from class to class and are not taught to use information from one class in another. This is a problem especially in higher education today because there is such a large gap from professor to professor. Although the disagreement from one subject to the next may seem like a problem to some, if there were no disagreements, nothing would be worth learning. While these problems may occur, they are essential in the evolvement of education. Without these disagreements there would not be any search for more information to solve the problems. Also, students would not be motivated to continue to learn. The disagreements between the two are what seem to confuse students, but what confuses them more is how the education system is set up. Students must learn to make
There are a number of things that can be improved in the world, especially in the United States. In his revolutionary speech, Noah Braun declares his independence from homework and offers a variety of examples to support his argument. In addition to supporting evidence, Braun uses specific elements of language and individual style in his writing. By declaring independence from homework, it is evident that Braun’s intended audience is anyone in school that receives homework on a daily basis; however, the supporting evidence used shows the reader that the target audience is specifically high school students. According to Braun, “We are involved in a variety of clubs, members of various sports teams, and a number of students have nightly
The fostering of independent thought is sometimes forgone in today's educational system. At times, students are encouraged to just complete their assignment instead of thinking about what they are doing so that they may fully understand their...
“Motivation is a complex part of human psychology and behavior that influences how individuals choose to invest their time, how much energy they exert in any given task, how they think and feel about the task, and how long they persist at the task” (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). The biggest question educators face in today’s classroom is what motivates a student to do something and why? Virtually all students are motivated in one way or another. Research of student motivation suggests a theory that emphasizes a social-cognitive perspective. The cognition of students regarding academic work are influenced by social factors, such as messages from the teacher about the difficulty of the task, the perceived abilities of classmates, and the information about the importance of learning the material (Urdan & Schoenfelder, 2006). In this paper the focus will primarily be on those elements within the classroom that influence student motivation and engagement.
Motivation in college is different. For starters, as a student, I have to be self-motivated. My parents are not here to make sure I get my work done and go to class. I have to find motivation in myself to go to class and get my work done.
The first writing project I was assigned in this class was an analysis of the film, Gran Torino. During class, I learned there was so much more to the movie than what we see; there was a meaning behind every little thing from the clothes to the hair to even the cars on the side of the street. It all meant something. The key features of an literary analysis include “an arguable thesis, careful attention to the language, attention to patterns or themes, and a clear interpretation (Norton Field Guide 85-86).” Critical thinking is an important skill, not just behind a desk, but also in the real world. The second writing project was a workplace writi...
“Motivation is the process whereby goal-orientated activity is instigated and sustained” (Schunk, Pintrich & Meece, 2008. As cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2010, p.284). Motivation comes in many forms and can be divided into two broad categories - extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivators are external factors which can motivate a student; rewards are an example of this. An issue with extrinsic motivators is that the desire for the learner to participate often lessens, once the rewards are withdrawn (McCullers, 1987). On the other hand intrinsic motivation comes from within - learning for the joy of it - where the desire to learn leads to a higher level of knowledge, and is a reward in itself. Kohn (1996, p.285) states that research suggests, “Rewards actually decrease interest in intrinsically motivating tasks, therefore sending the wrong message about learning” (as cited in Eggen & Kauchak, 2010a)
In Matthew Springer’s article What Gets Students Motivated to Work Harder? Springer built his ethos in a really well built essay. He used a lot of good statistics and facts. He wrote if students get certificates instead of money they are more likely to do better and try harder.
One of the reasons homework should be banned is because of the unnecessary stress and strain it creates for students. Many students are left pulling their hair out at homework time. Students struggle with homework for different reasons. Some of which are because they do not understand the assigned homework, or they are not being challenged, and quite possibly because they have hit their daily threshold for learning and have no more to give. Furthermore, students who struggle academically will likely require extra assistance to do their homework. Students are therefore tasked with finding a qualified person to assist them with homework. Students are not only under the stress of homework, but now they are under additional stress to find a qualified person that can assist them. Unfortunately, some students may not be able to obtain the help they need with their homework. Consequently and to no fault of their own their grades may be affected inaccurat...
It is first important to understand how motivation works in the classroom. There are infinite procedures teachers use to achieve desired effects from their students, but there are general patterns these motivational tools follow. In order for teachers to communicate with their students, they must identify with their needs on an individual basis (Gawel, 1997). This proposal is much akin to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which states five basic needs that must be met in order to achieve full motivation. These needs, in ascending order, are as follows: physiological, security, love and belongingness, esteem and self-respect, and self-actualization (Gawel, 1997). Each of these needs details a very important issue in motivation inside the classroom and out.
Theorists believe that motivation within the classroom has its benefits when able to produce work from students. Some students have the ability to work without much motivation. This is known as intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is where students are able to motivate themselves and produce work at high standard. The students have to be determined to strive and have the self-ability to do the work that is needed (Brewer, Dun, Olszewski, 1988). Students who need more praise and encouragement to produce work come under the category of extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is about rewarding the students for their work. If a student is able to get done what they have been asked, they will be rewarded with for example a sticker or a lucky dip. Extrinsic motivation for some students means the reward is...
Motivation is really important tool in a learning environment. Also motivation effects student learning and their behavior as well. It directs behavior towards particular targets. Also it effect the decision which students takes. In motivation mainly we have two types which is intrinsically and extrinsically being motivated. For example: when a student is intrinsically motivated they just do it for themselves not because of the reward that they will get back. It’s just because they have their own interest and they enjoy doing that. On the other side, when a student is extrinsically motivated they just do it for the reward that they will get. That’s why in learning process it’s important that each student should