Hi All, I was inspired to write a general post about the motivation prompt from last Friday. Your reflections got me thinking about a few connections. First,it's funny how our overall philosophy guides motivation (and behavior management), but also how little "tricks" can be equally effective, like Meggie's use of the stylus and Nicole's use of games and "magic ink" on the Promethean board. I guess the tricks we choose to use match some part of our philosophy or we wouldn't use them, right? I see a definite match between your "positive motivation" philosophies and the strategies you've found most effective. I wonder if you've been in classrooms where an opposite philosophy is at work--control and coercion. I have, and it's unpleasant for everyone, even the teacher, which makes me wonder why s/he continues with the approach. Lack of options? Poor professional development and in-class support? Here's another thing I'm wondering about motivation. What role does praise/feedback have in motivating (or de-motivating) students? I have an interesting article I'll share with all three of you that relates to motivation and learning. It's called Five Ways to Stop Saying 'Good Job'. It's by Alfie Kohn, and I'm giving you a link to a list of articles he's written. If you've never read anything by Kohn before, you'd all be well-served to do so now, while you're student teaching and have a strong support system for talking about some of the issues he brings up. Here's the link to his website with a list of publications--all have direct links to the full text version of his articles: http://www.alfiekohn.org/articles.htm Next Wednesday, November 14, is supposed to be a free choice reflection day. I think I'll take over that "choice" by asking you all to write about an article you read by Kohn and to share your reaction to it. I'll remind you as the day gets closer, but here's your advance heads up. I'll see you all in the next couple of days, and I'm looking forward to it! Dr. K