Second Reflection

When I was a senior high school student in the first grade, my rank was four. Although, I had a seat in front of the class surrounded by smart people.  My friend who sat next to me was the smartest and had the first rank. I started comparing my self and my friend, why does she can get first position and I could not?  At that time, I just realise I might not study hard and my brothers did not help me to study while my friend’s sisters are ready to help my friend. I thought, I could be better if I gave more effort for achieving first rank.

I still had chance to prove that I could be better to take the first place in second semester. I studied hard and often get along to study with my friend in her house. Untill the exam knocked the door, I felt a bit pessimistic to take first position. So, I set lower expectation, to have third position. Finally, time to take study result... I was suprised and shocked because I was still at position four even I did my best. There was nothing change. Since then, I just thought whether I am serious or not over a thing, the result just will be the same.

First Reflection

There’s story behind my fond in English subject. Long time ago, I was about 7 years old. I loved to learn new thing and had huge inquiry. I had two elder brothers. My brothers were so busy, going dawn for working and arriving at home evening. As weekend, they stayed at home and helped mom. They sang The Beatles songs while cleaning house. My mom was questioning about the meaning of those song as she only speaks Bahasa.

            My brothers love The Beatles a lot. They sangs it over and over again. At that time, I had simple minded that I do not know the meaning and it sounds strange in my ears. As my study level getting higher, I got English as new subject in the school. I was so excited to learnt it though I did memorizing many vocabularies. Seeing my excitement, my brother bought me many books with funny graphic for me. It helped me a lot to learn English.

            My Interest on English did not stop just at that point. I keep learning English and Now I am English teacher candidate.

Let’s Motivate Our Students (1st e-reflection )

At the first time I heard a subject named Motivation and Managing Classroom for Effective Learning (MMSEL), I was sure that it should be an interesting course. In my opinion, dealing with students’ motivation and classroom management needs more effort than mastering the materials. Unfortunately, I did not come the first meeting. I got unhealthy at that time, so I just slept after Friday pray. However, I got explanation from my friends about that session.

   

There were explanation about course objectives and assessment from Ms. Mima at the first meeting. Moreover, Ms. Mima and my friends also discussed about the definition of motivation, extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. Actually, I have got that materials in the first semester in Educational Psychology subject. Yet, it is no problem since those issues are very often appears in education field, so we need more knowledge related to the concepts.

Talking about extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, I have an experience that makes me believe on that concept. It happened when I was in the third grader of senior high school. My Chemistry teacher at that time was Mr. Harjono. He was also the vice of principal who manage students’ activities. That is why he had very close relation with student organization (OSIS). And do you know, I was the chairman of OSIS at that time. 

At the beginning, this condition made me under pressure. I had to be master in that subject, that was what appeared in my mind. I would be very shy if I could not show the best. Furthermore, Mr. Harjono used to ask me to come forward in front of the class to solve some Chemistry problems. Knowing that, I used to read and read again the Chemistry theories from the books that I have. Sometimes I borrowed some books from the library. As the result, I thought Chemistry was not the difficult subject. Whereas I was not good at all in this subject when I was in the first and second grader. My conclusion is the extrinsic motivation given by my teacher was succeeded  to be changed into intrinsic motivation. 

That is why I really believe that we can change the extrinsic motivation into intrinsic motivation consciously or subconsciously. What I experienced is the evidence of that concept. From that point, I think there is no reason for us to stop learning about how to deal with students’ motivation. The more expert we motivate our students, the more chances for our students to be better and better.  

Picture from: heystudents.com

Second e-reflection

                Eventough Marslow's hierarchy of need looked like following the life cycle. I think the hierarchy is talking about people perspective. The older people get did not define their intellectual and thoughts grew. When people get older they still need deficiency needs. Even mature people need them too. I find it quite interesting why in Marslow's hierarchy it is said only mature people could reach the last stage of hierarchy.  In my life I found many people who mature enough but I think they thoughts are still in esteem needs. Most of them are in the productive age 30-65 years old and they are still working. Rather than realizing their potential they seems to worry much about their status, glory, achievements, self respect, confidence and etcetera. It could be happened under the stress and rush working hours, perhaps when they should be at self actualization stage because of the stress they needs move to the esteem needs stage. It is also happens in the war situation, all stage needs will lower into the safety needs because people in the war is under pressure. And the needs in the first stage could move from psychological  level to the safety needs level.
              The self determination theory help me to understand why students feels happy when they finish a task. The need of competence motivate students and challenge them to finish a task, and because they are motivated intrinsically they feel happy when they finish it, since they had fulfill their needs. When my teacher returned my work and gave me some feedback, I could learn from the feedback. It is showed that teacher has role in enhance students need for autonomy in their learning.
              I agree if teacher make comparison between one student achievement to another will decrease students self determination. Students will feel less likely unmotivated if their teacher compare their scores. Nowadays we often find teacher compare their students scores to others who get better score and ask the lower score student to be more like other students who did well. We as a teacher candidate has to avoid compare our students, because it will make students feel inferior and unmotivated.
 

First e-reflection

       It is said that motivation is a process whereby there is a goal directed activities. It is also involved the process    energize, direct and sustain behaviour. I found it interesting that motivation could give someone spirit and objectives to do something. The behaviour we get from motivated action is also sustainable. When I was in elementary school, I saw English subject merely as a ordinary subject. I did not pay much attention to that subject.  Later on I moved from a small city to the big city, and continued  my study at one Junior High School there. The school had different standard from my old school. The school subject is more harder than my old school. I tried to keep up, however I cannot keep up with English subject.
        My teacher seemed to notice that I was not that good in English class. So every day if there was an English class he always asked me to do some task or answer some question. Every time I failed to answer the question he would repeat my mistakes and made me feel so embarrassed. Since that day I tried to learn English before his class and prepared myself to answer his question. I got extrinsic motivation from my teacher and until today I still have motivation to learn English. So it is true that the motivation involve sustainable behaviour. From my experience I could also see that I was influence by the punishment. My teacher always make fun of me if I did mistakes, so the way he treated me is like a kind of punishment.
          I think Kathy's is a good teacher she explained to their student the objectives of those assignments she gave to her students. When Kathy said her students need to be challenged to be able to do something. By sharing what she did and how she learned before teaching in the classroom Kathy motivated her students indirectly. She showed that it is not only the students who worked hard but also the teacher. Knowing they worked hard together the students will not feel alone. They know everyone did the same even their teacher,  in Kathy's class the behavioral theories happened.  She applied rewards and punishment in her class, she praised one of her students that he make a progress in his writing. It could increase he student intrinsic motivation. She gave punishment by called a student to who came late to her class and speak to her.
          Motivation help teacher and student to reach the goal of learning and help to maintain students spirit in studying.
 

Second reflection The Influence of Needs on Motivation to Learn

MMSEL

2010120029

Section C

By : Rida Sahridah

Schunk (2008) states that a need is an internal force or drive to attain or to avoid a certain state or object. From the statement that I believe that we do something because of avoiding or attaining certain state or object. For instance, we need to eat food because we avoid hunger.

Since I was born, I do not really think that all what I do is related to what I avoid or attain that motivate me to think or act. So what did happen when I was in high school? Did I grow up amazingly?

Is there any indicator to indicate needs of human?  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the answer.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is stages of needs from basic to top stage. Through his hierarchy of needs I can measure myself which stage I stand.

First stage is survival. This stage is the very basic need of me. Shelter, warmth, food and water are needs in this stage. I thank for my parents because until today all of these stuffs are fulfilled more than enough. Second stage is safety. This stage is about freedom from physical or emotional threat. To me there is no any situation which gives bad threat. My family and my country are in peace. I do love my family and my family loves me too. This stage is also related to third stage. The third stage is belonging. Being loved and having friends are the characteristics of this stage. Proudly say that I have many friends. I have a friendship since I was in elementary school, I have some closest friends and I have some best friends of me. The fourth stage is self-esteem. This stage for me is time to think the whole of myself. I would not want to be anybody else. I am trying to find what I can do the best and how people accept me. Just as me. I pass first four stages in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The four stages called as deficiency needs. How about the last on top stage?

To completing our needs based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the top stage, self-actualization. Self-actualization is reaching one’s full potential. Once I pass those four stages on deficiency needs, I can focus on the growth needs that can lead to self-actualization. I think I have not reached it yet.  According to theories motivation that in contrast with deficiency needs, the need for self-actualization is never completely satisfied.

Another theory is the need for self-determination. Self-determination is the need to act on and control one’s environment (R. Ryan & Deci, 2000).  I realized that my parents, my family and my teachers helped me a lot to gain my competence. Cameron (2005) says that my perception of competence is evidence that my knowledge and skills are increasing.  My father and my mother threat democratic enough to me. Since I was a very little I could choose anything I want based on their offers and permission. However I have never felt that I am autonomous. Until now I cannot stand alone. If I seem I can stand alone it means that I am trying to. My need for relatedness are high enough. I am a person who relates everything with my feeling. Sometimes I feel bad of me who cannot make others happy. I feel sorry for that.

The last is the need to preserve self-worth.  Schunk (2008) states that self-worth is an emotional reaction to or an evaluation of the self. To getting this self-worth I do something. I like self-handicapping term.  Self-handicapping is action that can lead to get self-worth. When I was in junior high school I was very ashamed for being someone who always be called by teachers. When my friend said that why always should be me to be called, I just said that my name was easier to be remembered not because another reasons. Whereas I was very happy to be called and felt appreciated so I was always available. Hopefully from now on I can fulfill all my needs to attain the real me.

The Influence of Needs and Motivation to Learn

Talking about needs will remain us to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs which divided into big two parts, deficiency needs and growth needs. The deficiency need will energize people to get it as long as if they are unfulfilled yet. Naturally, people will not move their concentrate to growth needs yet before all of the deficiency needs can be fulfilled. After they can meet all of the deficiency need they will start to think about the growth needs. Maslow’s theories about belonging and self-esteem needs are related to the theory in motivation which is discussed below.

                The need for self determination is the need to act on and control one’s environment (R. Ryan & Deci, 2000)according to self-determination theory, one of intrinsic motivation is having choices and making decision. Self determination theory assumes that people have three innate psychological needs. There are competence, autonomy and relatedness. The need of competence is people will be like to compete to get what they need or to get the satisfaction when they can reach their goal after struggle in the competition with others.

                The need of autonomy is the need for independence and the ability to alter the environment when necessary. This is also source of the intrinsic motivation for students. It means that if the students have little control of their environment can cause them stress. The most effective way to make the students increase their perception of autonomy is by gives them the choice. For example ask them to decide the rules in the class during the learning process, encourage students to set and monitor their learning goals, create high levels of students’ participations in classroom activities and use assessment which provide feedback and focus on learning progress.

                The need for relatedness is the feeling of being related with each other in one’s social environment and feeling worthy of love and respects. The need of relatedness can gives impact in students’ developing a strong need for approval, the desire to be accepted and judged positively by others ( Urdan & Maehr, 1995). Usually in elementary school, the students with high need for relatedness is students with high self-esteem, but in higher level of education in can be vice versa. What the teacher can do in order to help the students with need for relatedness is by communicating unconditional positive regard and a genuine commitment to students and their learning (Cornelius-White, 2007)

The Influence of Beliefs on Motivation to Learn

How we see ourselves will affect how we live our life. This also certainly happens within learners. How learners see their selves usually affects the way they learn. Learners have their own beliefs toward themselves. There are statements such as “I can do today test well because I have learnt all night” or “I think I cannot pass the algebra test though I learn hard because I do not inherit math skill.” The sort of those statements reflects a belief of a learner. In other words, a belief is “a cognitive idea that is accepted true without necessarily definitive evidence to support it.” Generally people will accept their belief true without conclusive proofs because they experience it their selves and create self-conclusion toward their ability.

As what I have experienced since school age, my belief on my ability does affect the motivation to learn. When I was in senior high school I got good score in science test, I put high expectation that I could do even better for next science test. This describes expectation as belief about future outcomes.  In this case, my past experience affected my expectation for the future test. Because the teacher gave compliment since I showed a progress on science subject, I was motivated to do even better than before. The feeling of satisfaction of finishing a test well made me more confident and put more belief on my own ability.

MMSEL REFLECTION 1

The way I see

M.O.T.I.V.A.T.I.O.N

When I saw my classmate joined a club because she just wanted to be closer with my senior or when I have to download many tutorials scarf videos to support my appearances, that was the way I saw  what motivation is. So many things happened around me that can lead me to realize that people moves, works, do many things because a thing called as ‘motivation’. Just like me, I used to download many tutorials scarf videos because I need to look beauty. Looks beautiful is a must for me and that’s my passion, hence I keep looking ways to brush up my ability in wearing scarf and looks beautifulJ. One of that is through downloaded tutorials scarf videos and learnt how to wear those stuffs although it has already spent a lot of money to pay for the internet bills. See, I love doing that because I have a goal which is looks beautiful. In order to look beautiful I have did an intensive effort which is downloaded tutorials scarf videos and learnt how to wear it. I have no burden while doing that process because in simply I love doing a thing that what makes me beautiful. Can you guess what type of motivation that I have?

Bingo! The answer is intrinsic motivation. I bet you all can guess it easily.

So, there are two types of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I have reflected what I understand by intrinsic motivation and for the extrinsic motivation I am going to reflect it through a story titled “Kathy’s class”.

Kathy class is telling about several students in the class that have talked about their opinions toward the history assignment. Kathy (the teacher) tried to motivate her students that each of them has a great potential in writing though most of her students did not like history and especially the writing assignment. One of the students thought that assignment even was impossible to do. Kathy tried her best to build up her students’ motivation. She told her students that sometimes they need to be challenged to brush up their abilities hence she gave tough assessment to them. She tried to make the students knew something that although a teacher has to study hard and think hard how to make her/his students understand with the material or even has to think about the way to make her/his students want to learn the terrible subject such as history. Her efforts made some students in her class change their perspective toward the history subject. Perhaps not all the students, but they started to like the history subject because of they liked the way Kathy changed the boring subject became a challenge subject. Somehow, Kathy succeed to make her students love history although it was not because they have passions on it but at least Kathy already tried her best to make her students have a motivation to learn history because through good behavior toward the subject.  I think that was an inspirational story and I wish I could act like Kathy even better if I face the unmotivated students in my class later on J

© RahmaChintiaReski/2010120007/MMSEL