Briefly describe a situation in which you have encouraged people to use a new technology and have been met with resistance or disappointing results. What attitudes did these people exhibit? What behaviors did they demonstrate? Using Keller’s ARCS model, describe how you could change the motivation of these people, or learners, to encourage success.
One year ago, I worked at the Whitfield County Career Academy where they were completely immersed in project-based learning. Because of this, they used technology as a tool in order to make project-based learning more engaging and relevant to the students’ lives. However, only half of the school chose to do this, while the other half experimented with it. I was in the half that was experimenting, because they wanted me to work with seniors and the senior teachers on using technology in the classroom. I thought it was going to be an easy/fun experience, however, it turned into a nightmare. The reason being, they did not want to change from traditional learning or use new technologies. I tried to remain positive for most of the year, but after a while, I gave up and did my own thing. Once I began to work on my own, they hated me more for it because they felt guilty and like they were going to get into trouble. Looking back, I wish I would have known about Keller’s ARCS model. Keller (1984) proposed four conditions for motivation that must be met to have a motivated learner. These are:
A-attention
R-relevance
C-confidence
S-satisfaction
If I would have known about ARCS, I believe I may have been a different person to them. I forgot that even teachers need small successes in order to glean confidence in something. Also, they need to see how it is relevant to their curriculum and receive some type of affirmation or satisfaction by trying something new. Instead, I proposed something new and expected them to jump right in head first.
References:Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Hi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteYou are right about, “even teachers need small successes in order to glean confidence”. Getting some educators on board with implementing new technology is a process. A lot of teachers become resistant when they are given too much information in a short amount of time. I think it is better to learn a new technology in small chunks. You mention relevance which is a big factor in the motivation process. Teachers really appreciate the gift of time. They utilize technology that is relatively easy to learn and supports the learning process.
Vaughn
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteIt can be very miserable to feel like by doing the "right" thing or what is expected of you, you aren't part of a team. I think that Keller's ARCS are great motivational conditions; however, in many cases, someone has to want to change before you can help them....
Jennifer
Elizabeth
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and the comments of others. Motivation has been an interesting topic for me. I did research on motivational theory for a quantitative research analysis class and found some interesting tools. Keller's tool for motivation is simple yet effective.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI remember when you worked at WCA and how stressed you were everyday because your team refused to try anything. However, through those trials and tribulations, I watched you become a teacher/leader. So, leave those negative thoughts with knowing this fact, you did have an affect on them. I believe you were already implementing ARCS. You are so hard on yourself! Stop, you do a great job.
Mandy