Anne Mars CASE STUDY IN MOTIVATION Introduction The student whom I selected for the case study is a fifth

grader named Henley. He is 10 years old, and is classified with a specific learning disability. Henley has never been an engaged learner. Henleys individual education plan allows for many modifications to be made in the classroom. He has several IEP goals such as: Henley has never done well in school. His work is often not done at all or done unsatisfactorily. His report cards at the elementary level have been consistently 1s and 2s which are the lowest grades possible. Henley does not seem motivated to learn. He has been a behavior problem in school, and frequently fights with other students. He has very low self- esteem, and has very little confidence in his ability to learn. Henley does not have the academic skills necessary to complete his school work. Henley is reading at a second grade level. He has trouble with sounds and has a hard time decoding. Henleys educational program is such where he attends the resource center for replacement math, replacement language arts, and study skills instruction. He also gets in class support in science and social studies. During class time, Henley generally puts headphones on in the classroom and disengages himself as much as possible. He clearly does not have high self -esteem, and does not set high expectations for himself. This leads to Henley having very low self-efficacy. Observations When observing Henley in a classroom setting, I feel as if Henley does better if he has a learning partner. For example, I paired Henley with a partner and had them design a

Anne Mars board game. They had to design the game board, write or give instructions, etc. I think because this was a high interest activity in which Henley could use his love of cars in, he succeeded in this assignment. In our class, we also had the kids come up with an invention. Henley was so interested in participating in this assignment because he loves music and knew he could use technology to show his invention. As far as test taking goes, Henley is provided with several testing accommodations as stated in his IEP. He is allowed extra time, he is allowed a scribe, and he is to have the questions read aloud for him. In general, Henley does not complete the entire test and usually just fills in any answer to do it. He is most disengaged during a test taking situation. During an assessment, Henley does whatever he can to avoid completing the task at hand. For example, he tries to go to the bathroom, or visit the nurse. Finally, Henley tends to participate more during alternative assessments. I have taken away the typical spelling test, math test, etc. Instead, Henley becomes engaged in a learning center activity. He rarely realizes when I am assessing him and I find that he is more willing to participate in that situation. In terms of assessment, I have changed my approach with Henley. Instead of focusing on his grades, we now focus on his individual academic growth. I think it gives him a sense of accomplishment to see how far he has come, even if it happens slowly. The situation in which I see Henley most engaged is when he is given directions, and he has the opportunity to work at a learning center alone.

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Strategies There are several strategies/ideas that I feel can be effective with Henley. I find that the self-determination theory is shown here. Things teachers can do in the classroom include, reflecting on daydreams to help students decide what is important to them; teaching students how to set goals that are important to them and then, with the support of peers, family members and teachers, taking steps to achieve those goals. Providing contextual supports and opportunities for students, such as coaching for problem-solving and offering opportunities for choice, are also critical elements that lead to meeting needs for competence, autonomy and relatedness and thus, increasing student selfdetermination. ( Deci, E.L., Koestner, R. & Ryan, R.M. (1999). A Meta-Analytic Review of Experiments Examining the Effects of Extrinsic Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation. Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 125, No. 6, pp. 627-668.) This theory is a good theory to serve as part of this case. Everything I am doing in the classroom relates to wanting Henley to become more intrinsically motivated and responsible for his learning. One of the best strategies to use with Henley is to include high interest learning. This gives him a feeling of relatedness in a classroom setting. Choice of activities, learning partners, alternative assessments, and establishing a learning contract are other things that have proved to work well for Henley. It is extremely important to hold Henley accountable for his work because it gives him a great feeling of self -worth. Strategies that can be used in a small group situation or with Henley privately one on one are the most successful. Henley is private and does not want his peers to be cognizant of the extent of his learning

Anne Mars disabilities. Strategies that probably would not work on Henley involve any type of oral report or cooperative group assignment in which he has to be on stage with his peers. Another strategy that would definitely not work on Henley is to put him in a competitive situation in the classroom. I would advise any teacher who works with Henley to establish a relationship with him and gain his trust. It is extremely important to show Henley that you care about him, and think he is capable. The teacher should continue providing choice and high interest learning activities that Henley can relate to. Once he likes you, and feels a connection to his teachers, he wants to please you and work to the best of his ability. Henley holds some unproductive values such as avoiding his work, being the class clown, and disengaging himself completely from class work. The goal for Henley to become more intrinsically motivated can help him, as well as other students identify and self-determine the way they behave in the classroom setting. Conclusion In conclusion, this experience has encouraged me to make sure that I have a more student centered classroom. I have learned that both the climate in the classroom, as well as external factors really affect a students sense of growth. I have tried to be more supportive of all students autonomy and competence. I have also tried to make it a priority to listen/understand the students point of view. I realized how important it is to make a connection between Henley, as well as the other students and self determination theory. This theory also guides the goals that students set for themselves for the future. Facilitating students learning more toward intrinsic goals and communicating with them in a more responsive and supportive way paves the way more for autonomous motivation, deep learning, and effective performance. Henleys lack of ability with reading and

Anne Mars writing, and his tendency to withdraw from classroom activities have a direct effect on his self efficacy.