Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the importance of active learning and motivation in the classroom. It examines the role of emotion in teaching practices that foster communication, care, presence, and a sense of community between the instructor and the learners. This chapter underscores the role of the instructor in creating a classroom climate that promotes active learning and increases motivation through emphasizing the importance of the individual. By putting student-faculty relationships at the center of teaching, instructors are able to foster a climate that increases interest and intrinsic motivation for succeeding in the course. This chapter proposes that caring and the emotional commitment to students increases engagement, motivation, and active learning.
TopBackground
Central to the scholarship of teaching and learning is what makes learning meaningful for students. What kind of learning experience will students have as a result of being engaged in the process of learning? Many educators are well-versed in the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the results from research have underscored the significance of faculty engagement in meaningful teaching (Cardwell, 2011; Cents-Boonstra, 2020; Cinches et al., 2017; MacTavish & Kolb, 2006; Meyer et al., 2018). Teaching based on surface learning experiences, such as memorization of facts and recognition of dates, is often contrasted with teaching that fosters in students a deeper understanding of concepts to be learned (Zengaro & Iran-Nejad, 2007). Task analysis persists in education, in spite of the end result being more “assembly-line learning” than deep understanding. Dole et al. (1991) described surface learning as “an assembly-line model of skill acquisition” that has become commonplace in schools (p. 240). Instead of making connections to learning which would lead to greater growth, students are left piecemealing information from an input-output model presented by teachers where students learn pieces of information that are ready to be assembled at a later date (Iran-Nejad, 1994; Zengaro & Iran-Nejad, 2007).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Social Identity Development: The process adolescents and emerging adults go through identifying with and accepting their group identity.
Achievement Motivation: The desire to achieve some substantial or worthwhile goal.
Active Learning: Any number of teaching methods that seeks to engage students actively in learning, such as through discussions, projects, or problem-solving.
Direct Instruction: Instruction delivered by the teacher to the students, with the teacher at the center of the lesson.
Meaningful Learning: Learning that has value for students because it is understood and connected to prior learning experiences.
Effective Teaching: Teaching that is successful in helping students learn new material.
Student Engagement: Having students being active participants in their own learning.
Learner-Centered Teaching: Teaching methods that put the learner and the learner’s needs at the center of the lesson.