Critical incident reflection

Critical incident date: 18/11/15

Description
My first critical incident reflection is about the use quizzes as a means of promoting student
engagement in the classroom. My ST uses quizzes in the classroom in various forms as a
means to motivate and engage student behaviour and learning in the classroom. The group of
boys in this grade 5/6 classroom are highly competitive and respond well to the use of
quizzes in the classroom. This sort of motivation is referred to as extrinsic motivation. The
students are motivated by the extrinsic reward of the possibility of winning a quiz. I have
observed this in action working really well and tried it myself with the group of students this
week, also incorporating the use of ICT in the form of iPads and the IWB.
Interpretation
This event is critical to me as it provides me with a behaviour management strategy that I can
use to engage and motivate student learning. I found it interesting how much more intensely
the students listened, payed attention and took notes when I mentioned at the beginning of a
lesson that their may or may not be a quiz at the end of it. Extrinsic motivation in the form of
rewards, such as the potential to win a quiz, can be explained by Woolfolk & Margetts
(2013). They explain that extrinsic motivation is created by external factors such as rewards
and punishments (p. 350). Often when students are extrinsically motivated it is because they
are not interested in the activity for its own sake and are only concerned about what they will
gain from it. Intrinsic motivation on the other hand, is where the activities are their own
reward(p.350). It would be the aim of my teaching to attempt to forge an environment where
intrinsic motivation is the core. I do however see the benefits of using extrinsic motivators to
engage students in their learning experiences.
Outcome
I have learnt from this experience that student motivation is a huge factor in engaging
students in rich learning experiences. In the future I intend to form relationships with the
students in my future classrooms that allow me to learn what motivates them, whether it be
intrinsic or extrinsic factors. My goal for the future and the remainder of placement is to
continue to engage students in their learning my motivating them using extrinsic factors such
as quizzes and rewards (survivor points) so that in time they will learn to be motivated by
intrinsic factors.

References
Woolfolk, A. E., & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational psychology (3rd Australian ed.). Frenchs
Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.