Taylor Mullen

Professor Haddy

RDG 323

Survey and Reflection Response

19 September 2020

Creating Engaging and Motivating Learning Environments

As I have gathered and analyzed the data in response to the questions that I asked, I

noticed that many students felt the need to be more engaged if they were in a classroom setting.

The first question got me to think about whether a student would prefer to hear the teacher’s

lecture or see different types of visuals, videos, etc., that related to the teacher’s lecture. So, after

viewing the first question, I concluded that the majority are visual learners, rather than auditory

and kinesthetic learners. Following, I asked which the students would prefer; learning in an

online setting or in-class setting. The majority of the responses were wanting to be in-person,

except for one student who preferred to be online, which is understandable. Sometimes students

feel that learning online is more comfortable and developmentally appropriate to their learning

style. Students who prefer online learning are more likely to develop skills that assist them in

different technological platforms. The article, Teacher Guide to Online Learning concludes

“Students have various levels of technological ability, and their access to technology and the

internet varies” (6). I found it interesting that there are still a few students who feel as though

they work better within the online setting and still develop skills that apply to their educational

experiences.

In order to implement an engaging and motivating learning environment, we, as teachers,

can ensure that students who want to learn are able to in a way that fits their needs. In addition, I
asked the students if they struggle in specific content (i.e Language Arts) what are some things

that the teacher can do to improve and help them during this process. The answers varied from

wanting more clear directions, having examples for completing essays, offering more tutoring,

and lastly, arranging conferences, and providing additional resources. If we help students by

fixing the way that we teach, I feel as though students will become more motivated to work and

more engaged in the everyday learning process. The article, Student Motivation, Engagement,

and Achievement claims that “Because motivation leads to engagement, motivation is where

teachers need to begin. Reading and writing, just like anything else, require an investment by the

learner to improve. As humans, we are motivated to engage when we are interested or have real

purpose for doing so” (Irvin, Meltzer, and Dukes). The connection between motivation and

engagement relates to the purpose of improving students' literacy habits and skills and

understanding their needs in the classroom as well as learning online.

MY SURVEY LINK:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAeE-Ud2Wd5GSUo2kvb0mX2R4-

YHNIFzIxkCQ6YcYL8_mgIA/viewform

References

Dukes, Melinda S., Judith L. Irvin, and Julie Meltzer. (2007). Student Motivation, Engagement,

and Achievement. ASCD. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

 http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107034/chapters/Student-Motivation,-

Engagement,-and-Achievement.aspx

Teacher’s Guide to Online Learning. (2017). Retrieved 19 September 2020.

https://mvlri.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Teachers-Guide.pdf