Three years ago, my school system switched to a new grading
program. I was asked by my principal to attend the training along with the
Instructional Lead Teacher. I was excited to learn the new program because it
included a blog for us to communicate with parents and students. There was also
a place to include detailed descriptions about assignments, including the
standards students needed to master. It was going to be more than just a grade book;
it was going to a great tool for communication as well. By attending the
training I agreed to present the information to the rest of the faculty upon
return to the school. I was also one of the go-to people in the building if
someone was having difficulty with the program. There were quite a few teachers
who were resistant to make this change. They were perfectly happy with the old
grading program and did not want to take the time to learn something new. These
same teachers still relied on using the phone to contact parents and vary
rarely used e-mail. However, they did not have a choice and they needed to
learn how to use the new grading system.
Using Keller’s ARCS model, I need to gain their attention,
make it relevant to them, help build their confidence in using the new system,
and be there to help them through the process of switching, offering advice and
praise. “To make the most of curiosity caused by stimulus changes, teachers can
capture students’ interest by using novel or unexpected approaches to
instruction or injecting personal experiences and humor” (Driscoll,
2005, p. 334) .
During the presentation to the teachers I should vary my instructional
approaches and use my own experiences with the program to capture their
attention. I could also give them hypothetical situations that might come up
and ask for them to discover ways in which the grading program could help them.
By getting and keeping their attention, I have a better chance of getting them
to buy-into the new program. Making the program relevant is the second part of
Keller’s motivation model. By having the teachers write their own goals and
showing them how the program can help them achieve those goals, the relevancy
of the program is shown and their resistance should become less. The third part
of Keller’s motivation model is building their confidence. I can let the
teachers work in the program during the training session and learn how to use
it on their own. By setting up an environment where they are safe to make
mistakes and learn from those mistakes, their confidence in using the program
will increase. The last part of the model is to generate satisfaction. I need
to make sure that I’m available to answer all questions and help with all
problems that arise during the course of the first year of using the program.
Throughout the year I also should offer praise to the teachers as they venture
into the new areas offered by the program and use them successfully. “Maintaining
consistent standards throughout a course or training experience is essential
for learners to feel that they have been fairly and equitably treated” (Driscoll, 2005, p. 338) . As with all
learning situations the most important of Keller’s model is relevance. If
students are shown the relevance of what they are learning then they tend to remain
on-task and learn the concept being presented.
Reference:
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for
instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
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