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Running Head: Motivational Framework

Motivational Framework for Writing 101

Tiffany A. Simmons

Strayer University

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Table of Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………..3

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………4-5

Establishing Inclusion…………………………………………………………………….5-7

Developing Attitude……………………………………………………………………...7-8

Enhancing Meaning……………………………………………………………………….8-9

Engendering Competence…………………………………………………………………9-10

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...11

References………………………………………………………………………………...12

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Abstract

The class was to create a curriculum outline that highlighted the four conditions of Ginsberg &

Wlodkowski’s motivational framework, as explained in Diversity and Motivation: Culturally

Responsive Teaching in College (2009). This framework explains in detail how instructors and

teachers can become more culturally responsive in the teaching practices. Instructors are given

instruction in creating safe and effective learning environments, designing engaging curricula,

and promoting learner achievement. This framework, if followed, will enable the instructor to

demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they are looking for in their learners.

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Introduction

A curriculum is “a set of courses constituting an area of specialization” (Merriam-

Webster, 2011). In many colleges and universities, a curriculum comprises required and elective

coursework in which learners may receive credit toward a degree, a diploma, or a certification.

The curriculum is taught by qualified instructors who are certified or authorized to deliver the

course content. Instructors facilitate instruction and ensure that learners meet or exceed learning

objectives for the course. In addition to that, instructors must meet the challenges of designing

and implementing instruction for learners who are from different backgrounds from themselves.

Developing a culturally responsive teaching style, that includes all learners, is a must in today’s

educational environment.

Being culturally responsive means “responding proactively and empathetically to

appeals, efforts, and influences” (Ford, 2010). Culturally responsive teaching is intentional and

planned for rather than haphazard and random in its design. It “occurs when there is respect for

the backgrounds and circumstances of students regardless of individual status or power, and

when there is a design for learning that embraces the range of needs, interests, and orientations

in a classroom” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). There is a sense of care and urgency put into

the endeavor. In a culturally responsive environment, each learner is made to feel important and

acknowledged, motivating him or her to learn more effectively. Donna Ford (2010) put it best

when she said “teachers open doors for culturally different students to reach their potential”

(p.50), When instructors develop the cultural sensitivity needed to engage culturally different

learners, they increase their motivation and desire to learn.

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According to Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007), motivation is both intrinsic

and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is derived from the learner himself or herself; extrinsic

motivation is derived from the environment or other external circumstances. Learners who are

intrinsically motivated learn best when their experiences and values are placed at the center of

instruction. In order to build such motivation in students, Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009)

created the motivational framework. This framework is “a way to plan for and reflect on

teaching that is respectful of different cultures” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). The

motivational framework comprises four conditions: establishing inclusion, developing attitude,

enhancing meaning, and engendering competence. Each condition builds on the other to bring

learning to a full circle-from a learner who feels welcome and accepted to one who feels

confident and proficient.

Establishing Inclusion

Adult learners re-enter the classroom environment with some fear and apprehension

about learning. What will it be like? Will the class be boring? Will the teacher hate me?

Usually, these stem from unresolved issues from their last classroom experiences. Their

confidence level is low; they feel alone and left out; and they do not feel that they will receive

the help they need to be successful. As far-fetched as those scenarios may seem, adult learners

have them, and adult educators must be prepared to meet the needs of these learners, whatever

they may be and wherever they are in the learning process.

Establishing inclusion is the first of four principles of the motivational framework.

Establishing inclusion is the act of creating connection among members of a learning

environment. To ease the tension of re-entering a classroom environment, the adult educator

must make the environment as inviting as possible to the learner. This environment must be one

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where norms and expectations “contribute to the developing as a community of learners who feel

respected and connected to one another and the teacher” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009) and

one in which learners can learn and be engaged.

To facilitate the establishment of inclusion, the instructor should greet each class

member as he or she arrives with a “hello” and, if the instructor feels so inclined, a handshake

and a “welcome.” As each class member arrives, they should begin the first assignment that is

placed on their desks. This, of course, would be the first icebreaker. The icebreaker would ask

for name, major, why the person is taking the class, and what the person expects from the class.

The second icebreaker would follow the first, in that each person would introduce himself or

herself and tell the class one fact about themselves. During the introductions, it would be

appropriate for the instructor to ask the student what name he or she prefers to be called in order

to acknowledge that student and make him or her feel comfortable. The instructor should have

his or her name on the board for others to see, so that they know who is teaching them-and

should tell the class how the name is pronounced, in the event that the spelling of the name and

the sound do not quite go together. Additionally, the educator should tell something about

himself or herself in order to engage the class and establish oneself as the leader of the class.

Finally, the instructor would deliver a course overview, distribute a course syllabus, and

communicate classroom rules and expectations. To confirm understanding of the overview, the

syllabus, and classroom rules and expectations, the instructor would require the learners to sign a

contract which would be attached to the syllabus and submit for a grade. All of the above seems

like activities that go on in an elementary or secondary school classroom, but establishing

inclusion is good practice in any classroom-regardless of the age and grade of the learners.

Establishing inclusion in a classroom environment should happen immediately; otherwise, the

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instructor runs the risk of losing control of the classroom and the learning process. Establishing

inclusion paves the way to developing attitude, the second condition in the framework.

Developing Attitude

Developing attitude is “creating a favorable disposition of the learning process”

(Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). This favorable disposition occurs when the learner discovers

that the environment is conducive to learning. As was stated before, instructors must

acknowledge that leaners come to the classroom with previous experiences, positive and

negative, of the learning process. It is imperative that the learning environment is made as

stimulating and as relevant to the learner as possible.

A stimulating environment offers numerous opportunities for the learner to develop

knowledge and skills that will enable him or her to be successful in the environment. For

Writing 101, an instructor must offer plenty of chances for the student to experience success and

to make sense of his or her environment and capacity to learn. To that end, students will be

given chances to reflect on their experiences in a writing journal, participate in interactive

activities like book chats and poetry slams, and learn about the practice of writing in order to

become familiar with its conventions. One important thing that learners should know with

writing is that it takes time to cultivate a personal voice and a style. Through their own

reflections and development of various writing pieces, they develop a favorable attitude, like

what they are doing is relevant.

In an adult classroom, specifically, coursework that is relevant and has value-and is

interesting and fun-does a great deal to motivate a learner to succeed. For one, learners are able

to use their own experiences in the learning, and two, knowing what can be achieved through his

or her own effort develops in the learner a positive, enriching experience. The third condition,

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enhancing meaning, further engages the learner in personally relevant activities and further

reinforces his or her attitude toward learning.

Enhancing Meaning

Enhancing meaning involves “creating engaging learning experiences that include

learners’ perspectives and values” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). The first time some of

these learners learned to write, the topic was selected for them without consideration as to

whether they cared enough about the topic to write about it, or even knew enough to be

successful at it. Perhaps this is why some learners do not feel connected to their writing voice.

In Writing 101, the instructor will reconnect the learner to his or her voice through an opening

exercise, in which they will describe their last writing assignment. What was the topic? Who

chose the topic? Was the learner satisfied with the result? Why or why not? The purpose of this

assignment is to encourage students to open up about their writing experiences. Perhaps the

learner was exposed to certain topics and ideas that they did not choose. Instead of forcing the

learner to write about a certain topic, which is often restrictive in its interpretation and how it is

treated, an instructor would do well “to better to understand and act in concert with the particular

realities of diverse adult learners” (Sheared & Sissel, 2001). Adult learners are indeed diverse

and have their own viewpoints about their learning and personal experiences, and enhancing

meaning through writing helps learners “go beyond facts and encourage learners to learn from

different points of view” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009).

Learners will also learn how to write a good paper, using the six writing traits. For the

first few days, the focus will be on idea and content development. In order to keep “students’

experiences, concerns, and interests in mind” (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009), the instructor

will pose a question to the students: what is the one thing that you do so well, that you feel that

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no one can do it like you, and others will pay you for doing it? For this assignment, learners will

develop their ideas and content. They will use this for their writing portfolios, which will be

talked about under the fourth and final condition, engendering competence.

To finish the portion of curriculum dealing with enhancing meaning, learners will work

further with the concept of idea and content development as they listen to and respond to a short

story. They will determine if the ideas in the story were clear and easy to understand, and

whether the content was easy to follow. Afterward, they will reflect on books and stories they

have read. They will recall a book they liked and explain why they did liked it and reflect on a

book that they did not like and why they did not like it. Students will share their reflections and

offer possible book titles for reading by the entire class. It is suggested that the book titles

chosen by the class reflect diverse perspectives so that all learners’ backgrounds can be

represented, and everyone will be able to participate in class with confidence.

The fourth and final condition of the framework is engendering competence. It is a result

of including all learners in the learning experience, developing an attitude that is conducive to

learning, and offering an engaging environment for learning. When a student feels competent,

he or she becomes an authority of sorts on what he or she has learned and is now a proficient

learner.

Engendering Competence

The final piece of the framework, engendering competence, has the learner become more

effective at learning (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). Learners who are becoming effective at

learning feel confident and capable. They not only can learn, but they become more self-

directed and independent in their learning. In short, they know how to learn. How do learners

get that way?

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To engender competence in learners, instructors must have evaluated that student’s

learning progress via assessments. Assessments measure what is learned, as well as how well it

was learned. For Writing 101, the assessments of choice are writing portfolios consisting of the

learners’ best work. They are given ample opportunity as they build this portfolio to correct their

errors and submit an error-free copy for evaluation. The writing portfolio will be a

demonstration of the learner’s competence as a writer. Additionally, learners will create poetry

chapbooks with their best poetry work for display in an arts festival. As with the writing

portfolio, the chapbook must contain the learner’s best work. Both the portfolio and the

chapbook will be assessed through a grading rubric, which lists a set of criteria that the final

project must meet in order to receive the highest possible score.

Aside from portfolios and chapbooks, the class will also write literature essays and

complete tests and quizzes. The literature essay, like the portfolio and chapbook, will be

assessed by rubric. The tests and quizzes will not. These will be graded in the traditional way-

points taken off for incorrect responses, with comments and feedback to assist the student in

performing better on future assessments.

As instructive as assessments are for students, they are just as much so for instructors. It

informs them of what students have mastered and what they have not. It informs them of what

needs to be taught again. Finally it informs them of which students need more intensive

assistance from the instructor or from a classmate who is more proficient at the material.

Assessments measure how well the learning outcomes were achieved and what needs to happen

next. As learners are given positive feedback on their performance and continue to improve,

their confidence improves. The result of this is learning proficiency.

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Conclusion

The motivational framework is an effective guideline for instructors in creating safe,

caring, and diverse learning environments. Prior to this class, the extent of the learner’s

knowledge about motivational frameworks was next to zero. In fact, the only exposure this

learner had to motivational frameworks was motivation theory. Motivation theory, although it

attempts to explain student learning, does not offer a framework with which to measure and elicit

proper learning outcomes from learners. Perhaps the lack of this tool in K-12 teaching circles is

the reason for poor classroom management skills? That is not known. What is abundantly clear

is that the framework is easy to understand and is a big help to instructors who want to produce

positive learning outcomes and positive learning relationships with their learners. Using the

motivational framework enabled this learner to improve learning outcomes and stay focused and

on-task with teaching objectives. This framework will be used again and again to plan for

curriculum and design effective lessons and units for learners of all backgrounds.

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References

Ford, D. Y. (2010). Culturally Responsive Classrooms: Affirming Culturally Different Gifted

Students. Gifted Child Today, 33(1), 50-53. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Ginsberg, M. B. & Wlodkowski, R. J. (2009). Diversity and motivation: Culturally responsive

teaching in college. (2nd

ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, S. B., Baumgartner, L. M., & Caffarella, R. S. (2007). Learning in adulthood: a

comprehensive guide (3rd

ed.). San Francisco: Wiley.

Sheared, V. & Sissel P.A. (Eds.). (2001). Making space: Merging theory and practice in adult

education. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey.