Please split up into discussion groups with about four students in each group.

To give you a chance to work with many different people, please try to work with people you have not done group work with before.

Now that you have found a group, let’s have a discussion. Talk to your group members about: What did you have for breakfast this morning? Was it a healthy choice for you? How do you feel now having had that for breakfast. How do you feel/function when you are hungry? Do you think that being hungry has any effect on your performance in class. Can you think of a time when you REALLY had to use the rest room, but one was not available to you? What did you do? Were you able to concentrate in that moment? Please recall a difficult emotional experience you have dealt with, such as the death of a loved one, a falling out with a friend, or the loss of a job. How did that situation make you feel? Do you think that experience had any effect on your school performance? Why or why not? What factors might have contributed to your SUCCESS in that situation?

Let’s watch this video about a program that aims to help children deal with huger. The video talks about a school that created a program to help children deal with a need. With a thumbs up or down, do you think this type of program might work in schools in the Los Angeles area? I personally know of five schools in the San Fernando Valley area that use a program like this. I suspect there are many more.

Talk about this with your group: The video talks about a school responding to the food needs of children. This response goes way outside the scope of teaching academic lessons. Why might a school address needs like hunger? Is feeding children the responsibility or purpose of the school? If not, what is? What other programs might a school promote? What about bully prevention programs and other safety programs?

The video mentioned that the children were unable to attend to lessons and learning suffered because children were hungry. Abraham Maslow, an important theorist, proposed a theory explaining a human hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid are physical needs. He proposes that unless those needs are met, attention can not be given to fulfilling other needs or activities, such as academic learning. This video will explain Maslow’s theory:

We have seen examples of how deficiency needs have been met (feeding hungry children), but how about other needs? What are some ways the needs described in Maslow’s hierarchy are addressed in schools?

Maslow and Motivation In this course, we will study motivation from a variety of perspectives. Let’s start with Maslow. According to Maslow, we are driven or motivated by our needs. Discuss Do you think people are motivated by their needs? Which needs are most important to you right now? Which of your needs need to be met in order for you to learn best? How are you motivated to learn? OR What motivates you to learn? Under what circumstances do you learn best? What kind of learning environment is best for you to learn?

Ticket Out- Please write one to five sentences, or a bullet point list about each idea. 1) Under what circumstances do you learn / best? For example, do you need complete quiet, hours upon hours to study- or brief study sessions? Do you need specific supplies such as several pencils sharp and ready BEFORE you open a book? Do you study in your bedroom, a table in a common room, the Library, or Starbuck’s? Do you prefer to sit on the couch or your bed, or at a desk or table while you study? Do you like group study sessions, or do you study best alone? Do you listen to music when you study? What kind of music? Do you chew gum, eat certain foods, wear a specific type of clothing? 2) What can an instructor or teacher do to help you learn/ achieve best? For example, provide visual examples, run study sessions to help me complete assignments, answer questions in class, make expectations clear, maintain high expectations, allow me to do revisions when necessary, etc… 3) (OPTIONAL) What else can you tell us about your learning style?