Motivation and Learning Styles in the Junior High Classroom Mario Eleftheros Aaron Driscoll

Motivation and Learning Styles in the Junior High Classroom The two issues we have decided to address are student motivation to learn and the wide range of learning styles present within a typical junior high classroom.

Latitude and Longitude Video  Pre-Video Questions: While watching the video, we want you to think about how it could be used to motivate junior high students to learn? What kind of learning styles are best addressed by this type of activity?

Latitude and Longitude Video  Post-Video Discussion What kind of learners would benefit from this? Who would you miss? How could this video be used more effectively in a junior high classroom?

Video Project-Quotes  “(c)omputers, video and other technologies engage children with the immediacy they are used to in their everyday lives.” (Hoffenberg and Handler, 2001)  “(s)tudents find video motivational and, more important, they demonstrate higher-level thinking skills when producing video clips.” (Strommen and Lincoln, 1992)  “…applications such as… desktop video can be used to involve students more actively in constructing presentations that reflect their understanding and knowledge of various subjects. … These new technologies make content construction much more accessible to students, and research indicates that such uses of technology can have significant positive effects. (Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin and Means, 2000)

Video Project-Quotes  By providing (students with disabilities) … alternative ways to demonstrate what they have learned, multimedia applications can be very motivating. The technology provides a tool for students with disabilities to express themselves, and an opportunity for them to showcase unique abilities and talents that generally are not revealed in traditional school assignments. Multimedia projects can be especially important for students with disabilities who seldom have the opportunity to demonstrate their strengths in school. (Hasselbring and Glaser, 2000)

Latitude and Longitude Video Project  Brainstorm: Identify various ways that students could represent their knowledge and understanding of latitude and longitude using video.

Latitude and Longitude Video Project  Overview of Lessons  Lesson 1: Objective: An introduction to absolute geographical location; latitude and longitude.  Lesson 2: Objective: Introduction of project. Students will begin to plan and research their video.  Lesson 3: Objective: Students will begin to shoot footage for their video.  Lesson 4: Objective: Students will edit their video.  Lesson 5: Objective: Product sharing. *Note: Students would have previously been introduced to basic video production skills either through direct teacher instruction and practice or through involvement of a guest speaker or workshop.

Latitude and Longitude Video Project Questions to Promote Inquiry  Students will be required to create a short video (2-5 minutes in length) that addresses one or more of the following questions; “Why is the earth grid (latitude and longitude) important?” “How is the location of lines of latitude determined?” “Why are the Equator, the Tropics and the Circles where they are?” “Why is the Prime Meridian ‘prime’?” “Identify the significant lines of latitude and longitude?”

Latitude and Longitude Video Project  Things students may want to include in their videos are: Images of globes, maps, etc., student drawings, skits, narrative, sound effects, animation, titles, transitions, credits, etc.

Video and Learning Styles  Verbal-Linguistic  Mathematical-Logical  Visual-Spatial  Bodily-Kinesthetic  Musical  Interpersonal  Intrapersonal  Naturalist  Existentialist

Video Project Considerations  Equipment availability (Video cameras and editing computers and software) We chose to conduct this experiment with small groups of volunteer students working after school outside of class time due to limitations with equipment. If equipment limitations are a factor, this could be assigned as an out-of-school project with students scheduling computer and camera time.  Class size  Skill and comfort level of teacher

Video Project Assessment  Pre-test and cumulative assessment (i.e.quiz)  Personal reflection of the activity  Peer and self evaluation

Video Project Assessment???  Since the ultimate goal in doing a video integration project is the learning that takes place during its creation, should the final project be assessed, or should there be other ways of assessing the learning that has taken place?

Our Students’ Work Enjoy!