For this week’s assignment in Unit 8, we were to dig into the idea of self and motivation a little further. This activity is supposed to be a fun one and might seem light-hearted, but if we did this with thought it should uncover our own motivation for learning and provide us an understanding of what drives us and keeps us going in our learning journey.
We needed a large piece of cardboard or poster board and some magazines, photographs, printouts from online, or other artifacts and glue. We were advised to settle ourselves in with some quiet time and start to think about the following:
- Why you are getting this degree?
- What is pushing you to keep learning and working in class each day?
- Who and what is encouraging you?
- Is your drive intrinsic or extrinsic or both?
Now look through your materials and:
- Cut out any pictures that connect to these motivators.
- Put your pictures in a pile. Nothing is wrong here and if the picture somehow resonates with you then include it (you can figure out why you chose it later).
- Place your pictures on the cardboard. Move them around. Place some in front or in the back. Cut them into shapes. Have fun but keep the idea of motivation in mind as you go through this process.
- Keep pondering what it is that is driving you.
- Glue the pictures down when you are happy with the layout.
- Add anything to the pictures such as paint or markers (quotes can be nice) to really make the work a reflection of your drive to learn.
- Take a photograph and submit it to the assignment submission area
- Include a one-page written descriptor of the process you went through and how it helped (or didn’t) help you to self-reflect on your own motivation.
- Link your overview back to the motivation theory that most closely resonates with you.
- Remember to use references to link to the theory and readings.
NOTE: I got permission to complete this assignment digitally instead of using cardboard and magazine cutouts.
Reflection of the Self in Art
Frank Jamison
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
EP614 The Psychology of Motivation and Emotion in Learning
Dr. Ian MacLeod
May 28, 2023
Reflection of the Self in Art
This assignment made me really think about what motivates me to seek a doctorate degree, and I found it to be a secondary goal. I have always loved helping others learn, and I have previously done this by helping classmates when they struggle and tutoring young people.
My wife and friends have told me for years that I should become a teacher, but I have always come up with excuses not to. I’m uncomfortable in large groups, I have a fear of public speaking. I don’t like confrontation. It was always I can’t because…
I decided to pursue this degree because I am finally at the stage in my life where I want to overcome my fears and step out of my comfort zone. I initially thought I would like to teach college students in computer science and web design. An Ed.D. in educational psychology and technology sounded perfect. I can even specialize in higher education learning technology.
As Christenson (2012) points out, student engagement is multi-faceted and includes behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Behaviorally, I enjoy participating in group discussions and asking questions of my instructors and peers to learn new things. Cognitively, I scaffold new information on top of things I already know to construct knowledge about things that interest me. And this interest in learning and the enjoyment I get from learning new things form the basis of my emotional engagement. These are my intrinsic motivations.
Extrinsically, I like the sound of “Dr. Jamison.” I anticipate favor and prestige from achieving this goal. And I expect a significant pay boost in my annual salary. After all, I do have to find a way to pay off these student loans.
But back now to why I believe earning this degree is a secondary goal. I recently volunteered to tutor mathematics for under-resourced middle school students through the EnCorps STEMx Tutoring program. I have found this to be quite fulfilling, and it has inspired me to join their STEM Teacher Fellowship program to assist in becoming a STEM teacher in math and computer science. I plan to pause working on my doctoral program to join a Master of Education program in inspired teaching and learning with a preliminary single-subject teaching credential in mathematics and an intern option.
My hope is to earn my teaching credential and get a job teaching math and/or computer science to middle and high school students and then return to this doctoral program. I take my CBEST tests this coming week and hope to start the credentialing program next month. My dreams of being a teacher might finally come true. Wish me luck!
References
Christenson, S. L., Reschly, A. L., & Wylie, C. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of Research on Student Engagement. Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7
Assignment Grade: 50/50
