The good example - SDU e-Learn

The good example - Teaching for Active Learning conference

Motivation by first-year students

In brief

At the TAL Conference student counsellor Rune Mastrup Lauridsen from the Faculty of Humanities and Simone Sørensen from the Faculty of Science held a workshop on student motivation. They saw the conference as a good platform to offer teachers a broader understanding of students’ motives for studying. Background of the workshop The workshop was based on the event ”Din uddannelsescocktail” which the Faculty of Humanities’ student guidance service held in the spring of 2016 for 2nd semester students. The aim was to strengthen the students’ motivation to complete their studies by giving them knowledge about study opportunities and initiate reflection on their own study path. As Antonovsky metaphorically describes:

“The students must learn how to swim instead of being pulled up of the river” (Antonovsky, 2003).

Understanding in practice Rune Mastrup Lauridsen believes that teachers play a crucial role in students’ motivation. Thus, to illustrate the importance of teachers’ work with motivation, he found it relevant to do a workshop at the TAL Conference. The 25 workshop participants took part in exercises that exemplified how to work with motivation in class. Hereby, motivation in the teachers’ own practice was emphasised. Rune points out: “...we want to clarify the diversity of our students to the teachers and thereby in the motivations for studying”. Food for thought After finishing the workshop, several participants have turned to Rune and Simone with input and positive feedback. Rune is hoping that the workshop has given thought to theoretically well-founded and concrete methods on how to motivate students. “As student counsellors, we see something else than the students’ academic development, which teachers primarily work with. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial if we (teachers and counselors) exchange knowledge and experiences so that we get a more holistic view of the students’ study life,“ Rune says.

At the conference, student councilors

Rune Mastrup Lauridsen and Simone Sørensen spoke about the importance of being able to motivate first-year students. In order to focus on teachers’ own practices, they were asked questions such as: -

“What motivated you, when you were a student?”

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“Are some motives for studying more legitimate than oth ers?”

The questions are a tool to understand the students by relating it to the teachers’ own study years. Targeted initiatives like “Din uddannelsescocktail” can help preventing students’ dropouts like in the 2nd semester, in which uncertainty about the educational choice often arises. Read about the workshop and the theories behind (p. 48-50) from this year’s conference.

Contact Anne Skov Jensen 4012 6758 [email protected] SDU Centre for Teaching and Learning Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M Entrance H by the SDU Swimming Pool - Directory December 2016

SDU CENTRE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING