Affective Learning and Preparing to Learn

Confession: One of my biggest fears in becoming a teacher is that I will not be able to successfully motivate my students to learn or become curious about the world around them.

My love of teaching comes directly from my love of learning. I am a very curious person, I need to know; why does that work that way, why does this exist, how is that useful, etc. I thirst for the answers to my questions. I believe that one of the best ways to monitor my own teaching techniques will be to witness the curiosity growing in my classroom.. hopefully. When it comes to motivating a student to learn, there is a slew of methods that can be manipulated.

Richardson, Morgan, and Fleener's text on Reading to Learn in the Content Areas contains a variety of references that can affectively stimulate a child's learning experience. If teachers can engage a student in an emotional way that affects their attitude or self-esteem, then the affective domain has successfully influenced the student's comprehension and ability to learn. Utilizing this domain, however, is apparently not as tricky as it may seem. M. Cecil Smith (1990) touches on the manifestation of student attitudes in the classroom and how it translates to their interest in learning. Though attitudes toward reading tend to be stable from the time from childhood through adulthood, she maintains that teachers can actually win over a student by inspiring them to develop attitudes towards learning that cause them to respect, honor, and care more about the process. This inspiration can come from many different outlets.

Technology's enhancement in a modern classroom is undeniable. In this, the Digital Age, students are accustomed to using technology more regularly in their lives, and therefore may see the concept of literacy differently. This tool to is inviting and helps to motivate learning class-wide. Additionally, the teacher's attitude towards motivational technology and class participation can help to engage all students in literature that affects them personally and nurture's the desire for knowledge.

Once a student's curiosity is peaked in the classroom, the process that prepares them to learn and retain concepts is more easily objectified. In preparing to read for comprehension, students can strategize their individual process through helpful tools; such as graphic organizers, anticipation guides, etc. Personally in reading this chapter in the text mentioned above, I found that I readily identify with one of the reading comprehension misconceptions. Cognitive dissonance is an inconsistency in one's thoughts while they reading, or displaying some emotion or feeling- either about the book, or within a personal scenario- that alters a student's comprehension of the text. I think that many students struggle with this; their mind may be elsewhere or they disagree with someone mentioned in the text. These are merely bumps in the road to prepared learning that can be aided by activities such as: KWLs, Story Impressions, concept checks, and many others.

Comprehension and motivation in the classroom can be affectively in so many ways, both positively and negatively; but preparing to learn in a strategic way that personally suits the individual can help students maintain progress while students grow in their education.