Motivation!!!

     When I was in high school, I knew students who absolutely hated being students. They never wanted to come to school, thought they hated learning, and felt like they were terrible at all the subjects so why even come to school. They said things like, "When will I ever need to know this?" and "I don't want to go to college anyways so why am I here getting 'prepared for college'". But then I watched as those students take an art class. Something changed. Our art teachers inspired and motivated them to actually try. They made them feel like they were capable of something great and that their voice mattered. All of a sudden these students loved coming to school. They looked forward to coming to class and did their work on time. They started looking at colleges with good art programs and look forward to their future. 
     I want to be a teacher like that. I want to give my students a new way to express themselves. Art is such a great subject in that I can create assignments based on whatever I want. I have an opportunity to teach them about other things, like math, science, history, language, or current events through new ways that might reach them differently, and provide a forum in which they can voice their views on each subject. I want to inspire intrinsic motivation in my students. Create intrinsic motivation in students who might have never felt that in schools. To do that, I'll build their self esteem and make them realize that they are all capable of producing art. Kids have a need for competence. A lot of the time schools and tests can beat that out of a student who might think about things in a different way. I don't want to just protect their self-worth, but remind them of it. A good way to help with this is minimizing competitions in the students' artwork. I am going to stress that everyone has their own voice therefore everyone has their own style. Its impossible to compare people's work. 
     If I succeed in creating in them a sense of self-worth and self-efficacy, I would then want to inspire self-determination. I'll give them an assignment and basic instruction, but then they will need to come up with an idea for their projects themselves; a way to make it their own. Since they have created their task themselves and its uniquely catered to themselves, hopefully they will be determined to follow through and carry it out. 



Cognitive theories: cognitive and emotional factors affect perceptions of self; control & choice (self-determination)