A few entries ago I shared a video addressing the basics student motivation. Dr. Grace Mcfield from the CSUSM School of Education also focused on the topic of motivation after the 2014 Summer teaching institute. I really enjoyed reading Grace's reflection since she really gives the audience a peak into her thinking and approach. I always enjoy these type of reflections since they often mirror the process I undertake when I design a course or problem solve.
​  

We have all asked what we have thought is a provocative or engaging question that will create a healthy debate we will barely be able to control, only to have it and subsequent attempts fall flat. It is easy when this happens to blame it on the student's lack of preparedness or general malaise. But there is a good deal of literature out there about the best techniques to engage students in discussion.

This article provides some suggestions  

Picture by wildxplorer on Flickr licensed under CC BY 2.0

During the Summer Teaching Institute faculty are exposed to a large number of ideas regarding the theme. Many participants focus on one concept or technique. However, Dr. Sheryl Lutjens took a more ambitious approach and used several ideas to address student engagement in her Women's Studies courses.

"2006-07-16 Summit Lake Park Colorado" by Matt Wright - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Commons 
​

Anyone that has designed a course have run into a problem of how to motivate students to meet your learning outcomes. We have thought about how we can get students to complete readings, lessons or projects. But most teachers go about trying to motivate students without knowing the basics about how motivation works in general. This video is a great introduction to the topic.

When it comes to evaluating our teaching during faculty development opportunities we are often to do something radical. If we are running into an issue, is the answer always throwing out what came before or making a massive change to teaching philosophy and pedagogy? Maybe the the same thing can be done with some revaluation what type of instructor you are and what you do best.

Dr. Kendra Rivera provides an amazing narrative about how she increased student motivation

As long as I have been teaching I have heard the concept thrown around of students being "visual" or "auditory" listeners. This article suggests that these colloquialisms may just be myths passed on among those in the field of education.

Read the article and see if this is a case for Mythbusters  

While not exactly teaching focused, this article seems well timed given the start of the semester brings about the preparation of tenure files for many faculty. The article has some good tips on how to use technology be create a better file.

Read the article, because it beats actually working on your file

Here is a thoughtful article about dealing with student resistance and complexity of negative feedback in student evaluations. There is some great discussion of how to deal with contradictory feedback and how to deal with feedback that is contrary to our expectations. Read the article and let us know what you think,