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Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Education Opinion

Q & A Collections: Student Motivation

By Larry Ferlazzo — July 22, 2015 5 min read
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I’ll begin posting new questions and answers in late August, and during the summer will be sharing thematic posts bringing together responses on similar topics from the past four years. You can see all those collections from the first three years here.

Today’s theme - the second one in this summer series - is on student motivation.

Previous updated thematic collections are:

Classroom Management

You can see the list of student motivation posts following this excerpt from one of them:

From 2014/15

Ways To Build ‘Authentic Engagement’ & Not ‘Strategic Compliance’

Educators Vicki Davis, Rusul Alrubail, Laura Cabrera and Dana Dusbiber contribute their suggestions.

Strategies For Encouraging Student Engagement

William & Pérsida Himmele, Jennifer Gonzalez and Karen Lirenman share their ideas.

‘Care Is The Catalyst For Learning’

Sean McComb, P.J. Caposey, Cindi Rigsbee, A. William Place, Jennifer Fredricks and several readers contribute their thoughts on the topic.

‘There’s Nothing More Innovative Than Care’

Educators Andre Perry, Sara Ahmed, Kristine Mraz, Sean Slade, and Mai Xi Lee provide responses.

Supporting Student Engagement by ‘Building Community’

This post includes guest responses from Jennifer Fredricks, Aubrie Rojee, April Baker, Beth Donofrio, and Louis Cozolino.

Student Engagement Is ‘The Act of Being Invested in Learning’

Patricia Vitale-Reilly, Ken Halla, Zaretta Hammond, Barbara Blackburn and Heidi Weinmann write their responses.

Student Engagement ‘Involves Joyous Effort’

ReLeah Lent, Barry Gilmore, Nancy Steineke, Michael Opitz, Michael Ford, and Eric Jensen all share their thoughts on the topic.

The Best Ways To Engage Students In Learning

Responses in this column come from Julia Thompson, Myron Dueck, Bryan Harris, and Debbie Silver.

From 2013/14

Ways To Cultivate Whole-Class Engagement

Vice-Principal Jim Peterson, educators/authors William & Pérsida Himmele and I share our ideas on getting all students in class participating more all the time.

‘There Is No Such Thing As An Unmotivated Student’

This post has an impressive “line-up” with guest responses from Cris Tovani, Josh Stumpenhorst and Eric Jensen.

‘Good News & Bad News’ About Student Motivation

This post post another “all-star” line-up of guests: Maurice J. Elias, Stevi Quate and Cindi Rigsbee, and includes an intriguing chart I made with Google’s Ngram Viewer.

‘Listen, Empathize, Connect’ For Student Motivation

Educators Jason Flom and Barbara Blackburn contribute their thoughts, along with many comments from readers.

‘Character Should Be An Integrated Element Of Education’

Educators Debbie Silver, Jason Flom, David B. Cohen and I share out commentaries on if and how “character” should be taught in schools.

‘Teaching Character Is Not A Program Or Curriculum’

This post features contributions from Maurice J. Elias, Dr. Sherrel Bergmann, Dr. Judith Brough, and Thomas R. Hoerr.

‘Character Is Not Compliance Out Of Fear’

This post shares a guest response from Lester L. Laminack, educator and author, as well as many comments from readers. I’ve also included another interesting Ngram Viewer chart.

‘Teachers Need To Behave Like Johnny Appleseeds': An Interview With Daniel Coyle

Daniel Coyle is the author of The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. and its sequel, The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills. Many educators have read and applied aspects of his book to the classroom (as I have), and he agreed to answer a few questions.

‘Creating a Culture Where Students Want to Succeed’

This column post includes comments from Margaret A. Seale, Maurice J. Elias, Heather Wolpert-Gawron and Dr. Howie Knoff. I also share ideas contributed by readers.

Ways To Develop a Culture of Success in Schools

Educators Jeffrey Benson, Christopher Lehman, and Barbara Blackburn share their responses.


From 2012/13

“Flow” In The Classroom

David J. Shernoff, the preeminent researcher on directly applying the concept of “flow” to the K-12 classroom, provides the featured commentary here.

Student Engagement “Requires A Conversation”

Educators Mark Barnes, Dr. Jeffrey Zoul, Heather Wolpert-Gawron, and Marsha Ratzel share their thoughts (along with multiple comments from readers).

Teachers As “Persuaders": An Interview With Daniel Pink

Acclaimed author Daniel Pink answers several of my questions here.

Classroom Strategies to Foster a Growth Mindset

Professor Carol Dweck and Dr. Lisa Blackwell, the co-founder of the organization designed to help schools be more effective in helping students develop growth mindsets, are the co-authors of this guest response.

Applying Research Findings to the Classroom

Several guests contribute their ideas to this topic, and I’d like to particularly highlight Bryan Goodwin’s response on “applying research on student motivation to teacher talk.”

An Interview With Paul Tough On Character & Schools

Author Paul Tough responds to a number of my questions in this post.

Teaching “Character” In Schools -- Part Two

Author/educator Debbie Silver and I make suggestions and observations.

From 2011/12

1. Several Ways to Connect With Disengaged Students

Assistant Principal Jim Peterson and author Jim Anderson share their suggestions. Jim’s downloadable instructions for conducting “walk-and-talks” with students seemed to particularly strike a chord with readers.

2. Several Ways To Engage Students Without Carrots & Sticks

Principal Chris Wejr and educator and author Jeff Wilhelm offer practical ideas on how to help students develop intrinsic motivation.

3. Several Ways To ‘Motivate’ the Unmotivated To Learn

Best-selling authors Daniel Pink and Dan Ariely respond to the question -- with Ariely answering in a video.

4. Part Two Of Several Ways We Can Help Students Develop Good Habits

Author Art Markman lists several ways teachers can help students develop better study habits.

5. Several Ways To Help Students Develop Self-Control

Roy F. Baumeister, director of the social psychology program at Florida State University and co-author of Willpower: Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength, describes his research on self-control as a “limited energy resource” and its classroom implications.

6. Several Ways We Can Help Students Develop Good Habits

New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg, author of the new best-selling book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, shares his responses to my questions on how to apply his research to our work in schools.

I hope you’ve found this summary useful and, again, keep those questions coming!

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.