Motivation in an EIP Classroom

1. Motivation in an EIP Classroom Spring 2012 Brandon Crumbley

2. Classroom Observations • Location: Oak Hill Elementary, Newton County, GA • Demographics: Whites (51%), Blacks (35%), Hispanic (8%) and multi-racial (4%) • Mrs. J’s EIP classroom • Grade Level: K-5 • Students: 1 to 5 students at a time according to grade level • Observation hours: 18

3. What is EIP? • EIP stands for Early Intervention Program • This programs helps students that can not maintain grade level performance in Mathematics and Reading • The program is generated for schools that are Title 1 federally funded. • 25.2% of Oak Hill’s students are enrolled in EIP

4. What is Title 1? • Title 1 is the nation’s oldest and largest federally fund program for school systems • Annually it provides $14 billion to schools systems that have students at risk of failure and living near or at poverty • During the 2009-2010 school year nearly 56,000 public schools were funded by Title 1 for students struggling to meet state standards in certain subject areas

5. What is Title 1? cont. • Title 1 was created in 1965 under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act • The act was geared to bridge the gap between low-income students and other students • Low-income students are determined by the number of students in a school on free or reduced lunch • In 1994 the policy was rewritten to help fundamental goals of at risk students. • With No Child Life Behind implementation schools must meet AYP to continue to receive payments.

6. What is Title 1? cont. • Also in order for an entire school to qualify for Title one funds the school must have 40% of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program • Oak Hill Elementary in the 2011-2012 school year has 63% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch program. • This is why Oak Hill qualifies entirely for Title 1 funding

7. Major findings during observation • Most students do not know what Title 1 is or that they are in a EIP classroom • They think they are just going to a special classroom for class • Most students are just barely under grade level performance with some exceptions • Motivation is key for these students to succeed

8. Mrs. J’s EIP Classroom • According to federal law the students are only allowed 45 minuets of instruction grades K-3 and 50 minuets for 4th and 5th graders with an EIP teacher. • With that being said when the students arrive in Mrs. J classroom she must get the children motivated and working as efficiently as possible • Mrs. J uses certain tools, materials and subjects that will grab the attention of the students

9. Example of Tools Mrs. J uses for motivation • Too the left are an example of tools Mrs. J uses for motivation with her students. • Brightly colored counting chips for math, SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer for reading activities, and also sports for both Reading and Math activities. • The more interest the students have during an activity the more efficiently they would work according to my observations

10. What is Motivation? • Motivation: the act or instance of motivating , or providing a reason to act a certain way • How does this affect an EIP classroom? • Motivation is key in any successful classroom environment • In an EIP classroom these students need to be motivated to reach grade level performance as fast as possible

11. Behavioral Views of Motivation • Extrinsic Motivation • Performing a task or activity to receive a reward that does not pertain to the activity or task. • With Mrs. J’s students she uses rewards to help motivate her students. • This type of Motivation works really well in Mrs. J’s classroom • Intrinsic Motivation • Motivation from gaining knowledge instead of a reward for completing the task or activity. • This type of Motivation worked well with the older students, not so much with the younger students

12. What type of Motivation worked best? • With Mrs. J’s students ,Extrinsic motivation worked the best with her younger students. • After my observations of younger students, grades K-3, once knowledge was gained they were going to receive a reward for their completed work the work or activity was done efficiently and correctly. • With some of the older students that were far behind and really struggling, Extrinsic motivation worked, but mostly Intrinsic motivation worked the best for older students.

13. Effectiveness of Motivation in Mrs. J’s Classroom • Mrs. J was very effective motivating her students to work hard and efficiently. • Both Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation worked in her classroom depending on grade level. • Motivation is very important when running an effective learning environment and classroom not just in an EIP classroom • Mrs. J does a very beneficial job motivating her students, who are limited on time due to federal law

14. Summary • Overall I learned a lot from observing Mrs. J’s EIP classroom • I gained more knowledge about Title 1 schools and the Early Intervention Program • I learned how big of a factor Motivation is when running a classroom, learning environment and teaching students • A little motivation will go a long way to push a student to learn and succeed in the classroom

15. References • Snowman, McCown, and Robert F. Biehler. Psychology Applied to Teaching. 13th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2012. Print • Title 1 School-wide Improvement Plan Oak Hill Elementary • What is a Title 1 School? • Google Images • Title 1- Improving The Academic Achievement Of The Disadvantaged