Teaching and Motivation

39409PART I

Travis is teaching a course of average difficulty. On the first day, he informs his class that the course is very hard and that very few students earn grades higher than C. He knows that this is an exaggeration. He expects that the grades will be distributed just as they are in any other course, but he thinks that this introduction will improve his teacher evaluations at the end of the course. Given what you know about acquired motivation, what do you think Travis is up to? What would Crespi think the students will experience at the end of the course?

PART II

Mack is considered a normal teacher, bordering on the dull side. He seldom provides praise in class and never does anything other than lecture on the material. His colleagues accuse him of caring very little about motivation. Jordan teaches a different section of the same course. He is enthusiastic and likes to surprise students with treats in class and bonus points for attendance. Whose students do you expect to learn the material better? Justify your answer.