Show Notes
Motivation is one of the most important learning design principles – but also one of the most difficult to design for. Lots of the things we need to learn aren't intrinsically motivating, especially if it's something just have to learn for work or for our studies. And extrinsic motivators, like rewards and punishments often don't work. So, a key aim for Learning Designers is to maximise the intrinsic motivation in a learning experience. That means fostering self-direction and agency, providing positive feedback on performance, and encouraging perseverance when things get hard (and learning is hard!) We share some examples of recent learning experience that we've gone through and which we found really motivating (music production, running and wellbeing) – and think about why that was, and what some of the Learning Design decisions were in the products that we used. We discuss two theories of motivation: Self-determination theory (from researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci) suggests that there are three essential ingredients for motivation: autonomy, competence and relatedness. That means we need to feel in control of our learning, we need to feel like we're achieving and making progress, and we need to see how what we're learning is relevant to our lives and personal interests. The 'ideal future self theory', based on research by Zoltán Dörnyei tells us that if we can help learners to build a clear and tangible vision of who they want to become through learning, then we can develop motivation. And finally, we talk about how we've put these theories into practice in some of our recent projects.
More from Adventures in Learning Design
Martin Bloomfield joins us again for yet another fascinating foray into neurodiversity and learning design. We discuss the differences between learning 'input' and what 'output' is expected from learners, why it's so important to identify neurodivergence early in a learner's life, and who's responsible for ensuring learning is more inclusive. Martin also introduces us to a new acronym – PERDISOMOLO – and invites us to imagine we were wombats! (Stick with it – he's making a very important point!) This episode is the last in our Season 2 mini-series focusing on inclusive learning design (ILXD). Download the ILXD Dimensions framework at www.learnjam.com/resources and find out more about our inclusive approach to learning design at www.learnjam.com/inclusive-online-learning
Michelle Mangal talks to LearnJam about why representation matters in learning resources, how to do justice to learners' complex identities, and how good teachers can make learning materials interesting and relevant to young people. This episode is part of our Season 2 mini-series focusing on inclusive learning design (ILXD). Download the ILXD Dimensions framework at www.learnjam.com/resources and find out more about our inclusive approach to learning design at www.learnjam.com/inclusive-online-learning
How can a learner's environment – physical or digital – affect the inclusivity of learning design (ILXD)? Special guest Runna Badwan talks to us about the need to adapt techniques and approaches for learners in different contexts, the risk of making assumptions about learners' knowledge of digital technologies and how teachers and learners can thrive even in particularly challenging environments. Download the ILXD Dimensions framework at www.learnjam.com/resources Find out more about our inclusive approach to learning design at www.learnjam.com/inclusive-online-learning
In this episode, we explore one very important factor in inclusive learning design (ILXD) – the learners themselves. Special guest Martin Bloomfield talks to us about the unspoken norms and assumptions that influence how we conceptualize learning, why assessment fails to capture what all learners can really do, and how someone's early experiences of school can affect their sense of self-efficacy and motivation to learn throughout their life. Download the ILXD Dimensions framework at www.learnjam.com/resources Find out more about our inclusive approach to learning design at www.learnjam.com/inclusive-online-learning
We reflect on some highlights from the first year of the Adventures in Learning Design podcast and look ahead to what's coming up in Season 2. Plus, Tim has an announcement to make... Find out more about our inclusive approach to learning design at www.learnjam.com/inclusive-online-learning/