Day 4
Thurs. Nov. 5
“Valerie Catches the Monster”
Speakers and discussion:
HTLL Chapter 11
Pink TED talk and Drive
Homework
➤ 1-on-1 meetings with me (continued)
If you haven’t yet, meet with me at the appointed time to discuss your independent language learning project.
➤ Upload independent language-learning plan worksheet
Due midnight on Friday
After meeting with me, please fill out the independent language learning project worksheet and upload it to Box by midnight on Friday. (The function of the worksheet is to create a record of the decisions we made about your language-learning project, so that I can recall the details of each student’s plan — and also so that you can read about your classmates’ plans if you’re interested!)
➤ Bring your English notebook to next class!
If you have the practice of keeping a notebook in which you record English vocabulary (words, phrases, 摘抄, etc.) please bring it to next class! We will do an activity that uses it. (If it’s a document on your computer or phone, bring your computer or phone. If you’re not in the habit of keeping such a notebook, no need to bring anything.)
➤ Finish reading chapter 2 of Drive
Some questions to think about as you read:
What are some examples of "intrinsic motivation" and "extrinsic motivation" in the area of language learning?
Pink says extrinsic motivation works well for "algorithmic" tasks but badly for "heuristic" tasks. What aspects of language learning do you think are "algorithmic" and which are "heuristic"?
Is it possible to create your own extrinsic motivation? (In other words, is it possible to reward and/or punish yourself?)
Which aspects of Pink's critique of extrinsic motivators (the 7 bad effects) do you think are most relevant to your and your classmates' English studies?
➤ Read your classmates’ summaries and interviews
Read your classmates’ summaries of their interviews, and read/listen to as many of the interviews as you can, focusing on those that strike you as most interesting.
Be ready to share one detail from a classmate’s interview that you found particularly enlightening, useful, and/or relevant to your own issues as a language learner.
➤ Short writing assignment #2: Response to pink
Please write a short response essay (500-600 words or so) responding to the ideas that Daniel Pink lays out in his TED talk and in Chapter 2 of Drive. Format it neatly (double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font), print it out, and bring it to next class.
Prompt: Please summarize the key elements of Pink’s critique of extrinsic motivators, and answer the question: Do you believe that Pink’s ideas about motivation are relevant to language learning? Use specific details from your and your classmates’ language-learner interviews as evidence to support your views.
Cite your sources in APA format and include a reference list. (Reference format for interviews can be found on the Purdue OWL under “Other non-print sources”):
Grading:
This will be our second graded assignment. I will give it a letter grade based on:
How successfully you interpret and follow my instructions
How clearly you express yourself
Whether you have actually have something meaningful to say
How accurate your English is
Whether you follow the conventions of academic writing you learned in EAP101A
In general, a piece of writing with no significant problems and that has something meaningful to say will earn an A. The grade will be lowered by two grade levels for every major problem that I believe you should work to avoid in your future writing. The grade will be lowered by one grade level for every minor problem.
(So a piece of writing with one major problem or two minor problems will earn a B+; a piece of writing with one major problem and one minor problem, or with three minor problems, will earn a B; etc.)
