Motivating Gen Z Learners: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know (Coursera)

Motivating Gen Z Learners: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know Online Course Overview

This course aims to equip parents and educators with the knowledge of motivational theories and their application in real-life contexts. Following the storyline of two children, Bob and Sarah, course participants are presented with various problem scenarios. These depict common motivational issues that the participants can resolve using the motivational principles described in the course.

Through the various sessions, parents and educators will progressively build strategies that enable them to better understand Gen Z learners and enhance their motivation to learn.

Course participants will also have the opportunity to check their understanding through quizzes and to interact with one another through discussion forums.

This course was created with the National Institute of Education at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

What You Will Learn

• State the key motivational concepts and the behaviourist approach to motivation.
• Explain how the motivation to learn is enhanced when the basic needs are fulfilled.
• Explain how our mindsets and attributions influence our motivation.
• Relate the above concepts to self-regulated learning.

Motivating Gen Z Learners: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know MOOC Course Syllabus

WEEK 1

Session 1 – Understanding what motivates behaviour: Do punishments and rewards work?

By the end of this session, you will be able to determine the source(s) of a child’s motivation, to use appropriate external motivators judiciously, and identify and assist in satisfying the needs of your student(s) or children.

WEEK 2

Session 2 – Looking into the Needs of Learners: Needs-Based Theories of Motivation

WEEK 3

Session 3 – Mindsets and Causal Attributions for Success and Failure

WEEK 4

Session 4 – The Self-Regulated Learner

Course Teacher

• Stefanie Chye
• Tan Chee Soon
• Yvonne Seng
• Caroline Koh