Solving Student Engagement: Designing Instruction to Motivate Every Student

As a teacher, principal, and district-level curriculum coordinator, Aaron Daffern has been educating students in Texas since 2000. Using his experience as a professional educator, Daffern offers an exciting solution to the classroom engagement dilemma: tapping into student motivation. Daffern synthesizes over 30 years of educational research into his CRAVE model of student motivation. In trying to uncover what social-cognitive researchers have discovered about what drives students to do what they do, he found five common themes: Competence, Relationships, Autonomy, Value, and Emotions. Students are motivated and engaged when they feel able to complete the task at hand (competence). Relationships between students and teachers have a large motivational impact on the classroom. When students feel a sense of control (autonomy), their willingness to participate skyrockets. Tasks that have meaning for the students (value) are much more likely to be completed. Finally, student emotions affect not only engagement but also learning itself. Using the five facets of motivation, Daffern provides instructional design tips and teaching strategies that harness the power of student motivation. Readers will not only know what makes their students tick, they’ll also revolutionize their classrooms and greatly impact the education of their students. Daffern trains schools and districts around the country in designing instruction to motivate every student. Check him out online at aarondaffern.com.

Aaron lives in Ft. Worth, TX, with his wife Heather, his children Dave, Drew, Desiree, and Daniel. He is an avid disc golfer and sports nut, closely following the Rangers, Cowboys, and Mavericks. He enjoys fantasy novels, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and reading peer-reviewed educational psychology research articles. Before becoming an education consultant, Aaron spent 11 years in the classroom as a 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade teacher. He also spent several years as a campus and district administrator of a charter school in Arlington, TX. If you would like to learn more about Solving Student Engagement, including various one- and two-day training options for schools and districts, visit him online at aarondaffern.com. You can also email him at aarondaffern@gmail.com.