Student motivation is about students' desire to be a part in the learning process. Students are not equally motivated to perform, and the sources of their motivation may be very different. Motivation is every bit as important as discipline.
Principals may want to initiate a staff motivation program. It helps when the faculty is engaged in student motivation. Student success is too important to assume that all teachers understand how to establish a positive classroom atmosphere.
Incentive motivation is a popular business practice that has found its way into education in the form of offering extrinsic rewards for achievements. Intrinsic motivation is better with students because extrinsic rewards can interfere with altruism and goal-setting in students. Schools are designed for a special population with needs that are different in many ways from the adult business world.
Students Learn Better and Teachers Teach Better in a Positive Atmosphere
The classroom walls are a good place to start with generating a positive atmosphere. Use them to display motivational posters, student-oriented and student-generated materials, and creatively designed instructional materials. A casual observer should realize quickly what subject is taught in the classroom.
Some teachers confuse power with discipline. Positive teaching approaches are more effective. Conduct a motivation survey. Ask students what teachers do to help them learn. The information will provide revealing information about the class, and students will appreciate being asked their opinion. Communication from student to teacher is enhanced by surveys
Teachers can improve their communication with students by using positive words in verbal communication and the classroom posters. Students are often very sensitive to non-verbal communication, consequently a generally positive personality and a smile can help students relax. Show enthusiasm in teaching – move around the room and gesture use gestures for animation.
Notes can be the death of instruction. While there are some things that must be presented in note form, the use of demonstrations and visual aids to help to maintain student interest and improve attention and motivation.
Use differentiated instruction to tailor individual student needs. This means tending to the "total student," not merely offering teaching in different ways.
Motivation is Improved by the Application of Educational Best Practice
Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy. Motivational strategies will be affected by student needs. It’s hard to motivate a starving student or one with security issues with a promise of a good grade on a poetry quiz. Teachers need to understand how demographics and emotions affect motivation to learning. A classroom should feel like a "break." All students should feel unthreatened and safe.
Most, if not all, teachers use rewards. There is a negative side to a reward system, as has been mentioned above. It bears mentioning also that extrinsic motivation loses effectiveness with time. Teachers should apply social skills that motivate intrinsically and enhance socialization.
Revisit Bloom’s Taxonomy. It is still relevant and is essential knowledge for expert teaching. Tailor lessons to appropriate learning levels, and always include some higher level material.
Don’t punish everyone when only one student is guilty. The idea is to put peer pressure on the offender, but it a terrible way to teach justice. Motivation is affected by discipline. Have a discipline plan that minimizes conflict.
Turning students against each other is simply wrong. Punishment motivates students to avoid punishment. That punishment will cause a positive change in behavior or attitude cannot be assumed.
A discipline plan that minimizes conflict quietly is best. Don’t expect raising one's voice to positively motivate students. Students respect mature teachers. Negative reinforcement may temporarily suppress behavior without changing it to positive behavior.
Some remnants of “old school” teaching just hang around. Help eliminate them. Specifically:
- Don’t assign school work for punishment.
- Don’t take points away for bad behavior.
- Avoid sarcasm and embarrassing techniques.
- Don’t threaten; students learn quickly to ignore threats and the teacher's authority suffers.
Students Respond to Teachers Who Care to Take the Time to Motivate
Don't "just teach," but teach with passion and a desire to reach every student. Teaching is hard work, and to avoid the rut and routine teachers must make a conscious effort to regenerate their purpose occasionally. Remembering that the fate of the nation may depend largely on the success of teachers is no small thought, and it may be true.
Motivational teaching demands that teachers care about how they teach and, most of all, who they teach. Even the least qualified student deserves the best prepared teacher. Students know the difference between teachers who care and those who don't. They learn better from teachers who care, because teachers who care will take the time to apply techniques that invite all students to learn.
Teachers need to understand what motivates and what doesn’t. Some students can be particularly challenging and seem to lack motivation to learn. Instructional strategies should stress positive techniques. Motivational teaching is about caring about students and caring about finding and applying those methods that help all students learn.
Harvey Craft - I am a retired educator with diverse experience. I read anything science, education, and history. I write to share what I learn.
