Motivating School Students

And why do millions of people go to work each day?

Why do some people climb mountains?

While others run?

And others just sit?

Motivation is the force that drives our actions

And with the right

motivation

What can’t we do?

to engage in an activity?

Think of something you do—what do YOU GET OUT OF IT???

How many things do you do that aren’t fun or that aren’t beneficial?

Motivation is simply ...

The reason for an action

Step One – decide what you want.

Step Two – Think about WHY you want it.

MOTIVATION IS YOUR

”WHY”Motivation is “WHAT DRIVES YOU” to behave in a certain way or to take a particular action.

Definition

Internal and external factors that stimulatedesire and energy in people to be continuallyinterested / committed to a job, role, or subject,and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal.

Motivation is present in every life function. Simple acts such as eating are motivated by hunger. Education is motivated by desire for knowledge. Motivators can be anything from reward to coercion.

An internal drive that activates behavior and gives it direction. Motive + Action

In fact many people wake up in themorning and their first reaction is oneof surprise – that they have survivedthe night!

Goals turn expectations from ideas into reality. Knowing what he is expected to do will help your child accomplish little unless he has a plan for how to do it. Develop some ways to help your child set meaningful goals:

It is impossible for any individual, or for that matter, any team or group of people, to be motivated without a clear and specific goal.

Motivation is aboutstriving towards the future

and without a goal,there is no purpose.

Everybody can be motivated. They may have the fuse

but we don’t know at what point it will ignite.

Every one of us does have a fuse, and an effective motivational teacher can try many ways to spark somebody into a more motivated mode of behaviour.

There are two different categories of motivation theories

Motivation Theories

Air, Food, Water, Sleep, Homeostasis, Excretion

Security of: Body, Employment, Resources, Morality, Family, Health, Property

Friendship, Family, etc

Fame, Recognition, Reputation, Dignity

Confidence, Achievements, Freedom, Creativity, Problem solving, Acceptance of facts

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs by Abraham Maslow

Maslow's theory was fully expressed in his book “Motivation and Personality” (1954)

If "deficiency needs" are not met, the individual feels anxious and tense. The most basic level of needs must be met before the secondary or higher level needs.Maslow also coined the term Metamotivation to describe the motivation of people who go beyond the scope of the basic needs and strive for constant betterment. Metamotivated people are driven by B-needs (Being Needs), instead of deficiency needs (D-Needs).

Keller (1987) offers a very practical model of learner motivation termed the ARCS model. The 4 components model are….

AttentionGaining and keeping the learner's attention, Keller's strategies for attention include sensorystimuli, inquiry arousal (thought provoking questions), and variability (variance in exercisesand use of media)

Relevance

Establish relevance in order to increase a learner’smotivation. To do this, use concrete language andexamples with which the learners are familiar and aremotive matching.

Confidence

Learners will only start to put energy into an activity ifthey feel there’s a good chance that this energy willbring reward. They need confidence in your methodand in their own ability to take advantage of this.

SatisfactionAppropriate acknowledgment of instructional content and developing the desire to continue thepursuit of similar goals. Providing extrinsic rewards for progress and reinforcing students’ intrinsicfeelings of pride will also strengthen learner satisfaction.

Kinds of MotivationExtrinsic motivation is whatwe are most familiar with ineducation;

For instance, teachers motivatestudents to come to class regularly andjoin in discussions through the use ofparticipation grades.

When used wisely and thoughtfully,extrinsic motivation can be quitehelpful in student learning.

We can use extrinsic motivation ifwe know what motivates students. Forexample, many students are concernedabout their grades, either because of adesire to continue on in school or dueto pressure from their parents, andthey will do what it takes to earn goodgrades. So, if we know that grades areimportant, we can use tests and papersto motivate students to build the skillsand knowledge we expect them tohave.

Extrinsic motivation occurs whenthe source for motivation comesfrom outside the person.

•Tangible benefits: Monetary reward or a prize. •Intangible benefits: Adoration, recognition, praise.

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Intrinsic motivation occurs

when the source of

motivation comes from

within the individual.

The individual sees the task as

enjoyable and worthwhile.

Example: HOBBIES

Intrinsic motivation is internal. Itoccurs when people are compelled todo something out of pleasure,importance, or desire.

Intrinsically motivated learners want tolearn because they are curious, theywant to improve, they seek knowledge,and learning gives them satisfaction.Intrinsic motivation encourages us tocontinue learning regardless ofrewards.

If you are desirous of mastering publicspeaking for the sake of mastery andnot any reward, you have experiencedintrinsic motivation.

Kinds of Motivation

In addition to forces that produce an actuation, there is a need to have the ability to fulfill the motivation. For example, a paraplegic may have the desire to get out of a wheelchair and walk, but lacks the ability.

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A teacher that implements motivational techniques

will see an increased participation, effort, and higher

grades. This environment accounts for students who

lack their own internal motivation.

Part of the teachers job is to provide an environment

that is motivationally charged.

Motivating students is even more difficult

Teaching students is not exactly easy.

Understand why

motivating students is such a challenge

Because of overwhelming input of stimulus and influence, kids struggle to find their own identity.The thing about students is that they are exposed to so many different people acting as 'teachers' in their lives. Everyone and

everything is at this point, trying extremely hard to stimulate these kids, make them think, make them work and make them into people the world can be proud of.

Students tend to deal with the constant environmental

pressure by adopting one important policy: "I will only

allow you to influence me if you prove to me that you're worth it".

Did your group come up with answers like these?

– Friends

– Lunch

– Socializing

– Sports

– How they look in front of

their peers

– Extracurricular activities

What’s important?

– Fun activities

– Competition

– Being with friends

– If the subject is interesting

– If the topic is relevant

– Getting good grades

What motivates?

A. Pursue and discuss your own individual interests.B. Talk about intrinsic motives.C. Provide a novel and varied home environmentD. Provide experiences in which children may have

an effect on their environmentsE. Provide environments that are responsive to a

child’s actionsF. Respond positively to children’s questions while

still encouraging children to seek their own solutioins

G. Reward children often with praise, which gives them a feeling of competence

H. Relate units of study to the students’ lives.

How can TeachersMotivate

LessMotivated

Boys?

–Build relationships to show that they are valued and respected.

– Recognising that some students are ‘under pressure’ and require pastoral support;

– Helping develop and clarify the boys’ career ambitions;

– Establishing routines to help the boys work consistently over time;

– Developing tasks that require thinking rather than copying;

– Using examples to which boys can relate;

– Using humour.

• “When you have finished your dance lessons, you can have your ice cream.”

Public PraiseMake a habit of publicly praising students for achievement. You can even go as far as to create a certificate of achievement, have the student stand to receive the certificate and send it home for the child's parents to display on the refrigerator.

Appropriate PraisePraise students appropriately. If you are struggling to motivate a child, be careful to not praise him for a non-achievement. Praise him for a job well done. Rewards and praise should not be handed out left and right, instead, they should be selective and appropriate in order to motivate your students.

Tips for Teachers

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Tips for Teachers

It is impossible to motivate another person ifyou yourself are not motivated. If you want tomotivate another person, you have to bemotivated yourself.

We have to be Motivated to Motivate

Strengthen students' Self-motivationAvoid messages that reinforce your power asan instructor or that emphasize extrinsicrewards. Instead of saying, "I require," "youmust," or "you should," stress "I think you willfind. . . " or "I will be interested in yourreaction."

Give students feedback as quickly as possible

Return tests and papers promptly, andreward success publicly and immediately.Give students some indication of how wellthey have done and how to improve.Rewards can be as simple as saying astudent's response was good, with anindication of why it was good, or mentioningthe names of contributors: "Cherry's pointabout pollution really synthesized the ideaswe had been discussing."

Reward successBoth positive and negative commentsinfluence motivation, but researchconsistently indicates that students aremore affected by positive feedback andsuccess. Praise builds students' self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem.Recognize sincere efforts even if theproduct is less than stellar. If a student'sperformance is weak, let the student knowthat you believe he or she can improve andsucceed over time.

Tips for Teachers

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Tips for Teachers

Don't let your students struggle to figure outwhat is expected of them. Reassure studentsthat they can do well in your course, and tellthem exactly what they must do to succeed.Say something to the effect that "If you canhandle the examples on these problemsheets, you can pass the exam. People whohave trouble with these examples can ask mefor extra help." Or instead of saying, "You'reway behind," tell the student, "Here is oneway you could go about learning the material.How can I help you?"

Tell students what they need to do to succeed in your course

Negative feedback is very powerful and canlead to a negative class atmosphere. Wheneveryou identify a student's weakness, make itclear that your comments relate to a particulartask or performance, not to the student as aperson. Try to cushion negative comments witha compliment about aspects of the task inwhich the student succeeded.

Be specific when giving negative feedback

Students respond with interest andmotivation to teachers who appear to behuman and caring. Teachers can help producethese feelings by sharing parts of themselveswith students, especially little stories ofproblems and mistakes they made, either aschildren or even recently. Such personalizingof the student/teacher relationship helpsstudents see teachers as approachable humanbeings and not as aloof authority figures.

Show your students that you Care them

Show that youcare about yourstudents byasking abouttheir concernsand goals. Whatdo they plan todo in the future?What things dothey like?

Tips for Teachers

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Tips for Teachers

Hold high but realistic expectations for your students

Research hasshown that ateacher'sexpectations have apowerful effect ona student'sperformance. If you

Avoid creating intense competition among students

Competition produces anxiety, which caninterfere with learning. Students are moreattentive, display better comprehension,produce more work, and are more favorableto the teaching method when they workcooperatively in groups rather than competeas individuals. Refrain from public criticismsof students' performance and fromcomments or activities that pit studentsagainst each other.

act as though you expect your students to bemotivated, hardworking, and interested in thecourse, they are more likely to be so. Setrealistic expectations for students when youmake assignments, give presentations,conduct discussions, and grade examinations."Realistic" in this context means that yourstandards are high enough to motivatestudents to do their best work but not so highthat students will inevitably be frustrated intrying to meet those expectations. To developthe drive to achieve, students need to believethat achievement is possible -which meansthat you need to provide early opportunitiesfor success

Work from students' strengths and interests

Find out why students are enrolled in yourcourse, how they feel about the subjectmatter, and what their expectations are.Then try to devise examples, case studies,or assignments that relate the coursecontent to students' interests andexperiences. Explain how the content andobjectives of your course will help studentsachieve their educational, professional, orpersonal goals

Tips for Teachers

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Tips for Teachers

Variety reawakens students' involvement in thecourse and their motivation. Break the routineby incorporating a variety of teaching activitiesand methods in your course: role playing,debates, brainstorming, discussion,demonstrations, case studies, audiovisualpresentations, guest speakers, or small groupwork.

Vary your teaching methods

Introduce students to the good work done by their peers

Share the ideas, knowledge, andaccomplishments of individual students withthe class as a whole: Pass out a list ofresearch topics chosen by students so theywill know whether others are writing papersof interest to them. Make available copies ofthe best papers and essay exams. Provideclass time for students to read papers orassignments submitted by classmates. Havestudents write a brief critique of aclassmate's paper. Schedule a brief talk by astudent who has experience or who is doinga research paper on a topic relevant to yourlecture.

Help students set achievable goals for themselves

Failure to attainunrealistic goals candisappoint andfrustrate students.Encourage studentsto focus on theircontinued improvement, not just on their grade on any one test or assignment. Help students evaluate their progress by encouraging them to critique their own work, analyze their strengths, and work on their weaknesses. For example, consider asking students to submit self-evaluation forms with one or two assignments

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Sharpen the SAW…

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