There is a large amount of research regarding how to motivate students in the classroom. The ways in which students are motivated varies greatly from student to student depending on outside factors such as socioeconomic status, cultural identity, learning disabilities and exceptionalities, and home life. Learning how to best motivate any particular type of student is something that teachers are continuously researching and attempting. There is new and exciting research being released each year for teachers to read up on and experiment with in their classrooms. One of the schools of thought regarding student motivation centers around relevance. Previous studies suggest students are more likely to be and feel successful if they are learning things in the classroom that they feel are relevant to their daily lives. Researchers had students at one school write one paragraph after a lesson sharing how they thought what they had learned would be useful to their lives. “Writing 1-8 of these during a semester led to positive learning gains, especially for those students who had previously been low performers"(Ferlazzo, 2015). On the flip side, teachers who are continuously tieing curriculum to students lives for them has shown a decrease in motivation. “A more effective approach would be to encourage students to generate their own connections and discover for themselves the relevance of course material to their lives. This method gives students the opportunity to make
Motivation is the key to supporting and advancing the learning of children and young people within my class. Motivation affects the nature of an individuals behaviour, the strength of the behaviour, and the persistence of the behaviour. There are many approaches to motivation: physiological, behavioural, cognitive and social. It is the crucial element on setting and achieving goals.
Understanding how students are motivated can help educators engage students in learning activities and ultimately improve their academic performance. Researchers Mandy Sedden and Kevin Clark summarizes students’ and instructors’ perspectives on motivation and explores instructional strategies educators can use to motivate college students (Sedden & Clark, 2016). This journal article discusses the impact student motivation or lack of motivation has on the overall outcome of their educational experience. Sedden and Clark noted that many students of the millennial generation view education as an acquisition rather than a process of learning (Sedden & Clark, 2016). In other words, the thought of the high-paying job or improved intellectual status that awaits after completing school is more alluring than the process of attaining knowledge. According to the research students are intrinsically motivated when the instructor is motivated themselves, the lessons are interactive, the atmosphere is positive and well-organized, and the instructor demonstrates they care about the students.
Engaging students in the classroom can be a difficult task. Understanding the process of how students learn can help a teacher adapt the lesson to meet the needs of all students. I will encounter students that are not intrinsically motivated so I will need to find different ways to motivate each and every student. Understanding how my students learn can provide me with insights as to how to help each student learn which will minimize classroom management problems.
Every student is different, from how they learn to how much effort do they put in when studying. But with the right teacher guiding them to success, nothing is impossible. So, how do we motivate the future generation to succeed in school? The Perils and Promise of Praise, by Carole S. Dweck. The author focus on how to motivate students to succeed in school. From how you talk to them, motivate them to learn and rewarding them.
One of the most essential aspects of the educational process is to know how to motivate students for learning. A challenging part of being a teacher is to know and learn how to motivate students. First of all, a good definition for motivation is as Byrnes quote “Motivation is construct
The concepts of motivation allowed me to understand each of my students on an individual level as well. Not all students are motivated the same way and learning new ways to motivate first graders that are not, “if you do this, you will get a prize” changed my classroom environment. I used strategies like goal-setting to get my students motivated to do well on their assignments. When they saw the growth they were making it was pushing them to do better. They didn’t need to get something in order to do well. The satisfaction in seeing their growth gave them motivation. I am hoping that by starting them out with this strategy young, stays with them as they move on to the upper grade levels.
Lately, I’ve been writing about motivation because, it being the start of the school year, I am dying to know how to help my students (nearly all of whom start the year wanting to do well) persist in motivating themselves to do the year’s work and achieve a year’s worth (or more) of growing into people who will flourish long-term. Motivation is their job, and it’s my job to teach them how to do their job better.
Robyn R. Jackson, How to Motivate Reluctant Learners, ASCD, 2011,says that, what we call "motivation" in school is really a decision students make to invest in our classrooms. It's our responsibility to show students the value of investment and guide them toward behaviors that will support learning. In this guide, Robyn R. Jackson takes you step by step through the process of motivating reluctant learners--what great teachers do instead of relying on elaborate rewards systems.
Motivation can be defined as the desire or inspiration to carry out specific tasks or to do something. Motivation is required when goals are being set and more so in their execution. In a work setting, motivation can be defined as a process through which individuals choose between alternative forms of behavior with the aim of achieving personal objectives. The goals sought by individuals can be extrinsic or relatively tangible such as monetary rewards and promotion, or intrinsic or intangible such as self esteem or job satisfaction (Armstrong, 2006). In learning, the desire to attain good grades is what motivates a student to study hard everyday as they prepare for the exam. On the other hand, for a teacher to put his best foot forward, he
There are different things a teacher can do to trigger this type of motivation in students. “Some examples of
Students want and need work that enables them to demonstrate and improve their sense of themselves as competent and successful human beings. This is the drive toward mastery. But success, while highly valued in our society, can be more or less motivational. People who are highly creative, for example, actually experience failure far more often than success. Biehler (p. 225) claims that studies show that when CAI used in conjunction with a teacher's lessons, is particularly beneficial for low-achieving and young students.
A theory that supports motivation is the self determination theory. In the self determination theory people need to grow and gain fulfillment by a drive in them. Self Determination is the process of deciding how to act on ones environment. When one is trying to overcome a challenge or encountering a new experience a person wants to gain the knowledge to succeed over the new challenge. When self determination theory is in focus internal factors are at play; a person is primarily focused on the need to gain knowledge or independence. There are three factors that contribute to a student’s self determination and the needs are linked to the student’s
What is motivation? What influences it? The term motivation can be defined in different ways. Motivation can simply defined as “ a need that, if high, is evident in a strong desire to achieve, to excel, to reach a high level of excellence” (Lefrancois 430). To become motivated, one must have a positive attitude to a variety of learning skills. Some factors that influence motivation include our peers, friends, parents, and environmental settings. Division four being high school division, attention is focused towards learning and what methods can be used. Students at this stage are more eager and develop a sense of what he or she wants to do and accomplish in upcoming adulthood. With a division comes a group of intelligent theorists. All
Before the article talks about the ways to motivate students, it focuses on twelve things that current teachers are doing wrong and demotivate their students. Here are twelve demotivators that described in the article; First, being told how important today’s lesson will be in high school and beyond. (Instead, help kids live this one week of their lives powerfully.) Second, Teachers who talk the whole class period or who speak in long paragraphs when disciplining. Third, complex assignments that you don’t have the skills to complete and that have no clear evaluative criteria. Fourth, being told what you’re probably feeling and thinking, even if it’s accurate. Fifth, teachers who see teaching middle school as just something to do
A second way to intrinsically motivate students is to “understand the children” (Specific Classroom Management Methods). Originality and creativity should be encouraged in all students. Make a point to give students opportunities to express themselves in different ways. Each child is unique and self-expression is a great way to learn about each and every student. When starting the year, “Knowing what background your students bring to class and starting the course at an appropriate level can increase a students success and…positive feelings they have about your