Motivating Learning
General Principles of Motivation
Basic principles of motivation exist that are applicable to learning
in any situation & Motivation factors and strategies, by time period
(beginning, during, and ending)
Motivating Students
Explain what instructors can do for encouraging students to become
self-motivated independent learners & Strategies
Motivating the unmotivated students
It explains what the students want and need through author’s experience.
“It seems clear that students are not necessarily unmotivated or unwilling
learners; they are simply uninvolved in the depersonalization of the
traditional classroom. They are willing to learn; they simply may not
be able to endure the way they are taught. I now know that if I really
want to see motivation in my students, I have to be motivated to rethink
what it is I am doing to them. ”
Motivating
Students
Researchers have begun to identify those aspects of the teaching
situation that enhance students' self-motivation (Lowman, 1984; Lucas,
1990; Weinert and Kluwe, 1987; Bligh, 1971). To encourage students to
become self-motivated independent learners, instructors can do the following:
Reaching
Learning Goals
An effective teacher helps students maintain the kind of realistic
goals that keep them motivated to work throughout the semester. Here
are some tips adapted from Forsyth and McMillan's essay on motivating
students
Creating
Enthusiasm
The magic potion that motivates students to study thoroughly and
contribute thoughtfully has not been invented. Unfortunately, there
is still a great deal of confusion about the underlying causes for boredom
or lack of interest regarding formal learning. Still, finding out how
to create enthusiasm about learning remains one of the most important
challenges for college teachers.
Encouraging
Mastery
Finding the motivation to finish well can separate the successful
students from those who fail. While much of this difference has to do
with a student's temperament, there are techniques a teacher can use
to encourage students' motivation.
Keeping
it Going
This week's tips focus on the little things that a teacher can do
to encourage and assist students. Motivation theorists claim that a
number of small, ongoing rewards are often more effective than one larger
payoff at the end. With final grades still far away, you might consider
using some of the following tips in your classroom.
Capturing
and Directing the Motivation to Learn (PDF file)
As the quarter progresses and courses settle into a comfortable routine,
student interest can appear to flag….
Contract
for Academic Success
It could easily be modified and used in any academic class, any study
skills or counseling class, or any other situation in which a student
needs to identify ways of improving behaviors. Most of our students
need much help in identifying how they can do things differently in
order to achieve success. Therefore, I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes
to do this exercise in a one-on-one session.
Motivation
Terrell Bell, former Secretary of Education, once said, "There
are three things to remember about education. The first is motivation.
The second is motivation. The third is motivation." And yet, anyone
who’s given motivation any serious thought knows it’s a slippery eel.
...
Determining
Motivational Level
indicators: 1. Choice of tasks: Selection of task under free-choice
conditions indicates motivation to perform the task. 2. Effort: High
effort—especially on difficult material—is indicative of motivation.
3. ...
Defining Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation is motivation to engage in an activity as a
means to an end. Individuals who are extrinsically motivated work on
tasks because they believe that participation will result in desirable
outcomes such as a reward, teacher praise, or avoidance of punishment
The
Impact of Extrinsic Motivation
Clearly, the cup of education overflows with extrinsic motivation.
Is that good or bad? What impact do extrinsic rewards have on intrinsic
motivation and learning? Here are summaries of two relevant research
studies
Grades
as Extrinsic Motivators
Grades are one of the most universally applied extrinsic rewards
in higher education. Obviously, grades are often determined by testing.
What, then, is the impact of testing and grades on students’ motivation
and learning?
Autonomy
As motivator 1
Many theorists and researchers believe that Autonomy contributes
greatly to nurturing intrinsic motivation. This section begins an examination
of Autonomy and its related concepts (Freedom and Self-determination)
and their application to motivating students. First some experts speak:
Autonomy
As motivator 2
Invite students to write and contribute questions for an upcoming
test, with a promise to include a minimum number of student-written
questions on the actual test. The more student-written questions used
on the test, the more students will feel self-determining. This strategy
also teaches students the life-long learning skill of asking significant
questions.
Class
Mission Statements
I start each course I am teaching by having students create a mission
statement. I have found this activity sets the tone (as well as
the goals) for the rest of the course. I give each student a "post-it"
note. I ask each student to write one goal he/she has for the class
or why he/she is in this class or what he/she most wants to learn in
this class. If the students have more than 1 idea, I give them another
"post-it" note (students should write only 1 idea per "post-it").
Students are then instructed to stick the "post-it" to the
board or to a big, white sheet of paper I have taped to the board.
Motivation
in On-Line Classes
Student retention in on-line computer classes is lower than on-ground
classes at our college. In addition, as I learned from readings in Building
Learning Communities in Cyberspace (by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt)
and in conversations with on-line students, inter-group collaboration
can also stimulate motivation and enhance the educational experience.
Therefore, I added a class message forum to offer students the opportunity
to share and discuss their choice of assignments.
My experience, especially with my younger students, suggests that their thinking
represents a paradox—they are convinced that they are invincible, “that
could never happen to me,” but they cannot fathom what they will be
doing at 30. “I will live forever, but I can’t imagine being 30?!” I
wanted to help bridge that gap if possible.
Acknowledgement
in the Classroom
The studies of Motivational Theorists like Frederick Herzberg strongly
suggest that giving praise or recognition for someone’s perceived good
work is the primary motivation for continued good work. It is a better
motivator than money! Hertzberg makes a distinction between motivation
and hygiene factors. Motivation factors include recognition, achievement,
responsibility, and growth. Hygiene factors include working conditions
and pay. Herzberg noted that the hygiene factors do not motivate and
can actually de-motivate performance.
Story
Boards
Just as a road map leads a traveler in the right direction, a story
board can help students from straying off course from the goals they
have set for themselves. It will help them feel successful, one
step at a time. Collaterally, they build self-confidence by speaking
in front of their classmates. This activity could be used in any class
at any time during the semester.
Promoting
Success Behaviors
I interviewed some of the best math faculty members at my college
to discover how they hold their students accountable for behaviors that
typically lead to academic success. This report presents the extrinsic
techniques that these instructors employ until the students’ intrinsic
motivation takes over.
Meet
regularly with each student who does poorly on exams
"About nine or ten students take advantage of this help each
term," he explains. "As a result of this technique, in the
ten years I have been teaching I have not had to flunk a single student
in a course. Giving students a second chance, I find, is a powerful
motivator."
Individualize
instruction as much as possible
"For example, I might challenge a smart-aleck student with a
question he can't answer, and then help him find a way of researching
or solving the problem. With a shy student, I might start out by asking
him to walk back to the office with me to loan him a book I think will
be of interest, or I might ask him to go to the library and look up
something for me. Once he is in the office, I may ask him to work out
a problem on the blackboard and discuss it with me orally, and then
gradually convince him to make a presentation in front of the class.
Treat
students like colleagues
A faculty member in a professional school says, "I talk to upper
division and graduate students the same way I talk to professional colleagues.
I don't talk down to them." This attitude is reflected in his assignments
where he typically tells students, "I don't want you to write a
paper on something I already know. I want you to teach me something
I don't know. Write your paper for professional architects." He
feels that this approach motivates students to select their research
topics and to write their papers more carefully.
Model
your own high standards to students
Modeling your own high standards for students. "If you do a sloppy
job, you can't expect the students to do a good one," one history
professor explains. "I point out to the students that I put in
several hours preparation outside of class and I expect them to do the
same. After all, I already know the material, and if it takes me several
hours to review it in order that I do my best, certainly the students
can't expect to do less and still do well in the course."
