Motivation is the foundation of learning. A disinterested student is unlikely to learn much, despite the most heroic of teacher efforts. Although
some students may come to us conveniently pre-motivated by some
combination of intrinsic and extrinsic forces, we should not
expect all of our students to automatically be on board with our plans and goals. Motivating
students and cultivating their internal motivation is part of our jobs. Here are five ways to motivate your students, or perhaps awake the motivation that lies within them.
1. Explain Why
99.99% of human beings are motivated ... by something(s). Too many students, however, are unmotivated by what is going on in their classrooms. Part of the problem is they sometimes may not understand the reasons for what happens at school. It is important to make students aware of why they are doing what they are doing in your classroom. Most students are forced to be in school, but as teachers we should try not rely to upon this obligation - it's not a strong motivator to actually learn. Early in my career, a mentor, Vicki Jacobs, taught me a valuable lesson. Every time I bounced an idea for a lesson or activity off of her, she would first ask me why I wanted to do things in that particular away. This question often helped me figure out if the idea was particularly worthwhile, and if it was, Vicky's follow up comment was usually a reminder to tell my students why they were doing what they were doing. We will motivate our students if we consistently provide them with rationales for why what they're learning matters. Although a small percentage of students may ask the "why are we doing this?" question in an attempt to distract or get under the skin of their teachers, most students do honestly want to or like to know why they are being asked to do certain things. Preempt the "why?" questions by being in the habit of regularly explaining and exploring the relevance of what you are teaching. Think about yourself as a learner or at work; don't you try harder and care more when you have a clear sense of purpose? It is respectful of your students to tell them the why. And students who understand the purpose of classroom activities and who feel respected are much more likely to be motivated. Also, for students who come to you already motivated by extrinsic factors, explaining the purpose of class activities may shift them towards healthier and more sustainable intrinsic sources of motivation.
2. Ask What Motivates Them
An obvious way to motivate students that for some reason doesn't frequently occur in many schools and classrooms is to simply ask what motivates! During my career I have only encountered a handful of students who didn't seem to have some sort of activity or interest that they was highly motivating for them. One of our first tasks each school year or semester as teachers should be learning what motivates our students, and then determining how we can link our classes to these motivational forces. In addition to finding out the areas of interest that we may be able to leverage for classroom learning, it may serve to motivate some students simply that we are care enough to ask. If directly asking students what motivates them does yield helpful information, an indirect approach can be to ask students what goals they have for their lives, in both the short- and long-term. Understanding what and who our students want to be and become helps us know how best to motivate them. And connecting back to explaining the why, it's easier to argue the relevance of your content to students when you know their specific aspirations.
3. Believe in the Best Possible Version of Your Students
Part of being a teacher is dealing with students when they are not at their best. The witches' brew of hormones, peer pressure, impulsivity, occasional narcissism, and perceived invincibility results in plenty of regrettable decisions and action. However, students also have inside of them that best possible version of who they can be, and they need teachers who believe they can and will grow into that version. Teachers who treat students' mistakes as aberrations, and who convey their belief in students' potential, are highly motivating. Teachers need to try to treat poor decisions as opportunities to learn, not confirmation of immutable character flaws. Adolescents who perceive teachers' relentless optimism regarding students' potential to grow and improve will work much harder for those teachers.
4. Appeal to Students' Sense of Ethics and Justice
Many adolescents have a keen sense of the perceived injustices of the world (some of these usually perpetrated upon them by parents / teachers)! But in all seriousness, teens, who are busy trying to figure out their own value systems, are often quite interested in ethical issues and matters of justice. They like to argue about right and wrong, and discuss what could or should be done in complicated or ambiguous moral situations. Although it may be easier in some content areas than others, there are many opportunities across curricula to leverage students' interest in ethics and justice to motivate learning. Highlighting and discussing ethical dilemmas in science, history, or literature at the outset of a unit can inspire students to want to learn the content that will help them form better opinions and arguments regarding these dilemmas.
5. Celebrate What Students Do Outside of Your Class
On a less idealistic note, everybody loves a little good publicity! Keep tabs on what your students are up to outside of class. Print out local news stories on their sports exploits, or notices about upcoming theater or band performances. For students, it can be a huge deal when they make the news for extracurricular or academic success. If you acknowledge and maybe even draw further public attention to their achievements, you will find that many of these students will be more highly motivated to work in your class.
1. Explain Why
99.99% of human beings are motivated ... by something(s). Too many students, however, are unmotivated by what is going on in their classrooms. Part of the problem is they sometimes may not understand the reasons for what happens at school. It is important to make students aware of why they are doing what they are doing in your classroom. Most students are forced to be in school, but as teachers we should try not rely to upon this obligation - it's not a strong motivator to actually learn. Early in my career, a mentor, Vicki Jacobs, taught me a valuable lesson. Every time I bounced an idea for a lesson or activity off of her, she would first ask me why I wanted to do things in that particular away. This question often helped me figure out if the idea was particularly worthwhile, and if it was, Vicky's follow up comment was usually a reminder to tell my students why they were doing what they were doing. We will motivate our students if we consistently provide them with rationales for why what they're learning matters. Although a small percentage of students may ask the "why are we doing this?" question in an attempt to distract or get under the skin of their teachers, most students do honestly want to or like to know why they are being asked to do certain things. Preempt the "why?" questions by being in the habit of regularly explaining and exploring the relevance of what you are teaching. Think about yourself as a learner or at work; don't you try harder and care more when you have a clear sense of purpose? It is respectful of your students to tell them the why. And students who understand the purpose of classroom activities and who feel respected are much more likely to be motivated. Also, for students who come to you already motivated by extrinsic factors, explaining the purpose of class activities may shift them towards healthier and more sustainable intrinsic sources of motivation.
2. Ask What Motivates Them
An obvious way to motivate students that for some reason doesn't frequently occur in many schools and classrooms is to simply ask what motivates! During my career I have only encountered a handful of students who didn't seem to have some sort of activity or interest that they was highly motivating for them. One of our first tasks each school year or semester as teachers should be learning what motivates our students, and then determining how we can link our classes to these motivational forces. In addition to finding out the areas of interest that we may be able to leverage for classroom learning, it may serve to motivate some students simply that we are care enough to ask. If directly asking students what motivates them does yield helpful information, an indirect approach can be to ask students what goals they have for their lives, in both the short- and long-term. Understanding what and who our students want to be and become helps us know how best to motivate them. And connecting back to explaining the why, it's easier to argue the relevance of your content to students when you know their specific aspirations.
3. Believe in the Best Possible Version of Your Students
Part of being a teacher is dealing with students when they are not at their best. The witches' brew of hormones, peer pressure, impulsivity, occasional narcissism, and perceived invincibility results in plenty of regrettable decisions and action. However, students also have inside of them that best possible version of who they can be, and they need teachers who believe they can and will grow into that version. Teachers who treat students' mistakes as aberrations, and who convey their belief in students' potential, are highly motivating. Teachers need to try to treat poor decisions as opportunities to learn, not confirmation of immutable character flaws. Adolescents who perceive teachers' relentless optimism regarding students' potential to grow and improve will work much harder for those teachers.
4. Appeal to Students' Sense of Ethics and Justice
Many adolescents have a keen sense of the perceived injustices of the world (some of these usually perpetrated upon them by parents / teachers)! But in all seriousness, teens, who are busy trying to figure out their own value systems, are often quite interested in ethical issues and matters of justice. They like to argue about right and wrong, and discuss what could or should be done in complicated or ambiguous moral situations. Although it may be easier in some content areas than others, there are many opportunities across curricula to leverage students' interest in ethics and justice to motivate learning. Highlighting and discussing ethical dilemmas in science, history, or literature at the outset of a unit can inspire students to want to learn the content that will help them form better opinions and arguments regarding these dilemmas.
5. Celebrate What Students Do Outside of Your Class
On a less idealistic note, everybody loves a little good publicity! Keep tabs on what your students are up to outside of class. Print out local news stories on their sports exploits, or notices about upcoming theater or band performances. For students, it can be a huge deal when they make the news for extracurricular or academic success. If you acknowledge and maybe even draw further public attention to their achievements, you will find that many of these students will be more highly motivated to work in your class.
