How to motivate students in the classroom?
My biggest fear as a student teacher is entering my first year teaching on my own and not being able to motivate my students. Their learning depends on their participation, especially in an English class. So, my question is what ways can I motivate my students in the classroom? I made this a general question because I wanted to get a variety of ways that I could apply to a variety of activities. For example, getting students to participate in classroom discussion is very different from getting them to participate in hands-on activities. My intention was to receive answers that could help me create an environment and lessons that make students motivated and engaged.
Ways to Engage Students without Carrots and Sticks by Larry Ferlazzo:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/04/response_several_ways_to_engage_students_without_carrots_sticks.html?qs=motivating+students
In his blog, Larry Ferlazzo answers the question of how to engage students without 'carrots and sticks' by using the blogs of Chris Wejr and Jeffery Wilhelm. I believe the phrase 'carrots and sticks' refers to attaching a carrot to a stick and leading the children through activities, assignments, and discussions. While leading students on through assignments is better then having them sleep or simply sit in their desk and stare, it simply won't prove beneficial to students; thus the delimea. Students need to be engaged into activities and assignments to retain information and learn. This is especially true for discussions, because the point of a discussion is to get students to think. You cannot lead or make a child think, which means they're really not there in the discussion.
By using the blog of Wehr, Ferlazzo anwers this question by suggesting provoking student's curiosity and creating conditions to which students are self motivated, establish relationship with students, and give students ownership over learning. Establishing a relationship with students and evoking students curiosity is a given when trying to motivate students; but in the typical classroom, creating conditions to which students are self motivated is less given. Because of the wide range of students in a classroom, use one technique may motivate most of the students, but what about the other twenty percent? I argue that if you give students choice, it will increase motivation for students who are not motivated by the first technique. Perhaps include a tick-tak-toe format for assignment selection to engage and motivate the other half of the class. By offering a choice, students are also given ownership over their learning.
By using the blog of Wilhelm, Fearlazzo suggests connecting instruction to student's immediate life experience and use collaborative learning techniques. I agree with Wilhelm completely. Many high school students are caught up in the moment, ie what is happening today; therefore, if you connect instruction to their immediate life it gives the lesson relevance and gives the student motivation. Collaborative learning creates a more social environment in the classroom which connects to their immediate life experiences.
Several Ways to Motivate the Unmotivated Learner by Larry Ferlazzo:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2011/08/several_ways_to_motivate_the_unmotivated_to_learn.html
Again, Ferlazzo uses the blogs of Daniel Pink, Dan Ariely, and Renee Moore in order to answer the question of how to motivate learners. Daniel Pink also suggests establishing a relationship but suggests using this relationship to understand why the student is unmotivated. By doing this, you can use this information to better plan on how to motivate that student. He also suggests building upon prior knowledge to give students motivation through understanding concepts and their success as a learner. Dan Ariely introduces the "Ikea Effect" which simply means when a student creates -- they love what they create. To me, this means giving students the opportunity to create and be creative. Based on the "Ikea Effect," Ariely suggests inductive, cooperative, and choice learning to motivate students. This make sense because by giving students a choice it in what they create, it offers them the motivation to create, to which they'll love their creation, and be more motivated to learn through that creation. Rene Moore suggests giving students a "trailer" of what they're going to learn and the skills it will enable them to do. Essentially, I believe this appeals to student's desire for knowledge through what it will enable them to do. Unfortunately, I feel as if this technique has a time and place and classroom to which it is effective.
Several Ways to Connect with Disengaged Students by Larry Ferlazzo:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2012/05/response_several_ways_to_connect_with_disengaged_students.html?qs=motivating+students
This time Ferlazzo uses Jim Peterson and Mike Anderson's blogs as reference to inform on how to connect with disengaged students. I believe by connecting with disengaged students, a teacher can be more effective on how to motivate the student. Peterson suggests establishing a relationship with the student and giving the student a vision of their personal academic success. Obviously establishing a relationship is important, but I can see how giving the student a vision of their success can be just as important. It has been proven that students respond to the expectations bestowed upon them; therefore show students you believe in their success and they will be enabled to succeed. Anderson suggested making instruction purposeful or meaningful to students as well as making it collaborative, fun, and giving students choice.
My View: Can tests motivate students? It depends on the test - and the student. by Alexandra Usher and Nancy Kober:
http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/24/my-view-can-tests-motivate-students-it-depends-on-the-test-and-the-student/
Alexandra Usher,
senior research assistant at the Center on Education Policy at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Education and Human Development, and Nancy Kober, a consultant for the center, suggests that tests can be motivating for student learning. Obviously it depends on the test, so which tests motivate student learning? Usher and Kober suggest that tests with stakes attached urge students to study and therefore learn. So what does this mean for teachers? Teachers can use this information to give students something in return for high test grades. For example, the teacher may allow students to go to lunch five minutes early if they receive and A on a specific test. This would motivate students to study for the test so they could go to lunch early. This is definitely something to keep in mind, while it is not logically for every single test (especially since too many rewards can have a negative effect motivation).
Motivating Students to Learn by Steven Reiss: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/who-we-are/201005/motivating-students-learn
Reiss suggests another interesting suggestion to how to motivate students to learn. What is Reiss's suggestion? Financial compensation. According to Reiss when the phrase it pays to learn becomes literal, students are more motivated to learn. Material that would typically not interest a student becomes interesting or the student forces interest if financial compensation is involved. While this technique is not logical for teachers, it has been proven effective to work. Perhaps this suggestion could be passed along to parents who wish to see their child more motivated to learn a particular subject that they are failing. By offering financial compensation, the student may become more engaged and motivated in the class and therefore learn the information in order to get some green.
Our Philosophy of Student Motivation by Alexis, Jen, and Maureen:
http://motivateyourstudents.blogspot.com/
I was surprised to find only ONE blog to suggest using technology as a motivation for student learning. Alexis, Jen, and Maureen suggest technology, specifically through blogs, podcasts, and the use of glogster in order to motivate students to learn. I can easily accept this because student are able to be hands on and interact online. This supports connecting instruction to student's immediate lives (since they're online all day anyway), it gives students ownership over learning, self motivates students, provokes interest, connects to prior knowledge (prior knowledge of computers and digital literacy), and is fun for students.
How to Motivate Learning : Alternative to Rewards by Richard Curwin:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-motivation-alternatives-to-rewards-richard-curwin
Richard Curwin's blog suggested showing appreciation, challenging students appropriately, and establishing a relationship with students. Showing appreciation was a new suggestion, but it seems logical. By establishing a good relationship with the student, the student will be more eager to please the teacher; therefore by showing appreciation for student contributions in discussion and assignments, the student will be more likely to repeat (reminds me of Operant conditioning). A particular phrase in Curwin's blog stuck out to me: "when you take something away, give something back." For some reason, I like this phrase. To me, it essentially means be fair. I believe this is important in establishing a relationship with students as well as motivating them. If we are unfair to students, they will assume their work doesn't matter and be less motivated to complete work and contribute to discussions and activities.
In the end
Most of the answers to my question were things I'd already been taught. Some, on the other hand, where quite surprising and while they weren't logical, were definitely something to keep in mind. The most interesting thing I've learned through my research is the connections between each method of motivation suggested. For example, giving an assignment relevance can help students connect it to their immediate life. You can also create relevance by connection information and activities to prior knowledge. They understand and appreciate the importance of the prior knowledge and the skills it allows them to do; therefore, they embrace the new information. As I analyzed the responses I found, I noticed myself connecting one method to another. I believe this is the key to motivating a classroom of diverse learners. By connecting different methods of motivation, you can reach every individual student and motivate a class for learning. The answers I found are all possibilities for the classroom and can be utilized in the classroom (not necessarily by the teacher). Each of the responses is supported either by other blogs, research studies, experience, or are simply logical solutions.
Motivation is very important to the classroom. Without it, students will not learn;
thus, the importance of my question.
