User:Tomokostone

How can teachers motivate students?

Tomoko Stone

Introduction

Students have different work habits, different abilities, and levels of motivation to learn. These factors influence student’s achievement. Yet, studies show that students who are motivated to learn are the ones to succeed. For this reason, teacher must create the desirable environment and use effective activities to motivate students.

Motivation

Motivation is factors or reasons for engaging in a particular behavior. There two different kinds of motivation – intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore, and to learn which is related to a positive feature of human nature and curiosity. Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain some separable outcome (Deci & Ryan). When students are intrinsically motivated, they are willingly doing something for enjoyment. When students are extrinsically motivated, they are doing something in order to earn a reward or to avoid a punishment.

Researches

Today students seem to get bored very easily in traditional classroom procedures that are material reading, note taking, and workbook assignment. Today’s students are technology experts. They know how to operate a computer, create PowerPoint, and use software. They play games and are stimulated by visual effects. A national longitudinal study, sponsored by the National Center for Educational Statistics (Rothman, 1990), indicated that too many students believe school-work is boring. When students feel bored, they usually do not have motivation to participate in the learning process. Teachers need to learn new strategies to get students motivated and engage them with the tasks.

How to Motivate Students

How can teacher motivate students? Motivating students is not very easy, but there are many way to motivate students. One of the strategies teachers can use is positive feedback to a student’s tasks. The study of Deci &Ryan showed “positive performance feedback enhanced intrinsic motivation, whereas negative performance feedbacks diminish it (Deci & Ryan). Teachers can catch good things and praise students when they accomplish something instead of giving attentions to mistakes and bad behaviors. Students would be most willing to participate in class rooms where teachers expressed enthusiasm about learning, communicated a belief that all student, can learn, and provided academic and emotional support for students’ understanding (Patrick & Turner). When students understand teacher’s expectations toward them and enthusiasm about learning, they would motivate to participate in the classroom. According to the article of Business Wire (April 13, 2007), teachers who want to motivate students to stay on task, increase their knowledge and skills and improve their ability to process information, must guide the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of learning behavior. Teachers need to be ready for everyday lesson for well prepared lesson plan, have clear direction and smooth transitions, and handle student’s behaviors to get students on tasks.

Both personal motivation and instructional practices influence a student’s willingness to participate in learning activities (Patrick & Turner, 2004). Hootstein, the author of “Motivating students to learn.” suggests that teachers need to know both what strategies are effective and why they are effective. He indicates the research of eighteen U.S. history teachers at the eighth-grade level in seven schools located in middle-class suburban neighborhoods about what strategy they use to motivate students to learn U.S. history? Table 1 contains the ten most frequently identified motivational strategies. Strategies Used by Teachers to Motivate Students to Learn Number of teachers mentioning strategy Strategy                                        (N = 18) Have students role-play characters in simulations. 15 Organize projects that result in the creation of products. 11 Play games with students for reviews. 8 Relate history to current events or students' lives. 8 Assign students to read historical novels. 8 Use thought-provoking questions. 6 Invite guest speakers from the community. 6 Show videos and films. 5 Organize cooperative learning activities. 5 Provide small-scale hands-on experiences. 5 Note: The interview format used in this study enabled the teachers to identify as many strategies as they wished. (Hootstien)

Hootstien summarized teacher’s motivational strategies. Teacher should •	Provide activities that help students to participate in realistic situations such as participating in events and visualizing clear images. •	Provide students with opportunities for social interaction, hand-on experiences with real materials. •	Provide opportunities that allow students to solve problems in their learning                                                                                                                              activities. •	Make learning relevant by relating the content to the students' needs, goals, interest,                values, and experiences. Another strategy is the use of technology at the middle and high school level. Teacher can use technology to engage and motivate students. Using technology can enhance higher thinking skills. Simulation and interactive software programs give students an opportunity to develop problem solving skills and creative solutions (Case & Dooling, 1997) Conclusion

To be successful in school, students should be motivated and engaged in the task in their learning process. Students learn better with real situation, hand-on activities and technology. Teacher must be aware of motivational strategies to keep students on task by providing challenging, interesting, and interacting learning environment.

Sources

Case, Karen I. & Dooling, Judith O’Donnell. “Integrating Technology into Teacher Preparation Programs.” Teaching Education(Columbia, S.C.) v8 p9-14 Wint/Spr 1997

Deci, Edward L. & Ryan, Richard M. “Self-determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being.”  (2000) American Psychologist Vol. 55, No1, 68-78

Hootstein, Edward W. “Motivating students to learn.” The clearing House 67.n4 (March-April 1994): p.p213 (4).

Patrick, Helen; Turner, Julianne C. “Motivational Influences on Students Participation in Classroom Learning Activities.”  Teachers College Record 106 no9 1759-85 S 2004

Rothman, R. 1990. Educators focus attention on says to boost student motivation. Education Week (Nov. 7): 11-13.

“Technology and Motivation: Can computer motivate students to Read?” Business Wire (April 13, 2007) 

Website: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/motivation) Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it   by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. -- Plato Multiple Choice Questions

1) Marina is always doing more than what is required in her classes. She has the desire to get good grades and to be a lawyer.  What type of motivation does Maria have?

A. extrinsic motivation B. intrinsic motivation C. self motivation D. social motivation

2) In order for John to pass math class, he has to get a B on his next test. John wants to avoid failing and consequence, so he studies every day for a week.  What types of motivation does he demonstrate? A. extrinsic motivation B. intrinsic motivation C. self motivation D. social motivation

3) Lisa is having a hard time with school. Her parents promise to give a reward if she gets 2 A’s.  This motivation is an example of:

A. extrinsic motivation B. intrinsic motivation C. self motivation D. social motivation

4) Paul is a fifth grader and checks out three books at the library about dinosaurs because he enjoys learning about this subject. Paul demonstrates which type of motivation?

A. extrinsic motivation B. intrinsic motivation C. self motivation D. social motivation

5) What way would be best to prevent boredom in students during a history lesson?

A. Class notes taken from the overhead B. Role play and dressing up to act out the real event C. Questions given on a worksheet to be answered during a lecture D. Reading a textbook

Answer to Multiple Choice Questions

1. B   2. A 3. A 4. B 5. B

Essay Question:

What is the best strategy to prevent boredom in students in the class based on your experiences or knowledge?

I think the best strategy is to keep students engaged with challenging tasks or interesting activities related to the teaching content area. Teachers should motivate and encourage students to be engaged with technology, hand-on activities, role play or field trips. When students take notes or read a material to do worksheets, they get bored very easily. Today students are surrounded by technology in their everyday lives. Teachers need to integrate technology into the lessons. When students use computers and search for the answer, they seem to be very engaged. When students respond using respond pad or smart board to answer questions, they seem to be occupied. Another way to motivate students be engaged is to integrate real materials for the subject. As a language teacher, I introduce the culture of the language. When students learned about food, I brought chop sticks and cotton boll (you can use marshmallows) for students to experience chop sticks. They were so excited. Since I think that reading materials and writing sentences are parts of the lessons and important as much as hand-on activities, role-play, or field trip, I try to integrate reading, writing, hand-on activities, role play, and technology to keep students engaged.