Motivation for Students in the Classroom 1 Running head: MOTIVATION

Motivation for Students in the Classroom Janet Mardis University of Houston- Downtown April 24, 2012

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 2 Introduction With the vast diversity and ever-changing student and societal needs, it is a struggle for teachers to motivate students in the classroom. Each student learns differently. Thus, teachers must choose their own instructional approaches that will benefit each student. Teachers are the main source of motivation. Motivation is an inner state that arouses an individuals desire for a goal and maintains their efforts in a certain direction and time (Mart, 2011). It is the responsibility of the teacher to guide students to help form goals that motivate them to learn. It is important for a teacher to develop a relationship with the student to attain academic achievement. Adolescents perceptions of teacher support and caring predict student effort and were also associated with students self-efficacy and intrinsic value of education (Gehlbach, Brinkworth & Harris, 2011). With positive involvement from both the teacher and the student, success can be achieved.

Motivation for Students A teachers primary focus is to attend to students. Teachers should view themselves as active socialization agents who are capable of stimulating students motivation to learn (Mart, 2011). A teachers success should be the result of students success. Student motivation to learn is an acquired competence developed through general experience but stimulated most directly through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization [especially parents or teachers] (Mart, 2011). The manner in which a teacher delivers instruction and how the class is organized can greatly affect students motivation. Providing a framework with expectations, requirements and

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 3 guidelines for students will help them be successful in their goals of learning. Students feel more in control of their choices and can plan ahead. A main reason students are unmotivated to learn is because they receive negative vibes from the teacher or classroom. Teachers must stress to students the importance of learning. When students realize that their teacher desires them to be successful, they will be stimulated to want to master the material. Students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn (Mart, 2011). Motivating learning is largely dependent on helping to bring out and develop students natural motivations and tendencies to learn rather than fixing them or giving them something they lack (Mart, 2011). To be able to motivate students, teachers must understand instruction. Instruction consists of teacher skills and competencies (Mart, 2011). There are some strategies to follow when setting up the classroom for student motivation. One is for the teacher to introduce student expectations and guidelines at the beginning of the school year. Students should know what is expected of them so they can prepare themselves to learn and achieve goals. If they determine their own goals, they will become more accountable and take ownership of learning activities (Criss, 2011). The environment of the classroom should encourage achievement, which in turn promotes motivation. Teachers who create warm and accepting yet business-like atmospheres will promote persistent effort and favorable attitudes toward learning (Mart, 2011). Capture attention by keeping visuals available to aide students such as posters and books. The classroom should always be an orderly environment where the students can feel safe and productive.

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 4 Teachers should also use a variety of teaching methods in the classroom. In the classroom I observed, my mentor teacher did not only lecture-- she used group activities and lab stations where the students were actively engaged. Incorporating problem-based learning, collaborative learning, and experiments allows for greater student interaction and the opportunity for students to practice newly acquired skills and knowledge (Mart, 2011). Hands-on activities, opposed to lectures, maintain students interest and spark their curiosity, and allow for more reflective thinking and immediate feedback for the teacher from the students. Group activities aid students to learn to work collaboratively and responsibly. One example is cooperative learning groups, which allows teachers to facilitate student groups in solving practical problems. Students can share their thoughts and learning strategies with each other socially. Collaboration seems to work best when students depend on each other to reach a desired goal, when there are rewards for group performance, and when students know how to work effectively (Mart, 2011). Studies show that achievement and motivation were significantly higher in classrooms utilizing cooperative learning techniques opposed to traditional lecture classrooms. Facilitate the ability for someone to be self-determining and to have a part in decisions and choices that affect him or her (Criss, 2011). Teachers should allow students to make their own choices in some instances. Students are motivated when they feel they have power over their own learning. With a voice in their own learning and a stake in their own assessment, students can be more proactive if they feel they have responsibility and selection (Criss, 2011). My mentor teacher allows for students to choose whether to work with a partner or alone on activitieswhichever they feel they will benefit most from. It

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 5 is impossible for children to develop autonomy and a sense of responsibility if they are always told what to do, and how, and when to do it (Mart, 2011). Empower students by giving them a sense of autonomy and helping them develop skills for self-directed learning (Mart, 2011). When they know they have control over their own assessments and that results are consequences of their own actions, they will learn to accept responsibility. The teacher should always encourage students to have constructive self-perceptions of their competence and help students match their abilities and expectancies, and help them to choose tasks and criteria for assessment that are right for them (Criss, 2011). They will see that their competence is a controllable aspect of their development (Criss, 2011) and will be able to attribute their success to their own skills and effort. Teachers should provide challenging work that makes students feel like they can achieve success. Challenging work creates goals --the intention to work towards a goal is a major source of motivation (Criss, 2011) and comes along with better performance. The work should gradually become more and more challenging as the school year goes on, helping students skills grow. The key is to strike a balance so that every student feels that he/she, with reasonable effort, has the capability to succeed while still being challenged to stretch his/her limits (Mart, 2011). Challenging work promotes exploration, higherthinking, and reflection. Students become engaged when they can use problem-solving skills and hypothetical reasoning. It is important to recognize that student motivation can be maintained if learning goals are challenging but not overwhelming; both course goals and personal goals must be set at an appropriate level. Students interest will remain high if the challenge seems

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 6 realistic and the path to success is made clear to them (Mart, 2011). This allows their goals to be manageable. Tasks that are too easy create boredom and tasks that are too difficult create anxiety. Work should be set just above the students current skill and ability this will build their learning motivation and self-efficacy. Teachers should help students set goals that are personally relevant, challenging, clear, and compelling (Criss, 2011). The students should know that reaching goals does not come automatically, but that it takes time and effort to reach. Students will be able to see that their abilities will change and expand over time (Criss, 2011). A teacher must also keep in mind that immediate feedback to the students work is crucial in helping students reflect on their knowledge of the material and also their approaches to learning. This helps in the construction of a students self-efficacy. Selfefficacy is a perception of performance capability, a belief that one can achieve, and the confidence that one can respond positively to feedback even if it is negative (Criss, 2011). Teachers should mention specific ways in which students can improve their performance. Statements such as your introduction is really well-thought out is more effective than just saying good paper. Teachers should never give fake praise, but instead suggest improvements. If a student believes that they have the resources, ability or power to change a situation based on past experiences, (Criss, 2011) then he or she will be successful. Teachers can make students achievement feel appreciated by recognizing their work by displaying it to the publiceither by posting it up on a wall or publishing it in the schools paper. Its important to consider your students interests, background knowledge, and abilities when designing coursework (Mart, 2011). Lessons in the classroom should be

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 7 relevant to students lives. Students are more interested when they can relate material to their own lives and use skills they acquire in the classroom in the real-world. By connecting the material to real-world experiences or their educational goals, either through examples or in-class activities, you will deepen their understanding of the material and allow the students to see the value of what they are learning (Mart, 2011). Teachers can ask students to identify new interests and challenges as they meet course goals (Mart, 2011). There are two types of interest: feeling-related valences and value-related valences. Feeling-related valences are feelings attached to a topic and valuerelated valences relate to the importance of the topic to the individual (Mart, 2011). Allow student choice in what interests them. They can either be interested in a topic that they really enjoy (feeling-related valence) or a topic that is very significant in meaning to them (value-related valence). This creates intrinsic interest in classroom activities which helps build self-management skills vital for later years in school and work. Teachers can make new information meaningful to students by connecting it to information they already have knowledge about or are interested in. Relate classroom content to their own lives and build connections between curriculum and reality, so that they can apply their emotions and become engaged personally (Criss, 2011). In my mentor teachers classroom, she would relate new lessons to things the students were very knowledgeable about such as texting when inputting information or looking around the classroom at everyones hair color and asking why it was that color when introducing genetics. A teacher must also explain why new material is connected to other lessons because what the students learn is always integrated into future lessons, whether it is the material or the strategies the students use to accomplish a task. Students can incorporate

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 8 skills they acquire in school in their personal lives, later down the road in their professional lives, and everything else in the real-world. School is relevant to them because it helps them develop people skills, realize what subjects they are interested in, and develops their thinking and analysis skills which help in other parts of their lives- such as at work or with friends (Mart, 2011). Students have to make material their own-- mastery of the material depends mostly in part on their ability to make it their own because without relativity to the students lives, it is difficult for information to be retained. The manner in which teachers present themselves can greatly affect students motivation. Highly structured, well-organized, and outcomes-oriented teachers seem to maintain student motivation (Mart, 2011). Teachers attitudes and personalities should be positive and they should present themselves in a professional manner. When teachers are respected and liked, students are more likely to want to please and seek approval from the teacher. Studies have suggested that students were more impacted by the characteristics of the teacher such as behavior rather than what the teacher actually taught. If a teacher is enthusiastic about the material, then the students will be more interested. Students have high perceptions of their academic abilities when their teachers have high expectations. It is crucial for the teacher to have positive rapport with the students. Positive teacher-student relationships are associated with student achievement and these associations can persist over time (Gehlbach, 2011). Some results of positive teacherstudent relationships are students being more engaged in the classroom and planning goals for the future. Improvements beyond the classroom occur as well when a student feels connected. Examples are the rise of self-esteem and the decline of anger, depression, the risk of dropping out of school and engaging in violent behavior, abuse, drinking, and drugs.

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 9 When students lack a bond with a teacher or have a negative teacher-student relationship, they are more likely to be disengaged or feel alienated (Gehlbach, 2011). The students tend to participate significantly less in prosocial activities in the classroom and also create more discipline problems for the teacher. Students need to feel respected and know that the teacher is trustworthy. Fair treatment should always be seen in the classroom. The teacher can do things to make the students feel important such as knowing their names and should always ask for permission to help them, listen for feeling beneath the surface, and watch for body language and group dynamics (Criss, 2011). Therefore, when the students feel supported, then they are more likely to achieve. Authoritative classrooms are more successful than authoritarian classrooms. The class should be an environment that empowers students to form an open and creative team environment (Mart, 2011). Students are more motivated when they have empowerment in the classroom contrasted by the teacher having complete control over all courses of action in the classroom. Teacher-caring encourages student growth and learning and creates a safe place for risk-taking (Mart, 2011). When students feel that they are in a safe and caring environment, then they feel that it is acceptable to make mistakes. Teacher should always reiterate to students that failure is only temporary. Students must find satisfaction in learning based on the understanding that goals are useful to them or, less commonly, based on the pure enjoyment of exploring new things (Mart, 2011). Students are more prone to learning when they feel satisfaction. Teachers should use incentives to motivate students, such as praise or privileges because self-motivation does not usually work without reinforcement. Incentives should create internal motivation and build confidence within the students.

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 10

Conclusion The most important part of being a teacher is being able to motivate students. With this skill, everything else can be accomplished. A teacher must encourage the development of a students readiness to learn. Learning is most effective when an individual is ready to learn, that is when one wants to know something (Mart, 2011). A teacher must be able to hold a students interest, be enthusiastic, and keep excitementthe primary components of motivation. It is important for a teacher to form a bond with their students so that the students may feel that the classroom is a safe environment. They feel valued, respected, and in control (Criss, 2011) when someone is there to guide them along the way and will therefore be motivated. Social aspects of the classroom are so fundamental to students learning, affect, behavior, and motivation (Gehlbach, 2011). When a student feels supported, there is a more positive outlook. A teacher must be the resource for nurturing of independence and resiliency (Criss, 2011). This puts teachers in a place where they can make a lasting impact on the students life.

Motivation for Students in the Classroom 11 References Criss, E. (2011). Dance all night: Motivation in Education. Music Educators Journal, 97(3). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail? vid=3&hid=119&sid=66655e67-12fe-470c-9b3fe99b02a79f46%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d %3d#db=eric&AN=EJ919098 Gehlbach, H., Brinkworth, M. E., & Harris, A. D. (2011). Social motivation in the secondary classroom: Assessing teacher-student relationships from both perspectives. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED525284.pdf Mart, C.T. (2011). How to sustain students motivation in a learning environment. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED519165.pdf