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Motivation

Motivation is key for a student to learn, retain information, and have a need to further their education. Schunk (2016) states, “Motivation and learning can affect each other. Students motivation can influence what and how they learn” (pg. 351). From the moment you decide to become an educator, one of the challenges you face on a daily and sometimes hourly basis within the classroom is student motivation. Many classroom lessons during my first year as a teacher completely failed to reach the objective due to lack of student motivation. So much of a student’s ability to grasp a concept is connected to their motivation to do so.

I work in an elementary school with a significant lack of parent involvement. Every year for the past 5 years, I have had anywhere from two to seven parents come to open house out of a class of twenty-four. When parent-teacher conference time comes around, the numbers are usually much lower. So, if the parents are not motivated to come to school, to be excited to meet the teacher, to ask the teacher questions, why will the student? I believe motivation is different for each student and their personality. Schunk (2016) states, “Students differ in their values for learning; for example, how important it is to them” (pg.352). He then goes on to discuss the variables that can have an effect on motivation as well. A lesson I learned in my 5th grade classroom that centers around motivation is choices. As a new teacher, you want to give a wide range of choices and open ended activities, however, the amount of freedom and flexibility can have the opposite reaction and reaching the end goal diminishes. Some things that I feel would assist with increasing motivation and being able to successfully complete the objected is structured choices.

Last year I decided I wanted to have set partner groups and they would make their choice. This way they were able to get to know one another and also select someone they would enjoy working with. At the beginning of the year, this was not a choice that kept my students motivated. From constant conversations, goofing off, and complete lack of work completion was the least of my problems. I spoke with a colleague and came up with a new method. I folded a paper in four boxes and labeled each box with a season (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer). I then wrote the students name at the top and in one of the four boxes, I selected a partner for them. I chose someone they may not normally work with or someone I felt would be a strong leader. I then explained to them, they would be able to get up, walk around, and select their own partners for the other three seasons and fill in their other partners name in the box. They had a choice, but I also facilitated and had my choice as well. Every time we had a partner activity, I would announce a season and they would get to work. Now they have four different partners to work with and they get different peer opinions, perspectives, and help from one another. Not only was this motivating and saved me a vast amount of time picking partner groups constantly, but it gave the students a lot of ownership over who they worked with. Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (New International Version). This verse makes me think about my students and how capable each one is. They can learn from one another and inspire each other under the right circumstances. It is up to me as the teacher and facilitator of learning to have my students motivated to learn, excited each day, and be able to express themselves.

References

Schunk, D.H. (2016). Learning theories: An educational perspective – With access (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.