Student Motivation and Engagement
What is Intrinsic Motivation?
According to Ryan and Deci (2000), Intrinsic motivation is defined as the doing of an activity for its
inherent satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence.
When intrinsically motivated, a person is moved to act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than
because of external products, pressures or reward.
Intrinsic motivators include…
A fascination with a subject,
A sense of relevance to life & the world,
A sense of accomplishment in mastering it, and,
A sense of a calling to it
Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is when a person is motivated by outside factors to do
something or behave in a certain way. These outside factors may be a reward or avoidance of a
punishment, commonly known as the carrot or stick approach to motivation.
Extrinsic motivators include such things as…..
Parental expectations,
Expectations of other trusted role models,
Good grades…
The sky’s the limit on that one.
For young children it can be something as simple as a ‘super job’ sticker, lollies, a small prize,
student of the week award or something similar, and so forth
Despite the raging debate both types of motivation have their advantages and disadvantages.
Broadly speaking intrinsic motivation can be long lasting and self-sustaining. On the other hand,
efforts at fostering intrinsic motivation can be slow to affect behaviour and require special and lengthy
preparation.
Extrinsic motivators more readily produce behaviour changes and typically involve relatively little
effort or preparation. This is probably why time poor teachers habitually fall back on them. The
downside is that extrinsic motivators can often distract students from learning the subject at hand.
One thing both sides of the debate agree on is that
Motivation is the engine that drives learning.
As aspiring educators I am sure you have asked yourself “How am I going to motivate my
students?” and “Is there a magic bullet?
I am happy to report that there are some very well researched guidelines that will assist you as you
commence your exciting journey of changing the world one student at a time.
Research has shown that students respond positively to…
A well organised course
A teacher who is enthusiastic
A teacher whose caring
A teacher who inspires
Be organised… There is nothing more demotivating than to see a teacher fumbling around looking for
their flash drive, handouts, marked assessments etc.
Be enthusiastic… If you are not enthusiastic about the subject you are teaching how do expect your
students to show any interest in it… deliver your lessons with energy and passion… make it personal…
show why you are interested in the subject.
Be caring… If you don’t care why are you there? And don’t try to fake it… children, especially young
children, can tell if you’re not being honest; if you’re not speaking from the heart.
Be inspiring….
Tell me and I will forget
Show me and I will remember
Involve me and I will understand
Step back and I will act.
Chinese Proverb
Here is our wiki link where you will find the motivation slide show and activities to
help you along your teaching journey.
https://studentmotivationandengagement.wikispaces.com/
The activities you will find are:
Bin Toss
Fantasticats
Luminostiy
Mystery Tour
Paper Planes Exercise