Theories of Motivation

Consider the theories of motivation that we discussed in class.   Which theories of motivation are most helpful and instructive for you?  How can they enhance motivation and affect your students?  


I have really enjoyed learning about motivation this week. This is probably the most important aspect when teaching a classroom because without motivation students are not going to learn anything and our efforts are in vain. The theory I was most associated with was the extrinsic theory. With the children I have worked with in the past, in order to motivate them to do a particular task it has usually be from using extrinsic theory. I tell them if they finish this or do that then they will get cupcakes on Friday or be able to play a game that they love. After learning about the other theories I am going to incorporate different ways of motivation.

One of the most helpful and instructive motivational theory was intrinsic motivation. This is when motivation comes from within the student's own desire to learn the material. I can help invoke intrinsic motivation by giving students more control over their learning process. If a child as no interest in the material or topic they are learning then the material more than likely is not going to stick with them. Lessons need to be related to students in the best manner they possibly can so students can find some sort of relevance within the topic. I really like the idea of giving students more control over their learning by giving them choices. With choices of which book to write a report on or do want to do a power point, take a test or write a report on a subject, students are going to be more engaged with the material because it fits their needs and interests more.

I also like the goal theory. With a personal goal in mind students are more apt to be successful because they are the ones who decided on that personal goal. I like the idea of combining the goal theory and extrinsic theory together in the classroom. Maybe once a week have each student write down a short term goal for them to personally achieve by the end of that week. Of course the goal should be related somehow to the classroom. At the end of the week the teacher and student assesses if that students has achieved his/her personal goal for that week. If that student has then they get to pick from the treasure box or has a sticker put up on a chart, some kind of award is given to them. This helps motivate students internally by them setting their goals while at the same time reinforcing externally their good efforts for personal achievement.


One outside resource that I really enjoyed is called Classroom Motivation Techniques. It is a short article on simple ways to motivate and keep students motivated within the classroom. Here is the link for it http://www.ehow.com/how_4550201_classroom-motivation-techniques.html. Another article I really enjoyed also dealt with motivation within the classroom. This article is more detailed and covers a wide range of how teachers can keep students motivated from how to plan motivating lesson plans to helpful strategies. The link for this article is http://www.teachermatters.com/classroom-management/roles-of-the-teacher/motivating.html.