motivation: how to keep students moving toward graduation!

Motivation How to keep students moving toward graduation! an infographic by Charles Sutton References Why do students become unmotivated? External Rewards vs. Intrinsic Motivations Other Solutions Relevancy and Choice Conscience of craft Eric Jensen (2005) says that students lack motivation due to the following reasons: • Lack of positive relationships • Learned helplessness • Awareness of disrespect toward one’s culture or values • Perception of threats • Brain anomalies • Drug use • Perception that class assignments or tasks are irrelevant (pg. 103) OR • External rewards work best for physical tasks if used over the short-term. • The element of surprise is a key to success. Once a reward is expected then its effect is diminished. (Jensen, 2005) • When a task calls for “...even rudimentary cogintive skill...” (Pink, 2009, pg. 34) external rewards diminish performance. • Abstract awards work better than physical awards (Jensen, 2005). • How creative a person feels when performing work is perhaps the most important motivating factor (Pink, 2009). Why should I care about any of this? • “Making content more relevant by linking it to students’ lives is always smart” (Jensen, pg. 106). • Regardless of how many choices one offers, they must be perceived as real choices to be effective for motivating students (Jensen, 2005). • People like to be in control, so by giving real choices, teachers “...work to increase perception of that control” (Jensen, pg. 2009) Be proud of your work! Don’t be afraid to be identified as its creator. • Lickona (1991) defines, “To have developed the conscience of craft is to have acquired the capacity fo feel satisfaction at a job well done—and to be ashamed of slovenly work” (pg. 213). • “Work well done is a fundamental source of our dignity and sense of worth” (Lickona, pg. 211). • Jensen quotes Richard Feynman discussing the reward of work well done saying, “The prize [for hard work] is the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick in the discovery” (pg. 104). “When students acheve real expertise in one area, competence becomes part of their self-image and they are more motivated to do quality work in other areas as well” (Lickona, pg. 217). engagement goal setting positive social interactions positive feedback encouragement classroom rituals reduced stress developing game strategies use of technology reduced risk foster academic successes encourage encourage encourage Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind: 2nd edition. Alexandria: ASCD. Lickona, T. (1991). Educating for character: How our schools can teach respect and responsibility. New York: Bantam Books. Pink, D. (2009). Drive. London: Penguin Books, Ltd. The original images from which the illustrations were derrived were used for academic purposes only. All commercial rights belong to the owner.

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