Six Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

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Six Strategies for Increasing Student
Motivation  HSTW 23rd Summer Staff
Development ConferenceAtlanta, GeorgiaJuly 9,
2009  Lois J. BarnesLois.barnes_at_sreb.org
Welcome!
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So, you can lead a horse to water but ..?
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Sure you can!Run him around the track!
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Ride em hard!
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Sure you can! Salt his oats.
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You can set the conditions so that the horse
will want to drink.
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What are the conditions that encourage learning?
That will get the horse to drink get students
motivated?
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Motivation

• What motivates us is unique to each person.
• No one can motivate another person.
• No one can force another person to learn. So,
  what can you do?
• You can set the stage so that a student will go
  to work.

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Motivation

• Motivation is the variable the condition that
  can be arranged and changed to motivate a
  learner, to encourage learning.

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Motivation does four things for the learner

1. Increases the rate at which (s)he can learn
2. Increases the degree of learning
3. Increases the transfer (making the connections)
4. Increases the retention of new learning
   (remembering)

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The bottom line in motivation is meaning
understanding.
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Six Motivation Strategies or TRICKS

• Tone
• Reward
• Interest
• Concern
• Knowledge of results
• Success

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Motivation Strategies or TRICKSTake
interactive notes, using the graphic organizer
in your handout.
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Raising or Lowering ConcernExamples

• Ill check papers in five minutes.
• Time limits
• Oral reporting
• Team competition
• Eye contact
• Write the problem on the board.
• Lower anxiety by giving short tests more often

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Classroom Climate or ToneExamples

• Positive classroom climate teambuilding
  activities
• Encouraging words
• Truth Signs
• Thank yous
• Giving praise or compliments (or withholding)
• Attractive, enriched environment

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Interest Examples

• Audio-visuals
• Student choice
• Relevancy, authentic examples, applications
• Project-based learning
• Room environment bulletin board displays,
  exhibits, learning stations/centers
• Manipulatives
• Variety of activities, change of pace
• Vividness new or different approaches, changes
  in seating
• Pacing

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Success Examples

• Adjust the level of difficulty
• Diagnose carefully pretest
• Match between diagnosis and activities
• Rubrics
• Models of quality student work
• Recognition of success
• Displays of quality completed student work
• Giving students the chance to perform

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Knowledge of Results Examples

• Feedback on work in progress
• Specific comments
• Students check their own papers
• Charting progress
• Charting the connection between effort and
  achievement
• Verbalizing students strengths and how they can
  improve
• Praise, prompt, leave
• Clear expectations

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Rewards Examples

• Intrinsic enjoyment of the activity or learning
• Intrinsic relating content directly to
  students lives
• Free choice activities/projects
• Praise
• Smile
• Recognize accomplishments
• Extrinsic privileges, prizes, awards

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Lets Practice Pairs Check
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Dos and Donts in Using the Motivation Strategies

• DONT build so much concern the learner cant
  concentrate on the task.
• DONT use pleasant tone when it isnt working.
• DONT make things so vivid the learner thinks
  more about them than about the learning.

• DO build on a learners productive concern about
  his learning
• DO use pleasant tone.
• DO make examples interesting and meaningful.

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Dos and Donts in Using the Motivation Strategies

• DONT have the work so hard the learner cant
  possible do it or so easy (s)he doesnt have to
  try.
• DONT give only general information.
• DONT negotiate or bribe to get a student to
  learn.

• DO see that a learner experiences success.
• DO give the learner specific knowledge of results
• DO use extrinisic motivation when the learner has
  no intrinisic motivation to learn something.

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• INCREASED______
• Moderate level of anxiety
• Interest
• Success
• Knowledge of results
• Tone, pleasant or unpleasant
• Activity is rewarding in itself

• DECREASED______
• Anxiety beyond optimal level or no concern
• Too difficult or uninteresting task or material
• Failure
• No knowledge of results
• Neutral feeling tone
• No pay-off or reward

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Motivation Strategy Shuffle
My Situation
My Strategy
Other Strategies



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Enjoy the Conference! Thank you!