Motivating Students

The question of motivating students is really about developing intrinsic motivation and a desire to learn and engage in practice v. creating an environment where students are motivated by external rewards like stickers, privileges, grades, money.  Pink suggests that external rewards can be effective for some tasks that are routine and easily defined and measured for the short term but actually external motivation can also intimidate a child from taking risks and reaching for hard tasks. 

Pink's ideas are grounded in Carol Dweck's work about the difference between fixed mindset and growth mindset.  A child with a belief that intelligence if a fixed entity and that hard work is not necessary if you are smart will stop working toward mastery because lack of high performance might symbolize lack of intelligence and acceptance. Where are a child that believes hard work results in better performances will be internally motivated to work hard to achieve and grow over a sustained period of time.

Pink offers some interesting ideas to motivate students:


1)  Scrutinize homework for autonomy, mastery, purpose. Ask these questions:

Am I offering students any choice and self direction opportunity in how, when, with whom to do this work?

Does this assignment promote mastery or is it repeating something we know how to do?

Do my students understand the big picture purpose of this assignment?

2) Have Fedex Days for students.

Set aside a large block of time for students to identify and solve a problem that is important to the classroom or school environment. Let them chose the what, when, where, and how and deliver results in a public forum. Lots of 21st century skills would be required and reinforced for this project like collaboration, teaming, entrepreneurialism, critical thinking, communication, initiative, etc, etc.

3) Try DIY report cards.

Guide students in the process for identifying a goal, making a plan, working the plan, gauging process, gathering feedback and adjusting.  While this is an important strategic learning thinking process, it is also an important life skill.

4) Reinforce a growth mindset. Model a growth mindset.

Praise effort and strategy, not intelligence or outcome.

Make praise specific.

Praise in private.

Offer praise only when there's good reason for it, when something is exceptional.

5) Turn students into teachers.

Give students a learning objective while teaching a lesson and then let them direct the specifics. One of the best ways to accomplish mastery is to try to teach it. It would be ideal if a student could combine this experience with an area of interest or passion and then you might be able to expose a kid to the feeling of flow as he engages in teaching something he is already motivated about.