Student motivation
Any facilitator will tell you the ability to motivate anyone, much less a student, is easier said than done. Motivation can mean something different for individuals, some are motivated by the challenge and others by the potential of getting a better job, while others need more tangible motivators, like a nice home or a bigger car.
Motivation can be difficult to say the least, but what I have found some success with is spending some time the first getting to know the students. I use an open forum in the class room and have them each tell me something about themselves, their expectaions from me, and what they want to take from the course. This gives me a good idea of their knowledge level and where I need to start. I spend a lot of time going over the course and what I also expect from them and what they should understand about the subject at the end of the course. I also use a pre-test to show them and let me know exactly where they are in terms of subject knowledge. These practices are helping, but I am always looking for something better. I find the needs of my student are constantly changing, so I strive to keep up with the change. That is one of the real values of forums like the one we are using here today. I often find new ideas to help motivate and teach my students. Quite often the new ideas are very simple ones that I feel like I should have realized myself, but as most of you know, we have a tendancy of becoming complacent in our own little world and missing out on good conversation and good ideas that can be found here or elsewhere in some sort of forum.
Bravo! Thanks, Nicole!
Jay Hollowell
Hi Nicole! Thanks for your comments. It's true, students are motivated in different ways, and some get to the point where they just ask the question, "What's in it for me?" I am convinced that if we can bank on what they bring to the table and maximize learning outcomes to how it will help them achieve their objectives, whatever they are autonomy, challenge, opportunity, money), motivation will result. In the short term, extra points, or relevant immediate rewards could help, but they can quickly become expected and then subside. I might suggest being careful with the "early departure" as a reward. Extra points are just that, "extra," but early departure might compromise or undermine an important workplace expectation already in place: arriving on time and remaining for the entire time. I think it's important that we manage our student's expectations.
Thanks again for all of your participation!
Jay Hollowell
MaxKnowledge Facilitator
Sometimes a simple statement such as "I am proud of you" goes a long way for some students who seldom hear words like that.
For most of my students, unfortunately motivation comes in the form of early departure or "extra"points. Only very few seem motivated to learn by challenge. I try to motivate them in a way that allows them to see that what they learn will eventually benefit them in the real world. For some that is adequate.
Students in general want recognition (positive reinforcement) for their efforts. An "atta-boy", or "nice work" goes far in keeping a student motivated in your class. Remember: praise in public and counsel in private.
