In order to foster intrinsic motivation in students, try to create learning activities that are based on topics that are relevant to their lives. Strategies include using local examples, teaching with events in the news, using pop culture technology (iPods, cell phones, YouTube videos) to teach, or connecting the subject with your students’ culture, outside interests, or social lives.
Provide Choices
Students can have increased motivation when they feel some sense of autonomy in the learning process, and that motivation declines when students have no voice in the class structure. Giving your students options can be as simple as letting them pick their lab partners or select from alternative assignments, or as complex as “contract teaching,” wherein students can determine their own grading scale, due dates, and assignments.
Balance the Challenge
Students perform best when the level of difficulty is slightly above their current level. If the task is too easy, it promotes boredom and may communicate a message of low expectations or a sense that the teacher believes the student is not capable of better work. A task that is too difficult may be seen as unattainable, undermine self-efficacy, and create anxiety. Scaffolding is one instructional technique where the challenge level is gradually raised as students are capable of more complex tasks.
Seek Role Models
If students can identify with role models, they may be more likely to see the relevance of the subject matter. For example, Weins et al. (2003) found that female students were more likely to cite a positive influence from a teacher as a factor in becoming interested in science. In some cases, you can be a role model, but it’s unlikely that you will connect on that level with everyone in the class due to differences in gender, age, and social circles. However, there can be many sources of role models, such as invited guest speakers, fellow students, or other peers.
Use Peer Models
Students can learn by watching a peer succeed at a task. In this context, a peer means someone who the student identities with, not necessarily any other student. Peers may be drawn from groups as defined by gender, ethnicity, social circles, interests, achievement level, clothing, or age.
Establish a Sense of Belonging
People have a fundamental need to feel connected or related to other people. In an academic environment, research shows that students who feel they ‘belong’ have a higher degree of intrinsic motivation and academic confidence. According to students, their sense of belonging is fostered by an instructor that demonstrates warmth and openness, encourages student participation, is enthusiastic, friendly and helpful, and is organized and prepared for class.
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Adopt a Supportive Style
A supportive teaching style that allows for student autonomy can foster increased student interest, enjoyment, engagement and performance. Supportive teacher behaviors include listening, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to student questions and showing empathy for students.
Example of supportive-style teacher behaviors
•Listening- carefully and fully attended to the student’s speech, as evidenced by verbal or non-verbal signals of active, contingent, and responsive information processing.
•Asking what students want; such as, “which problem do you want to start with?”
•Allowing students to work in their own way
•Allowing students to talk
•Using explanatory statements as to why a particular course of action might be useful, such as “How about we try the cube, because it is the easiest one.”
•Using praise as informational feedback, such as “Good Job” and “That’s great.”
•Offering encouragements to boost or sustain the student’s engagement, such as “almost” “you’re close,” and “you can do it.”
•Offering hints, such as “Laying the map on the table seems to work better than holding it in your lap” and “It might be easier to work on the bottom of the map first.”
•Being responsive to student-generated questions, such as “yes, you have a good point” and “yes, right, that was the second one.”
•Communicating with empathic statements to acknowledge the student’s perspective or experience, such as “yes, this one is difficult” and” I know its sort hard to tell.”
•Talking
•Holding or monopolizing learning materials
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•Giving the solutions or answers before the students had the opportunity to discover the solution themselves.
•Uttering directive or commands, such as “Do it like this,” “Start this way,” or “Use pencil.”
•Making statements that the student should, must, has to, got to, or ought to do something, such as “you should keep doing that” and “you ought to….”
•Asking controlling questions, such as “can you move it like I showed you?” and “Why don’t you go ahead and show me?”
•Making statements communicating a shortage of time, such as “We only have a few minutes left.”
•Using praise as contingent reward to show approval of the student or the student’s compliance with the teacher’s directions, such as “you’re smart” or” you are really good at playing with blocks.”
•Criticizing the students or the student’s lack of Compliance with the teacher’s directions, such as “No, no, no, you shouldn’t do that.”
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