• Fostering Motivation •
• Fostering Motivation •
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Fostering motivation in the classroom can be difficult. Interest Theory explores methods of intrinsic motivation that promote learning. Teachers should incorporate relatable content that encourage transformative experiences. This page offers guidance on how to do that.
- Support Autonomy
The ability to choose increases a students' interest to learn. When students have options they often choose topics that they like, which increases engagement with the content.
In addition, preference allows students to choose material that they are familiar with. There are studies that show evidence of prior knowledge relating to an increase of understanding and engagement.
Finally, having personal choice results in internal rewards-- which is where students find intrinsic motivation.
Where to offer Choice:
Where to offer Choice:
Types of assessments
Assignment deadlines
People to work with
Assessment topics
2. Look for Well-Written Text
2. Look for Well-Written Text
Most teachers utilize text in their classroom, so selecting content that is well organized and giving students efficient background information increases the situational interest and student engagement.
Moreover, choosing "coherent" texts-- that is, pieces that have smooth transitions between ideas-- allow students to easily connect the information to prior knowledge. This also reduces working memory load, which encourages the reader to focus on broader topics in the text. Utilizing well-written, coherent text increases the students' interest by making the content easier to understand.
Identifying Coherent Text:
Identifying Coherent Text:
Text should not have filler information-this includes excess background info
- We should introduce students context before hand
- We should introduce students context before hand
Text should encourage readers to make inferences to other ideas in the text by organizing the ideas close to each other.
- We should introduce them to background info that is relevant, before hand
3. Provide Opportunities for Active Involvement
3. Provide Opportunities for Active Involvement
When students let their minds drift, they can lose valuable learning time. Research shows that students who tend to be more active within the classroom tend to be more actively engaged in the classroom.
Providing students with a variety of ways to be engaged increases a students' attention and focus and therefore motivates them to practice higher-level critical thinking skills and promote a meaningful learning experience.
Examples of Active Engagement in the Classroom:
Examples of Active Engagement in the Classroom:
Group Work
Hands-on Activities
Group Discussion
Physical Movement
4. Keep it Relevant
4. Keep it Relevant
Situational and individual interest increases when students are able to make connections between course content and their everyday lives. Research demonstatres that if students are able to connect with what they already know, they will be able to build their neural connections and long-term memory storage
Providing students with relavant information allows students to realize how useful and applicable the knowledge can be, allows students to connect with the information emotionally, and fosters engagement.
Strategies for Fostering Relevancy:
Strategies for Fostering Relevancy:
Learn about your students
Provide utility value
"What am I going to use this for?"
Build relatedness
"What does this have to do with me?"
5. Be friendly and approachable!
5. Be friendly and approachable!
Teachers who are friendly, approachable, enthusiastic, and support a social relationship tend to have more students who are interested in their classroom.
Studies suggest that teachers who demonstrate these characteristics in the classroom trigger temporary changes in situational interest and individual interest. Sometimes, these temporary forms of interest can develop into a more stable individual interest.
Work Cited:
Schraw, G., Flowerday, T., & Lehman, S. (2001). Increasing situational interest in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 211-24.
Pugh, K. J., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Phillips, M., & Perez. (2015). Supporting the development of transformative experience and interest. In K. A. Renninger, M. Nieswandt, & S. Hidi (Eds.), Interest in mathematics and science learning (pp. 369-383). Washington, DC: AERA.
Schraw, G., Flowerday, T., & Lehman, S. (2001). Increasing situational interest in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 211-24.
Pugh, K. J., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Phillips, M., & Perez. (2015). Supporting the development of transformative experience and interest. In K. A. Renninger, M. Nieswandt, & S. Hidi (Eds.), Interest in mathematics and science learning (pp. 369-383). Washington, DC: AERA.
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