How to motivate the unmotivated. Jill Strawbridge

Rewards With reward systems people feel they lose ownership of a task when they feel controlled by others they then perform dutifully at best, indifferently at worst. Rewards lower creativity and increase completion.

Issues around motivation. There is no one single answer to what motivates each child. Individual is influenced by the way they think about self and environment. Students bring into the environment certain beliefs about learning. Need Achievement (John Atkinson 1964). –High degree of achievement –Low need for achievement

What do student’s want? Want teachers to be real people to recognize them as humans not test scores. Challenged not destroyed. Instructors that support individual learning, give feedback, and assign tasks appropriately. Instructors that talk at their level. Clear complete explanations with concrete examples.

How to set up a classroom to increase motivation. Provide frequent, early, positive feedback support. Opportunity for student success. Find personal meaning, value, and relevance to material. Atmosphere open and positive. Active involvement of students. Variety of classroom work.

Flow (Book) by Mihaly Csikszemhiehalyi University of Chicago ’s State of total intellectual, emotional, and physical engagement of what one is doing. So engrossed in work at hand that they lose track of time. Good teachers experience flow with subjects they teach. Student’s respond to passion to subject. Can’t always be motivated at all times.

Lesson for the day. It is important making what’s taught interesting and relevant as making it count.