Homework projects: Instead of teacher-assigned worksheets every day, work with your team and/or administration to see if you can implement homework projects for your class! One approach to this involves creating a weekly list of several project choices that relate to current class work, and then allowing students to choose one. Model it: During lessons where you hope to encourage students to identify their own passions, model exploring your own in that context! Not only will they better understand the process when it’s their turn, but they will better connect with the material and with you!
Let them pick: During writing units, have students select their own topics within the scope of the assigned genre whenever possible! How, then, can we increase intrinsic motivation in practical ways? The research indicates that students must have three needs met: safe environments, autonomy, and challenging schoolwork.² Kaplan offers specific practices (listed below) that can promote these three environmental factors we have added strategies for each practice to help you encourage authentic participation and interest. Intrinsic Practices & Application Strategies Kaplan points out research that explains that when students are required to perform unmotivating tasks, teachers should help students internalize those extrinsic motivating factors. Studies also suggest that engagement out of intrinsic motivation is associated with enhanced comprehension, creativity, cognitive flexibility, achievement, and long-term well-being.” ²Įxtrinsic motivation is still beneficial in certain situations. According to an article by Avi Kaplan, “Engagement out of intrinsic motivation requires no external incentives and enhances motivation to engage again in the future. Intrinsic motivation is more beneficial to learning. The reasons for this are still unclear, and very likely have many complex contributing factors, from decreases in students’ social willingness to identify themselves as interested in schoolwork, to the increased levels of evaluation and competition in higher grades.¹ Intrinsic motivation steadily drops as students get older¹ (no surprises there for you high school teachers!). While there are still many questions unanswered on this subject, several conclusions are clear through decades of research: Whatever your perspective may be, it’s important to examine the behavior research we have available to us to guide our decision-making in the classroom. Still others employ a “take it or leave it” approach altogether, maintaining it’s not their job to motivate students who won’t be motivated. Others call for an end to all exterior measures of success, including treats, grades, and report cards. Some teachers feel that they would never get students involved without their steady incentives systems. Intrinsic motivation calls for individuals to reach inside for reasons to achieve, while extrinsic involves people looking to outside sources to find their drive. extrinsic motivation is a widespread and often emotionally charged issue in education. But in a day of real-life frustrations and desperation for student cooperation, where is the realistic balance as we apply this important classroom management principle? extrinsic motivation, and the importance of instilling authentic passion for learning. As teachers, we have heard the dialogue on intrinsic vs.