Candy, promises, standards, parties, friends, parents, and grades all of these things can act as motivators. It can be tricky to motivate students because we all have a personal spectrum and attributes that motivate ourselves. My personal motivation comes from high intrinsic motivation, character traits, cognitive capabilities, my sociocultural affects, and social acceptance. I have a high intrinsic motivation to learn and grow that stems form my desire to be the best that I could be. This also is influenced by my sociocultural factors of my parents and their standards and expectations that their children succeed because they know we are capable. Being raised in an environment that expected my to succeed gave my the intrinsic motivation that I could and the self efficacy that it was possible. I also am motivated as a student because of social influences. I want to have an education and strengthen my brain to communicate and interact with the social circles around myself. I don't want to find myself slipping behind my intellectual peers so I push myself to continue to learn and grow so that I may have something to contribute to my community. I also believe that my personality makes me a type of perfectionist, a goodie-two-shoes, and an overachiever. I don't know why but it the necessity to succeed has been engraved into who I am that it takes a large amount of work to not try my hardest and then some. In the classroom I am worried that I won't be able to adequately motivate my students who are not intrinsically motivated. Since I am on such an opposite spectrum I am worried that I will be able to encourage them. I think in my classroom I will substantially apply the behaviorist theory and Sociocultural theory of motivation with my students. With the behaviorist theory I will apply this by heavily using compliments and rewards as motivators for my students. This means that I plan on establishing a set, clear list of standards. So that from there I can praise my students with verbal and stickers when they are participating correctly and attentively. I think praise is really important in motivating children and encouraging them that they are capable to accomplish their educational goals. I want to focus more on rewards that encourage intrinsic motivation. I am not a fan of punishment because there tend to be more negative effects than positive.
I also want to develop a sociocultural environment in my classroom that implements the idea that education is important. I understand that many of my students will be coming from homes where education is not a high priority and that it will be up to myself and other teachers to show them just how important education is. I want to create an environment where students are encouraged and challenged. That students learn from day one that they are able to be whoever and whatever they want to be, but that to succeed they must do their best in education. This will come from my attitude and outlook on education that I share with the children. It will come from daily reminders that they are great and can succeed if they just put in the work.
I know that these theories will be difficult at time to implement. They will take intentional planning and reevaluting. But I think that it is very important to help my students succeed!
Abby, you raise a good point about motiviating students who may not want to learn and how intrinsic motivation is not enough at times. I don't think that compliments and rewards as motivators are strictly behaviorist, though - those are just aspects of unconditional positive regard, which I do not think you will have any difficulty showing your students. I think you have good ideas on how to motivate, and perhaps encouragement and choice might be all that those struggling students need - as well as the belief that their classroom is safe if they 'fail'. I like your thoughts on encouraging education and success. Great ideas.
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