Motivating Middle School Students

CAN it be done? YES!!!!!!!!!!

Break-out Questions:

Working with the teachers at your table, discuss your answers to these questions.

What do you believe to be the most important things in the lives of the middle school students that you teach?

What have you observed as being motivational to middle school students?

Discussion: Did you group come up with answers

like these?

What’s important? Friends Lunch Socializing Sports How they look in

front of their peers

Extracurricular activities

What motivates? Fun activities Competition Being with friends If the subject is

interesting If the topic is

relevant Getting good

grades

Humans are a unique creation. Each student has a mind that can think, learn, reason, and solve problems.

Cognitive theory, currently the primary perspective used to describe and explain human learning, recognizes the importance of the processes used by the brain to learn.

Assumptions of Cognitive Theory

Some learning processes are unique to humans. Individuals are actively involved in the learning

process by controlling their learning. Learning involves an internal, mental change. Knowledge is organized by association and

interconnectedness. New knowledge is related to previously learned

information. Inferences about mental processes can be drawn

by observing student behavior.

Implications of Cognitive Theory

Learning is a function of how information is processed. Therefore, we as educators should be concerned with

students’ cognitive processes. We need to be aware not only of what students are learning, but how students are learning.

Piaget and Vygotsky determined that kids develop more complex reasoning processes over time. Therefore, when planning units of study and methods of

instruction, we must consider the students’ current cognitive level of functioning.

Implications of Cognitive Theory, continued

As people learn, they mentally organize new information. Therefore, it is important to present material in an

organized fashion. Learning is more likely to occur when people

associate new material with previously learned material. Therefore, we must help students relate new information

to old information. Students control their own learning by being

mentally involved in the classroom. Therefore, we need to monitor students to ensure they

are paying attention, thinking, and processing.

Why do you…

work out? go shopping? get involved in a book

study? read a novel? watch a movie? cook dinner for your

family? modify your lesson

plans?

What motivates people to engage in an activity?

People engage in activities because they are enjoyable and/or rewarding.

People might engage in an activity because it results in something rewarding. *think of something you do—what do YOU GET OUT OF IT???

How many things do you do that aren’t fun or that aren’t beneficial? WHY??

Definition of Motivation

Motivation is an internal state that arouses us to actionpushes us in particular directionskeeps us engaged in certain activities

Motivation determines to what extent a student will actually learn.

Importance of Motivation

Students will always be motivated by something.

It is our responsibility to determine WHAT motivates students.

Discussion Question:

If a student walks into your classroom motivated to learn, what behaviors does that child exhibit?

If a student is motivated to learn, he will…

engage in an activity with greater energy and activity.

set goals for himself. increase time on task by initiating

work and by persisting despite difficulty and interruptions.

be cognitively engaged, i.e. actually thinking about what’s being taught.

Extrinsic & Intrinsic Motivation

Extrinsic motivation occurs when the source for motivation comes from outside the person and task. ( desire for rewards, fear of punishment, need for positive recognition, etc)

Intrinsic motivation occurs when the source of motivation comes from within the individual and task. The individual sees the task as enjoyable and worthwhile.

Group work: With the people sitting at your table, make a list of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation that occurs in school.

Both can be effective, but…

Intrinsic motivation is more beneficial than extrinsic motivation to promote learning.

Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to:

Begin a task on their own Pay attention Learn material in a meaningful way Show creativity Be persistent despite failures Enjoy the activity Evaluate their own progress Achieve at high levels

The bad news for middle school teachers…

Although most students start school with a high level of intrinsic motivation to learn, they tend to lose this motivation as they get older.

So how can we promote intrinsic motivation? Relate units of study to the students’ lives.

“How are the effects of the tsunami in December similar to the destruction caused by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.?”

“How would you have reacted if your mother embarrassed you in front of your peers like this character did?”

Talk about intrinsic motives. “You must be proud of yourself for getting a B on that quiz.” “I’m glad you enjoy doing this simulation.” “It’s important you understand how to reduce fractions. You

use this when you…..” Pursue and discuss your own individual interests.

“I really enjoying watching the Mavericks; it makes me want to get there and play basketball!”

**talk with your table—what ARE they interested in???

Group Work with your department Working with your department, come up

with a list of ways to promote intrinsic motivation among your students. Make your methods specific to your subject matter.

Again, the 3 ways to encourage this are:Relate subject to students’ livesTalk about intrinsic motivesPursue and discuss your own interests

Group Workwith your team Now that you have come up with some

ways to encourage intrinsic motivation within your subject matter, you are going to be working with your team.

Make a list of ways to intrinsically encourage students to excel. Since everyone on your team teaches the same students, you may want to think of specific methods for individual students who might need more encouragement than others.

Discussion:

What do you feel is the most important need for middle school students?

Theorists have studied several humans needs which have implications for the classroom:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Need for Competence and Self-worth Need for Relatedness Need for Affiliation Need for Approval Need for Achievement

1. Implications for Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Safety: Students need to be aware of classroom expectations and to have routines established.

Love and belongingness: Students need to feel as though they are part of a group. This can be manifested by a M.S. student conforming their dress, speech, and actions to be like other students.

Esteem: In order to be respected, a M.S. student may act in ways that will bolster his image in front of peers. Conversely, some students exhibit low self-esteem.

Self-actualization

Esteem

Love and belongingness

Safety

Physiological

2. Need for Competence and Self-worth

Robert White (1959) suggested that humans have a basic need for competence, “a belief that they can deal effectively with their environment.” (Ormrod,2004)

Martin Covington (1992) suggested that self-worth (defending one’s competency) is a primary need for humans. This can be done by Consistently succeeding Avoiding failure

• Setting low expectations• Refusing to participate in an activity or to complete an

assignment• Making excuses• Cheating• Procrastinating

We see these behaviors on a daily basis, don’t we?

Addressing the needs described by Maslow & the need for competence & self-worth Allow students to take

restroom breaks. Allow students to drink

water in the classroom. Refer sick or troubled

students to the nurse or counselor.

Change classroom activities frequently.

Encourage students to ask questions.

Acknowledge students’ achievements.

Have an orderly classroom.

Have students follow procedures for daily tasks.

Be consistent in dealing with students.

Clearly define expectations.

Group Activity

Brainstorm with the people at your table. Can you come up with 10 ways to meet students’ basic needs, as well as their needs for competence and self-worth? Be as specific as possible.

3. Need for Relatedness

Middle school students want to be connected socially to others. They feel this leads to love and respect. It might be manifested in the following ways: Prioritizing socializing over working on

school Trying to look popular, smart, foolish,

athletic, etc. Showing concern and helping others

4. Need for Affiliation

Need for affiliation describes students who desire friendly relationships. Some students have a high need for affiliation, whereas others have a low need.

Students with a high need for affiliation might: Be nervous when watched by others Communicate frequently Be affected by peer pressure Be more interested in relationships than tasks Earn lower grades than their peers Thrive in a classroom with a nurturing teacher

5. Need for Approval

Some students have a strong desire to look good in front of others.

How this might be observed:Seeking teacher recognition/approvalSeeking peer recognition/approvalWhich of these 2 do we see more in the

middle school?

Note: Students with a high need for approval tend to be less popular than their peers.

6. Need for Achievement

Some students have an intrinsic desire to achieve excellence. These students might be persistent, be realistic about tasks, and set high standards. Can you think of a student this describes?

Covington and Omelich (1991) have proposed that learners can be divided into four groups:

Over-strivers Optimists Failure avoiders Failure accepters

Can you think of a student who could fit into each of these categories?

*The need for achievement might be influenced more by specific tasks and subjects rather than true for all areas.

Addressing the needs for relatedness, affiliation, approval, and achievement Foster healthy teacher-

student relationships Take a student to lunch. Get involved in the

mentoring program. Attend extra-curricular

events. Show interest in their lives.

Ask about a student’s day – and then listen.

Give students birthday cards.

Give small gifts to the class.

Acknowledge them Encourage students.

Allow students to communicate with their peers. Discussion with a partner Cooperative learning Skits Peer-evaluation

Inform students what material will be evaluated on a test; i.e. tell them specifically what to learn.

Challenge students.

Q: Which of these do we already do successfully?

Group Activity

Brainstorm with the people at your table. List ways you could meet students’ needs for relatedness, affiliation, approval, and achievement. Be as specific as possible.

Homework Assignment

Individually, make a list of 5 ways you think you could help to ensure your students’ needs are being addressed.

Set a goal: How many techniques can you commit to implementing over the next couple of weeks?

(Don’t over do it, though!) Team Leaders: In an upcoming team meeting, set aside 10

minutes for your team to share their experiences.

Resource

Ormrod, J. (2004). Human learning. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Merrill Prentice Hall.