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"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
Confucius - Chinese philosopher, politician and statesman (551 BC l-479 BC)
On our way to success, our motivation is dented many times, and life has a way of throwing obstacles in our path. Whether we give up or persevere is up to ourselves alone, but sometimes it can be hard to keep going. Motivation is a big component of our human make up. People have different beliefs about motivation and whether it is something you are “born with” or if you are able to influence your own motivation level. I, personally, believe it is a combo of both just like I believe that both nature and environment both play a role in a person’s ability to maintain self-control.
There are different kinds of motivation, and because of this, sometimes it is something your born with and sometimes it is something you are exposed to.
Let me break it down for you:
Intrinsic motivation– This type of motivation is self-sustaining and comes from within. An example of this in the school setting is when a student feels proud for completing a project or doing good on an assignment. That internal feeling is intrinsic motivation. An example of this in my former classroom was when a student found pleasure in completing a task box schedule all on their own.
Extrinsic motivation– This type of motivation comes from the environment and expectations that your peers set. Examples of this in the school setting is when a student feels the need to do well because their parents promised an Xbox if they got good grades. An example of this in my former classroom was when a student competed a worksheet following a first/then card so that they could earn their reward.
In the business world, an individual’s level of success most often correlates to that person’s motivation level. This is also similar in the classroom. Students who are successful in the classroom are often highly motivated individuals. Now, with everything, there are exceptions to this.
There are some steps we can take to ensure students have something to be motivated by:
1.Conduct a preference assessment. This can be the SIMPLEST way to find motivators for your classroom.
2. Use all your resources! If you struggle with the preference assessment in determining a motivation for a student, talk to prior teachers. Teachers, therapists, staff and parents can be an invaluable resource for you. They have spent WAY more time with the student than you have, so let’s face it, they know more! Utilize your resources!
3. Kill them with kindness. Don’t underestimate the power of motivation and kindness. Sometimes a little reboot is needed. So often verbal praise and motivation is looked over when searching for motivators. Don’t overestimate the power of verbal praise and a high five! Try something a little simpler and just give them a high five and a good job often!
4. Let the student lead you. If you’ve talked to previous staff, and conducted a preference assessment and you’ve tried killing them with kindness– another approach may be needed. What happens if you let the kids run free in your classroom. Simply follow the child and see what peeks their interest. Is it the most random container of clips at the blue table? Is it the tissue box? Is it the computer keyboard? Is it the puzzles? Whatever it is, follow their lead, and watch what they do with it! If a child likes the keyboard, maybe they just want a toy with buttons. If the kids love pulling tissues out of the tissue box, maybe they like the act of pulling out of something and you can get a little sensory toy that allows them to do this appropriately. The list goes on, but you get the point. Sometimes these kid will surprise you. This doesn’t mean you can only do this with a student who is lacking motivation. You can do this when a kids needs a change in their plan!
5. Spread excitement. If you’ve tried everything else, move on to the other kids. In the past when one of my students were having a very challenging day and nothing seemed to be working, I would praise the other students. If it was a whole group lesson, I would simply make my rounds and put on an exaggerated performance and give all the kiddo’s that were on task a high five.
6. Lower task expectations for a short time. If the student is going through a challenging time, sometimes we need to revisit the task expectation. Is the task too hard? Is it too challenging? Sometimes by providing a simpler task, the student will be able to be successful. With a little taste of success, it can help the student to remember what it is like to be rewarded and find that motivation on their own again.
7. Decrease the time of the task. Sometimes it is not the level of difficulty that is upsetting the student, it could be the duration of the task. Try cutting the time down and rewarding sooner. Slowly over time, increase the work time until they are able to self-motivate!
Teaching students to self-motivate takes time. We all strive to self-motivate, even as adults. However, it does not always come naturally or easy. Start by setting up some form of a token economy system in your classroom. When observing a student and trying to find a motivator that works for them and that is suitable for your classroom, don’t forget the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Knowing what the students’ needs may be will help you to determine how you can help them best!
