Motivational Teaching
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John M. Malouff, Sally E. Rooke, Nicola S. Schutte,
Roxanne M. Foster, and Navjot Bhullar
University of
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This web site
describes about a hundred methods teachers can use to help motivate students
to learn during a unit and after. Individuals teaching at any level of the educational
system can use the methods.
There may be an
infinite number of things an instructor can do that will increase student motivation,
but we have chosen the ones that we consider most valuable and realistic. The
methods come from psychological theories such as social cognitive
theory, from psychotherapy methods such as motivational interviewing, from the suggestions
of teaching experts, and from our own experiences as students and teachers.
We have used these methods to good effect, to the extent one can judge from
student evaluations and teaching awards. For our published sources and more
ideas, see References & Links.
To increase your
motivational impact, try out methods that suit your personality, your unit,
your students, and your setting. Even one additional method, if chosen carefully,
might produce a valuable effect on student motivation.
1.
MAKE CONTENT RELEVANT TO STUDENT VALUES AND GOALS
a.
Teach topics in a way that has potential for immediate application and possible
benefit to the students, e.g., if the topic is self-control problems like overeating,
go beyond discussing the problem and encourage students to test self-control
strategies such as goal setting and self-monitoring to regulate their own eating
b.
Before each class session, remind yourself why the material is meaningful and
interesting
c.
Relate subject matter to the specific interests of students
d.
Relate subject matter to the everyday experiences of students
e.
Ask students to give personal examples of applications of principles being studied
f.
Give students choice about what they learn, e.g., what topics are covered in
class and in assignments
2.
HELP STUDENTS ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS THROUGH LEARNING
a.
Ask the students about their life (or career) goals and encourage them to set
subgoals relevant to the unit
b.
Encourage students to set realistic yet challenging goals, long-term and short-term,
that relate to their learning
c.
Talk with students about the importance of connecting their behaviour with their
goals
d.
Encourage students to apply concepts in their own lives in ways likely to benefit
them, e.g., when teaching about the effects of reinforcement or rewards, discuss
how to use the principle to improve important relationships through giving well
earned praise for nice or helpful behaviour that one might overlook
3.
PROVIDE POTENT MODELS OF LEARNING
a.
Show up to class early and well prepared
b.
Speak in an enthusiastic tone of voice
c.
Talk about your efforts, recent or remote, to learn, especially the same content
now being covered
d.
Express personal interest in the topics you cover
e.
Give an anecdote about the strong learning efforts of a prior student
f.
Read passages of a well written student essay and praise the work
g.
Give an anecdote about a student who started the unit with low self-confidence
and still did well by working hard
h.
Invite individuals
who have studied the topic in the past and who are now applying what they learned
in their careers to talk to the class about their experiences
i.
Create extracurricular activities relating to the unit, e.g., a trip to visit
a place where the principles of the unit are applied
4.
PROMPT AND PERSUADE STUDENTS TO LEARN
a.
Encourage students to try hard during the unit
b.
Give the rationale for unit requirements
c.
Stress that knowledge of topics extends beyond the unit content
d.
Suggest enrichment readings or activities and encourage students to explore
topics for themselves, during the unit and after
e.
Explain the value of lifelong learning
f.
Encourage students to self-monitor their learning efforts, e.g., by keeping
a record of how many study questions they answer correctly each day
5.
ESTABLISH A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH STUDENTS
a.
Introduce yourself when you first meet a class and include information relevant
to the unit and to you as a human; if the class is small, ask the students to
introduce themselves (or introduce a student on one side of them)
b.
Greet the class each time you enter the classroom or you start class
c.
Show empathy (awareness of the perspective and feelings of students), e.g.,
by putting into words what seems to be their point of view
d.
Show warmth (caring, acceptance), e.g., by greeting the students with a smile
e.
Show genuineness (i.e., speak sincerely)
f.
Listen reflectively to the students (e.g., listen carefully and paraphrase what
they say)
g.
Talk about your own mistakes as a learner or in applying unit content
h.
Make a joke about something you have done or tell a joke
i.
Laugh at yourself or with students
j.
Smile at times when interacting with students
k.
Show interest in students, e.g., by speaking to them individually before class
and asking about their goals and extracurricular activities
l.
Learn and use the names of the students
m.
Self-disclose (e.g., tell personal stories related to the current topic)
n.
Move near and among the students when teaching
o.
Give the students something, such as a class party
p.
Encourage students to communicate with you outside class
q.
Stay in the classroom until the students leave
r.
Try to assist students outside of class matters, e.g., when they discuss a personal
problem with you
s.
Express interest in facilitating the learning of the students
t.
Contact students who do not attend class and ask if you can help
6.
REWARD STUDENT LEARNING AND LEARNING EFFORTS
a.
Reward learning and learning efforts (including attending and actively participating)
with praise and high marks
b.
Praise publicly (e.g., in class) good effort by students
c.
Encourage students to take pride in their learning efforts and accomplishments
7.
AVOID DE-MOTIVATING TREATMENT OF STUDENTS
Avoid
dealing with students in ways such as these:
a.
Providing harsh or insulting criticism, e.g., “This is dreadful writing”
b.
Criticising a student in front of the class, e.g., “You all saw from Jenny’s
presentation the problem of not making eye contact”
8.
ENHANCE STUDENT LEARNING SELF-EFFICACY
a.
Tell students that they can do well if they work hard
b. Suggest that students recall times in the past when they mastered new material
c.
Refer to the students using a positive label relating to the topic, such as
calling them scientists
9.
USE ENGAGING TEACHING METHODS
b.
Create novel, surprising, or emotion-arousing learning events, such as the following:
(1)
Use role playing, e.g., to practice interpersonal skills or to illustrate something,
such as a specific psychological disorder or a point of view
(2)
Provide interesting demonstrations
(3)
Arrange relevant, interesting field trips
(4)
Stimulate student curiosity (as a book thriller might), by posing mysteries
for the students to solve, e.g. to identify something surprising in an assigned
reading
(5)
Stimulate students’ imaginations, e.g., with computer or acted simulations
(6)
Do the unexpected occasionally, such as dressing up as someone related to the
unit or asking an interesting trivia question related to the unit
c.
Use active learning methods such as the following:
(1)
Stimulate discussions
(2)
Use Socratic teaching (ask the students questions about the topics being covered
(3)
Assign hands-on or lab tasks
(4)
Assign in-class writing, e.g., stating the most important thing the student
learned in class today
(5)
Give content quizzes, graded or not
(6)
Give interesting home assignments
(7)
Assign interesting projects, group or individual
(8)
Ask students to teach each other in pairs
(9)
Give students topic-related problems to solve or tasks to accomplish and ask
them to form small groups in which to do the work
(10)
Ask students to carry out a game-like activity relating to the topic, e.g.,
playing emotions charades in small groups to learn about nonverbal signs of
emotions
(11)
Ask students to apply learned principles in class and out
(12)
Ask students to imagine themselves playing some part in a topic-relevant process,
e.g., imagining themselves on the first day at a new school
d.
Use anecdotes or cases to teach (humans are inclined to listen carefully to
stories, especially if there is an element of suspense)
e.
Stimulate self-exploration related to the topic, e.g., through personal attitude
quizzes
f.
Point out news stories or current events that illustrate something being taught
g.
For variety, consider video, good guest speakers, and varying your teaching
methods
h.
Make student tasks moderately challenging (as do popular video games)
i.
Encourage students to help each other learn, e.g., by sharing notes or studying
together
j.
Assign interesting reading materials, e.g., those with clear writing, relevant
anecdotes or examples, photos, and self-quizzes
k.
Use or assign popular media, such as bestselling books and award-winning movies
l.
Set up the classroom in a manner that encourages interaction, e.g., chairs in
a circle instead of in rows
m.
Encourage questions and comments
10.
USE AN APPEALING TEACHING STYLE
b.
Make eye contact with students
c.
Speak loud usually, but vary your volume
d.
Vary your voice pitch and tone
e.
Speak at least moderately fast
f.
Speak in a dramatic or expressive way
g.
Vary your facial expressions
h.
Use hand and arm gestures when speaking
i.
Stand while teaching
j.
Move about while teaching
k.
Avoid frowns and signs of anxiety, such as fidgeting with hands, legs, or objects
11.
GIVE MOTIVATIONAL FEEDBACK
b.
Give constructive feedback, i.e. feedback that contains positive elements, indicates
how to improve, focuses critical and positive comments on effort rather than
ability, and acknowledges improvement
c.
Give detailed, personalized feedback
d.
Evaluate
student work as promptly as possible
e.
Make grading as credible as possible, e.g., by using objective methods and/or
grading rubrics
g.
Provide summative (unmarked) assessment when possible
12.
MONITOR STUDENT MOTIVATION LEVELS AND ADJUST MOTIVATION METHODS
a.
Monitor the motivation level of students, e.g., through observing their attendance,
facial expressions, and participation level, or by asking the students about
their interest levels
b.
Adjust your methods as needed to maintain high motivation levels
Bandura, A. (1986).
Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive
Dornyei, Z. (2001). Motivational strategies in the language classroom.
Flinders Consulting Pty Ltd (n.d.). Motivational interviewing.
General principles of motivation (n.d.).
Hall,
D. (1995). Bringing hands-on experience to teaching insect
field biology. Journal of College Science Teaching, 24, 195-200.
Kember,
D., & Kwan, K. (2000). Lecturers’ approaches to teaching and their relationship to conceptions
of good teaching. Instructional Science, 28, 469-490.
Luce,
R. (1995). Whips, chairs, and other motivational teaching
tools. OATYC Journal, XX, 29-33.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnik, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing: Preparing people
for change (2nd ed.).
Rogers, C. R.
(1983). Freedom to learn for the 80’s.
Rogers, C. R.
(1982). Education – A personal activity. In J. Elliott-Kemp
& C. Rogers (Eds.), The effective teacher: A person-centred guide.
Thompson,
E. C. (1987). The “Yagottawanna” Group: Improving
student self-perceptions through motivational teaching of study skills. School
Counselor, 35, 134-142.
Do you
have a suggestion or question about how to motivate students? Write to Dr. John
Malouff,
Page designer:
Christine Schutte-Malouff
© 2007