How to motivate students
A young teacher wrote to me: “It is easy to talk about motivating students. I have tried to motivate my students but they seem not wanting to learn anything. Some students told me that all they want is to pass my class and get a degree. I do not know what to do. Please help.”
Answer: Motivation is the process that guides certain behaviors. It is the “engine” that drives students to achieve something. However to motivate them effectively, you need to understand certain characters of students whether they are “Surface learners” or “Deep learners” and motivate them differently.
“Surface learner” students are motivated by reward such as grades and praises. They can do well in tests but may not engage deeply in a subject. They will learn as much as they need to pass tests then forget the material when complete the course. Surface learners are motivated mostly by a desire to avoid failure. The reason they do not want to go deep because they believe that they may fail. That is why they only do what it takes to pass exam but will not go beyond the minimum required for fear of failure. To motivate them, teachers must start by placing emphasis on testing and grading. Tests should be a way showing what they have learned, not what they have not to encourage them to study more but avoid criticism. You may provide feedback on their work but emphasize opportunities to improve, and avoid any punishment. In lecture, you should use more examples because these students want to be shown why a concept is useful before they want to study it further. You need to remind them about how the course materials will prepare them for future opportunities.
“Deep learner” students are motivated by a sense of accomplishment such as doing something that they like. They are motivated by learn things that interest them and prefer to be challenge rather than rewards or punishments. They like to think more in the long term and plan their future carefully but teachers must know what they like to align their interests with the course materials. Deep learner students always like to accomplish difficult subject so teachers must design course materials that meet their needs. For these students I often give them extra works such as apply, synthesize, evaluate a concept instead of memorize or understand something. I also give these students more control over their own learning. I let these students choose project topics that interest them and give them more control over how they demonstrate their understanding. I let them set their performance goals and allow them to achieve them on their own discovery. Most of them do not need extra help as they can learn on their own through problems and discovering the underlying principle on their own.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
