It can be seen in any class that some students are excited and motive while others are not. At times it can be hard for a teacher to determine why this is so. As an onlooker, it can be very plane to see why a student may not be enjoying the class. There are always going to be students that like school and or class. There are also going to be students that will always hate school and or class. This is where the real dilemma comes into play for the teacher. What does one do to motivate those that have such a negative preconceived notion toward school?
The book pointed out that there might be more than the obvious as to why a student may not be motivated. When class is boring and full of lecture, it is very apparent as to why students may be unmotivated. However unmotivated students can be found in classrooms filled with activities and centers. How can this been? It is often thought that the reason students are not motivated is because the class provides no motivation; however, this is not always the case. Prior classroom experiences or home background can play a huge role in motivation. Past experiences with peers can also cause lack of motivation on a student’s behalf. With so many factors that can cause a lack in motivation, the teacher should try to implement ideas that will address these issues.
The book gave three great examples of factors that would result in a lack of motivation which are as follow: prior experiences with success and failure, differences in home and school values, and teacher experiences. I can totally see how these three factors would affect the motivation of a student. It is the teacher’s job to determine what is causing the missing motivation and what can be done to restore the motivation in the student. All three areas can be very delicate issues to address with a student, and will call for much work on the teacher’s part. However with time and effort, the teacher can solve the problem and develop a new and improved attitude within the student that will result in student motivation.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I also thought the part about causes of unmotivated students was interesting. We forget that sometimes, a fun activity will not be enough to engage every child for a number of different reasons. I think past failure is an especially frequent reason for some students to have a lack of motivation. So, if you had a student who has just kind of given up because of the fact that they haven't experienced success, how would you help that student make a turn-around?
ReplyDelete