Example of Intrinsic motivation strategies

1. Create a student-centered classroom. When students are involved in their own learning, they
are more intrinsically motivated. Allow students to have a say in the course where possible and
try to incorporate an active learning activity every 15-20 minutes.
2. Promote a mastery goal, rather than a performance goal. If students are motivated to gain
mastery, rather than simply aiming for a performance goal, they are more likely to invest more
effort into their own learning. Therefore, try to foster in students a goal of becoming fluent in
Spanish, rather than having them focus on getting an A in the class. In addition, de-emphasize
grades and emphasize the intrinsic rewards of learning.
3. Encourage students’ actions, not their character or person. By using statements of
encouragement like, “your answers showed thought” as opposed to “you are a good thinker,”
students are more likely to remain intrinsically motivated (Ginott, 1972). Focus on their effort,
not their innate ability. With that, avoid using statements that suggest that innate ability is all
that is required to complete a project. Direct students’ attention to the process of completing
the project and the effort involved, rather than on the end product.
4. Provide learning goals. Research has shown that when teachers give learners a goal, students
experience a boost in self-efficacy (Bandura, 1988; Elliot & Dweck, 1988; Schunk, 1991). By
providing clear learning goals at the beginning of class or before an activity, students may be
more intrinsically motivated to work toward those goals.
5. Have high, but realistic expectations for students. Davis (2009) noted that instructors’
expectations can have a powerful effect on students’ performance. She notes that standards
should be set high enough to challenge students and motivate them to do their best without
being so high that students feel they are unattainable. If students believe achievement is within
their grasp, they will work toward that goal.

Example of Extrinsic motivation strategies

Grades

Grades are the most prevalent example of a formal extrinsic motivator used in schools. Their primary
purposes are to 1) provide a concrete representation of either the completion of a task and/or the
quality of a performance, and 2) act as an incentive for later benefits and opportunities. As
representations of the level of quality performance, grades have only a symbolic meaning. They only
represent something of value (e.g., quality work, scores on a test, assignments completed, etc.), and
have no inherent value.

Rewards Such as Tokens, Sticker, Stars and Prizes

Another common extrinsic motivational strategy, used primarily at the elementary level, is to give
tokens and other prizes to student when they perform a desired behavior. These extrinsic rewards act as
concrete representations that something of value has been accomplished. Therefore they are intended
to act as the reinforcement in the process of operant conditioning. This technique originated in the field
of psychology called behaviorism, and is most associated with one of its pioneers, B.F. Skinner. In
operant conditioning, the operant--or desired behavior that is being conditioned--is reinforced by an
extrinsic reinforcement/reward. In this case the operant is the act of desirable behavior on the part of
the student, and the extrinsic reward is the token or prize.

Preferred Activity Time (PAT)

PAT sets up the bargain that if you (in this case, the student) apply yourself acceptably to an academic
task now, you will be given the opportunity to do something that you really like to do later. On the
surface, this strategy works. That is, it motivates the student to do what it takes to attain their preferred
activity.

Incentives

Incentives can take many forms such as prizes at the end of the week for successfully performing a task
or refraining from an undesirable task, or group privileges for being first or best, or rewarding students
who do well on one task the chance to opt out of a further task. They concretize the non-verbal bargain:
If you (the student) do something that the teacher has determined is good, you will get something that
you should like.In this way, incentives can be helpful in clarifying what is desirable behavior. At their
best they can help promote good habits and shape more functional patterns of action. For example, if a
mother provides a child an incentive to make the bed every day, the child may become comfortable
with that behavior and continue it throughout their lifetime, even after the incentive is no longer
present. In the case of healthy behaviors that become intrinsically satisfying once they become habits,
this can lead to positive long-term benefits.

2. Discuss Maslow’s theory to education focusing on student’s needs and motivation. Cite concrete
examples of students behavior on each level of the need hierarchy.

The relationship between deficiency needs and growth needs. Obviously, students who are very hungry
or in physical danger will have little psychological energy to put into learning. Schools and government
agencies recognize that if students' basic needs are not met, learning will suffer. They have responded
by providing free breakfast and lunch programs. The most important deficiency needs, however, are
those for love and self-esteem. Students who do not feel that they are loved and that they are capable
are unlikely to have a strong motivation to achieve the higher-level growth objectives, such as the
search for knowledge and understanding for their own sake or the creativity and openness to new ideas
that are characteristic of the self-actualizing person. A teacher who can put students at ease and make
them feel accepted and respected as individuals is more likely (in Maslow's view) to help them become
eager to learn for the sake of learning and willing to risk being creative and open to new ideas.

3. How can students need for achievement and self-actualization be supported through goal setting?

Self-motivation is important for achieving success in work and personal life. A well-accepted explanation
of human behavior is that people have needs and motives propelling them toward achieving certain
goals. The central idea behind need theory is that unsatisfied needs motivate us until they become
satisfied. After satisfaction of one need, the person usually pursues satisfaction of another, higher need.
Work and personal life offer the opportunity to satisfy many different needs and motives. Among the
more important needs and motives are achievement, power, affiliation, recognition, and order. The
need for risk taking and thrill seeking is also important for some people. Generational differences in
needs have been observed, such as older people placing a higher value on security and younger people
placing a higher value on risk taking.

4. List some characteristics of self-regulated learner. Do you consider yourself as one? Explain why you
think so and cite specific objectives that you do that characterizes a self-regulated learner.

There are a host of factors that can influence the development of self-regulation; three are noted here:
cognitive development, motivation, and classroom contexts. Given the complexity of self-regulated
learning, it is a phenomenon that emerges later in a child's life. There are clear developmental and
maturational constraints on self-regulated learning. Although there are obviously aspects of self-
regulation in place by the time a young child reaches school, the development of self-regulation for
academic tasks takes place over the course of K–12 education.