Motivating all Learners

Performance Learning PLUS is a monthly e-newsletter by Performance Learning Systems (PLS), a comprehensive educational services company that has provided a full spectrum of programs, products, and consulting services for educators and business professionals since 1971.

Explore this issue to learn a method for MOTIVATING ALL LEARNERS in your classroom.

Tips

Highly motivated learners are internally compelled to learn. In a truly motivating classroom, students approach learning willingly because they view it as personally significant.

Designing a motivating classroom requires specifications, or "specs," for determining the goals and necessary steps. For this reason, we will use the acronym "SPECS" as a memory hook for the steps to designing motivation.

Here are the SPECS for facilitating motivation among all learners:

• S — Safe learning environment.
• P — Purposeful, worthwhile work.
• E — Encouragement that is respectful and effective.
• C — Control over achieving one's learning goals.
• S — Success.

(S) Safe learning environment.

Consider what types of threat or risk learners undertake when they enter your classroom, and strive to eliminate those elements of threat. All learners need to know that they will be safe and supported throughout the learning process if they are to adopt and reach their learning goals.

For example, sharing responses can make some learners feel threatened. Rather than calling on them, have them share their answers anonymously. When giving a multiple-choice assignment, for instance, first have learners complete the assignment individually on paper. Then post the questions and possible responses (a, b, c, d) on the wall or board. As learners finish on paper, provide them with adhesive dots or markers, and have them go up to put colored dots under their chosen answers. This allows you to review the correct answers as a class, without embarrassing any individuals.

(P) Purposeful, worthwhile work.

In order for students to adopt your learning goals and objectives, they have to see that what they’re learning is purposeful, meaningful, and connected to them. If you give them a “compelling why” for learning something, the lesson becomes more purposeful, and your students will be more motivated to learn.

For example, design a unit around a natural or historical phenomenon that is unique to your city or region. In the course of study, have learners connect the topic of study to their personal lives. Have your class keep apprised of local events and examine how those events affect them and their families. Connecting schoolwork to learners' personal lives makes it more meaningful.

(E) Encouragement that is respectful and effective.

Encouragement is especially important when learners are struggling or when they are about to begin a challenging and perhaps risky learning activity. The most effective encouragement is specific, and is focused on learners’ accomplishments rather than on the learners themselves.

One form of encouragement is to provide regular and positive feedback. For example, rather than telling a learner, "You did a good job on the paper," rephrase your statement to, "This paper uses clear thoughts and language." The rephrase removes the "you" from the subject and focuses on the assignment itself, giving specific, positive feedback.

(C) Control over achieving one’s learning goals.

In order for learners to commit motivationally to an endeavor, they must feel that they have some control over both setting and achieving the goal. Otherwise, it becomes merely an issue of compliance, or worse, a high stakes game in which they are forced to play without necessarily knowing the rules.

For example, you can give learners control over their learning in any of the following ways: give learners a list of assignments and let them choose the order in which they will complete them, when each one is due, what materials they will use, who they will work with, and where they will work. Though it's natural for you, the educator, to maintain control of certain aspects of the classroom, involving learners in the facilitation of meeting their own learning goals is a key to learner motivation.

(S) Success.

S, P, E, and C result in the final S: successful motivation! Each of the above components help build a classroom environment of self-responsible, internally motivated learners. To ensure continued success, it is essential to constantly monitor learners' progress, making changes and adaptations as needed in order to meet the motivational needs of all learners.

Source: The above concepts are based on the newly redesigned PLS graduate course Designing Motivation for All Learners™.

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