One of the first discussions I have with my students when they enter my class at the beginning of the year is one of extrinsic verses intrinsic motivation.  Most of the time, they have a vague idea what those two words mean and after a quick discussion of definitions we talk about the coming year and how important it is to THEM.  The coming year is important to me only in the sense that I want them to succeed.  I stress that I am not the one taking the exam at the end of the year; it is not my future riding on the results but theirs.  We talk about how everything we do in class is practice so that they can learn the material.  It is so important for my students to be self-motivated.  The amount of work they need to complete can be daunting but they need to believe they can achieve their goals.   Students also complete a reflection on what they would like to accomplish and what their goals are for the year.  I discuss these with them individually and we revise them throughout the year.  

According to Guthrie and Klauda (2012) there are five crucial practices for motivating literacy learners when utilizing informational texts.  I believe that these apply to any age and content area.  Students need to develop dedication to the subject.  They must put in time, effort and persistence in order to achieve. 

Teachers must show students that texts have value and they will not get everything they need from the discussions in class.  Students must supplement their knowledge with all of the resources provided.  It is also essential that students be afforded the opportunities to apply the knowledge gained from text during concrete classroom tasks.  Using social situations such as collaborative learning can increase motivation.  Students engaged in collaborative efforts must be accountable and interactive with their peers.  Structured activities must have clear concrete goals.  For higher ability students’, teachers can offer multiple goals and/or choices. Giving choices to students allows them control in their learning.  Text selection is just as important as task selection.  The task selection and text must fit together to achieve a goal of understanding.

The most important for me is that students must have self-efficacy and believe that they can comprehend the material being presented and participate in the class.  If a student feels they cannot understand the material, they will start to shut down and withdraw.  Differentiation plays a huge role here.  It is essential to gradually increase the complexity of the work given, in order to increase the students’ self-efficacy.  Teachers must know their students and build this belief.  Students must have attainable goals that are regularly evaluated.  It is unrealistic for all students to achieve the top marks in a class.  Students must set goals that they can achieve through hard work and dedication. 

Motivation is one area where I find teachers undervalue their impact. 

If a student knows that you believe in them, they will work hard.  In the beginning, this may sound like extrinsic motivation but I believe that students will take on the motivation themselves.  I have seen first hand how positive comments and belief can help students improve and take on the learning for themselves.  Effective teachers are able to use all of these techniques to motivate their learners.