I was complaining to a friend on the phone that I was having trouble getting started writing this Perspectives column. What's the topic this time? she asked. "Motivation," I groaned. We started laughing.
Why is it so hard to do things, even when you want to do them? And why is it harder when you want to do them well and want to do them now because there are other things to do, too? Daniel Pink, our lead interview this month, has some insight. In To Sell Is Human, he explores the difference between solving a problem just to get it done (a performance goal) and enjoying the opportunity to define a problem in your own way (a learning goal). It turns out that many artists and scientists, especially those who excel at their work, approach projects from the "find a problem you want to solve" perspective.
So let me approach writing this column in another way. Just what do I want to tell readers about the insights this issue offers about motivation?
No use forcing it. In the Educational Leadership interview "Motivated to Learn," Pink explores the disconnect between compliance and engagement. "With engagement, you're doing something because you truly want to do it because you see the virtues of doing it," he writes. "With compliant behavior, you're doing what someone told you to do the way they told you to do it."
Perhaps this is why using the sticks-and-carrots approach on your students doesn't work, except for the most basic short-term tasks. "We engage by getting someplace under our own steam," Pink writes.
It's all about purpose. Several authors name relevance as vital to strive for in every lesson. "You must be able to answer the question, 'What's the point of it all?' for students before they'll engage meaningfully with the work," Robyn Jackson and Allison Zmuda write. And the answer can't be something like, "Because it's on the test." The answer has to be meaningful to the student who has asked.
From close reading to assessment, our authors provide many recommendations for helping kids connect the dots when it comes to understanding why they might want to do things that require effort and practice.
Attunement is the key. Rick Wormeli says the first mind-set teachers need is that motivation is something we create with students, not something we do to them. "Remembering where they are" is the single most motivating practice teachers can employ, he says. In the opinion of middle schoolers, their best teachers "get them."
Wormeli debunks a few of the practices teachers too frequently use. Two of the demotivators on his list are "being told how important today's lesson will be in high school and beyond" and "spending the day working on weaknesses, not strengths." On the other hand, good motivators include teaching each topic in more than one way and incorporating social interaction in the lesson.
Carol Ann Tomlinson reminds us of the basic questions on many kids' minds: "Does the teacher see me, and how does she see me? Do I belong here? Do I have anything to contribute?" If those questions are weighing on kids, it's harder for them to think about academics.
Support is essential. In addition to relevance and clarity, support is necessary to a motivating classroom culture (see Perks and Middleton and Serravallo). "What we know about learning is that the learner stops expending effort if he or she believes there's little chance for success," Jackson and Zmuda suggest. "But students are willing to think, struggle, and fail if they have the space, the time, a low-stress environment, collaboration with others, and unfailing support from their teacher."
No doubt the problem is a tough one: The fine art of motivation is not just a "do it and they will flourish" kind of thing. But, as a recent Gallup Poll tells us, . Engagement contributes not only to achievement, but also to the well-being of those engaged—and those who engage them. So, if you want to learn more about how to motivate students to learn, this is your issue. It's worth your time, your effort, and your engagement.
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