Reflective Online Teaching: How do you motivate your students?

How do you Motivate your Students?:

5 types of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

After watching the video produced by the BBC-Learning English recorded at the IATEFL Conference 2011, I wanted to explore the topic myself: “What do you do to motivate your students?” Bearing in mind that there is a dual distinction when discussing motivation, I found out that there are several types of “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” motivation that students may have.

u Type 1: In class, a teacher is bound to find students who favor the challenge of learning; people who are intrinsically driven by their desire to quench their thirst for knowledge. On the other hand, the same teacher will find students who have a preference for easy work; people who can be classified as extrinsically driven in their learning. It is not difficult to recognize these students in class, isn’t it? Both types of motivation are valid in class so neither the first nor the second can be labeled as right or wrong.

v Type 2: The intrinsically motivated learner is not just curious but also interested in the subject-matter the teacher presents. Although grades are important, it is the overall knowledge what he wants to get and its applications in real life. The extrinsic learner is much more into pleasing a teacher (or employer, perhaps a parent) and getting grades to comply with what is expected of him in the course. Both types can be successful; that’s why both types of motivation are valid in class.

w Type 3: Because the “intrinsic” student is highly driven by his curiosity, he is the one that can be labeled as “the autonomous learner.” Being independent is what fuels his desire to achieve “mastery” in a given area of study. Contrary to this, the “extrinsic” student highly depends on his teacher to figure out problems and solutions. His critical thinking skills are not “exactly” developed. Once again, you can see how this sort of student has peopled our classrooms and is not that enthusiastic.

x Type 4. The “intrinsic” learner, whose learning autonomy and critical thinking skills are well-developed, is the type of person who can make timely decisions and does not rely on his instructor’s judgment. He is the type that takes control of his learning to keep up with his curiosity and interest. The “extrinsic” learner develops a “reliance” on his teacher’s judgment about what to do next. This “extrinsic” type cannot go beyond if there is no teacher’s approval or guidance; he is far away from autonomous learning.

y Type 5: Both “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” pupils can work hard towards success, but the source of criteria to be successful changes. The “intrinsically-motivated” student finds his source within himself. That is, based on self-assessment and his ultimate learning objective, he knows when he feels satisfied in his success. The external criteria that marks success for the “extrinsic” learner comes from his surroundings: the approval of his teachers, employers, and his acceptance in various groups he longs to part of.

The motivation distribution for learners can also be applied to teachers as well. But beyond who the one being motivated is the certainty that motivation can be shifted at some point. However, the question “how do you motivate students?” is not yet answered.

It seems that now we have a clear distinction of both types of learners, we can now plan activities for both types of motivation.

A	How do you motivate your students?
B	First, by understanding that all students have different kinds of motivation. Then, taking into account their motivational drive, I can create tasks that can yield memorable learning.
A	Why memorable learning?
B	Students who get knowledge through memorable learning will always achieve the learning outcomes in my lesson plan and in the curricula. Finding the way they get motivated can be used to foster their learning and may lead to some autonomous learning.

In conclusion, motivating students is important and understanding the different motivational drives an individual can have can be used to produce memorable learning moments. Perhaps, we can shift some “intrinsic” behavior that can turn into autonomous learning and great critical thinking.

ETo fully develop and comprehend this teaching issue, it’s advisable to research and expand these areas:

1	Types of motivational drives
2	The meaning of motivation
3	Motivational techniques in education
4	Memorable teaching = memorable learning?
5	Critical thinking and motivation