3 strategies teachers can use to enhance students’ self-motivation

One of the biggest challenges facing teachers today is how to motivate students. Teachers have taught students to behave through compliance and to motivate by external rewards. As curriculum becomes more standardised and pressure increases on teachers for results, there becomes an increased need to for teachers to inspire, challenge, and stimulate students.

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Recognising that each student is different, and that the factors that influence a student’s motivation to learn is vital. Components include their interest in the subject matter; perception of its usefulness; general desire to achieve; self-confidence; as well as patience and persistence. Teachers have only limited control over these factors. This article examines strategies teachers can utilise to enhance students’ self-motivation.

Strategy 1 – Feedback

Feedback can be a powerful tool to build knowledge and skills, increase motivation, and develop reflective habits of mind. To overcome often-ineffectual feedback, several strategies are suggested to improve its quality.

Give feedback frequently and as quickly as possible.

Supply specific information about what the student is doing right, indicating how they have improved. Positive comments have greater impact on student motivation, and builds self-confidence and competence. Recognise sincere efforts even if the product is less than stellar.

The way feedback is presented can disengage learners. It may create a feeling that their performance is being too closely monitored. Learners interpret feedback as an attempt to control them or force them into a particular method. Empower learners by giving them access to information about their own performance and teaching them how to use it.

Negative feedback is very powerful, but can be ineffective if not done correctly. Whenever you identify a weakness, make it clear that your comments relate to performance of a task, rather than the person. Provide an indication of how they could do better. Try to cushion negative comments with a compliment.

Introduce students to the good work done by their peers. Share the ideas, knowledge, and accomplishments of individual’s with the wider group. Distribute copies of quality work for students to read or critique.

Feedback is most effective when it directly addresses the advancement toward goals. Comments should reflect the questions: “How am I going?” and “Where to next?” Once a goal has been clearly specified, feedback can help learners map the progress they’re making toward that target. Providing students with information about their own performance creates awareness of their own learning, mistakes they have made and provides a basis for them to figure out how to fix them. The ultimate goal of feedback should be to teach learners how to give feedback to themselves, thus building metacognitive skills.

Strategy 2 – Engaging Tasks

People are naturally curious. They want work that stimulates their curiosity and awakens their desire for deep understanding. Engaging work stimulates curiosity, allows the expression of creativity, and fosters quality work. Students who are engaged exhibit three characteristics: attraction to their work; persistence to overcome challenges and obstacles; and visible delight in accomplishing their work. Many teachers have caught glimpses of the inspired inner world of a child, and hoped to sustain this wonder, enthusiasm, and perseverance every day.

Help students find personal meaning and value in the material. Ensure work is relevant and appropriate by using topics that relate to students’ personal lives. Tasks must involve an issue or idea that is both manageable and unresolved.

Capitalise on students’ existing needs. Students learn best when incentives for learning satisfy their own motives. Let students have choice and options in subject matter and assignments. This gives students ownership of the learning, making them active participants, rather than spectators. Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating and solving. Passivity dampens students’ motivation and curiosity. Pose questions, instead of giving them. Encourage students to suggest approaches to a problem or to guess the results of an experiment.

Ensure students know what they need to do to succeed. Don’t let your students struggle to figure out what is expected of them. Reassure students that they can do well.

Increase the difficulty of the material as the term progresses. Give students opportunities to succeed at the beginning, and then gradually increase the difficulty level. Assignments and exams should include a variety of question difficulty, giving every student the chance to experience success as well as challenge.

Strategy 3 – Teacher Tips

Develop rapport with students by getting to know them. Be approachable, ensuring you allocate time to talk about some aspect of their life, giving them your undivided attention. Being an ally makes it clear to students that you are there to help them. The more you can get them to do the talking, the more learning they will achieve.

Encourage pride in the class. Posters and plants can help make the classroom special to them. Invoke ‘team spirit’ and a feel of belonging.

Recognise individual differences: you can treat pupils equally without treating them identically. Try to ensure that both genders get equal amounts of time and attention, but don’t ignore quiet students just because they are no bother.

Pay attention to small details. Some pupils like it when you remember their birthdays or if you comment on their contributions to school exhibitions, performances or sports event achievements.

Research has shown that a teacher’s expectations have a powerful effect on a student’s performance. If you act as though you expect your students to be motivated, hardworking, and interested in the subject, they are more likely to be so.

A teacher’s enthusiasm is a crucial factor in student motivation. If you become bored or apathetic, students will too. Typically, a teacher’s enthusiasm comes from confidence, excitement about the content and genuine pleasure in teaching.

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Heath Henwood


Heath Henwood is a practising teacher with over twenty years’ experience in teaching and educational leadership. He is a Doctoral Candidate (Educational Leadership) and Coach of teachers and community leaders. Heath is an active member of the education community with roles with Adobe, Qsite, Education Queensland and many non-profit organisations. and education. He has written many articles and is a popular conference speaker. He can be contacted at heath.henwood@bigpond.com