Motivation is essential for learners to learn, develop, and to progress. Motivation is not a synonym for success or a measure of achievement. It is actually a state of being motivated that can be deliberately fostered, improved, and developed. Intrinsic motivation, which comes from within, is usually more powerful than extrinsic motivation because it is the driving force that gets us to take the actions we want to take.
How then do we make the most of what we already know, or what we already possess, in order to make the most of what we don't have or what we are trying to develop? Learning becomes much easier if we choose relevant learning opportunities and we undertake activities that foster learning. For the intrinsically motivated learner, learning is not all that important. On the other hand, when learners come to believe that what they already know is relevant, that what they need to know is relevant and that what they need to achieve to attain their goals is worth working for, that learning becomes much more important. Recognizing this difference between what is intrinsically and what is extrinsically motivated enables us to make the best use of what we already have so that we do not waste our time or energy doing things that are not really necessary.
Some people will argue that intrinsic motivation is more important than extrinsically motivated students. This may be true in some cases but in many cases, extrinsically motivated students still manage to get better grades than intrinsically motivated students. Why is this? The reasons behind this are not important here, but if you want to make the most of what you have, you should focus on getting good grades, rather than focusing on extrinsically motivated aspects of learning. This may make you slightly more relaxed about the whole process because you are not so worried about getting good grades.
So how do you make sure that you get good grades, no matter how intrinsically motivated you may be? This is where the third step comes in. You need to learn how to focus on the process and how to recognize when it is not working. Focusing on process information and recognizing when it is not working is a difficult skill to master, but is certainly one that can be improved by using the motivation techniques outlined in this article.
One way that many teachers encourage their intrinsic and extrinsically motivated learners is to make sure that they read the same kinds of books. For some people, reading a novel in its entirety is an exciting experience, whereas for other learners this will only be a very briefly engaging experience. By reading books that are about similar learning topics, and which motivate similar students to work harder at comprehending the information, you can ensure that you provide a more interesting and stimulating environment. If your classroom is big on creativity, then it might even be a good idea to buy several books that are all about the same topic, as this will help to encourage students to explore their own minds and come up with interesting ideas.
However, if you want to use intrinsic motivation in your classroom, then it is important to realize that you can use external rewards to motivate students. External rewards allow you to take a quick step back from the task at hand and use something positive to motivate the learner. In this way, you can use intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to work together - you can use intrinsic motivation to motivate the student, and you can also use extrinsic motivators (such as prizes) to motivate the student for external reasons. This way, you can ensure that the two types of motivation are used together in an effective manner.
So, what is the best way to teach students how to get good behavior from others? The best way is always to first motivate yourself, then the student. Students who are motivated by themselves are generally more likely to behave themselves, as well as being more interested in learning. By seeing their own behaviors as being worthy of recognition, and using intrinsic or extrinsic motivation to help them progress toward good behavior, students learn how to think for themselves first.
Learning how to motivate yourself, however, can be difficult. When it comes to English learners, however, this can be one of the trickiest things to master. Although most English teachers can speak to students about personal goals and the importance of achieving those goals, many English learners struggle to see themselves as worthy of such an achievement, especially when confronted by peers. Motivated English learners will see their personal goals as a challenge to be met, not as a certainty. By aligning their motivation with their personal goals, and seeing their achievements as a chance to grow and develop in the learning process, learners will be much more likely to see their efforts as having meaningful personal and academic value.