Have you ever become frustrated with someone who just didn’t seem motivated about something? As a college instructor, I come across this issue frequently and it can really get on my nerves. For obvious reasons, this blog post topic about motivating students was an intriguing one for me, so much so that I was willing to forgo my usual off-topic opening tangent (you’re welcome).

When I began searching for an article, I already knew I wanted something that focused on adult learners, not learners in general. I also preferred something that gave direct tips which I could use in my classroom, not something overly theoretical focused on a specific learning model or elaborate study.

The article which caught my eye this morning was a summary of research study done by Michael W. Galbraith, Stephen D. Brookfield, and Mihaly Csikszentmialyi. Raymond J. Wlodkowski keyed in on six motivational strategies from the aforementioned studies. Read it all here: Motivational Strategies.

Let’s quickly rifle through the six strategies covered in this article:

1. Establish inclusion– This essentially means encouraging students to participate in the learning process with activities such as introductions, group work, and detailed participation guidelines which help develop a comfortable and safe learning environment.

Admittedly, this is something I am still improving in my classes. I find that it is easier to establish inclusion in smaller classes, but with large groups it can be a struggle. In my class of 4 students this semester, I have assigned a major group project which they will do together. I also have weekly homework which they will solve on the board while I observe. In my class of 40 students, I feel worried about using such activities since they consume a lot more time and the large class can be tougher to manage.

2. Develop a positive attitude– Here, the author discusses things like using learning models, effective instruction, and feedback from instructor to learner and vice versa.

I have tried to succeed with this ever since I first started teaching. As a recent University graduate, I know the value of establishing a positive learning environment. I try to be well prepared for lecture and provide my students with the best learning experience possible. Furthermore, I stress that I welcome feedback from students about what is working well and what can be improved.

3. Enhance meaning– This part discusses “spicing up” the learning experience by posing problems, creating simulations, and providing variety.

I am a big fan of all three approaches since they make the classroom more interesting. I also believe that using different approaches gives learners different perspective and allows them to get more out of the same instructional time.

4. Eugender competence– Once again, feedback is stressed here (especially early on in a task/project), along with the importance of creating tasks which learners can easily relate to.

For my in-class examples, I try to find situations which students can easily relate to (ex. entry-level accounting jobs, the college bookstore, well-known corporations). This helps students pick up concepts more easily than having to understand an unfamiliar example as well as the concept itself.

5. Critical thinking– This is the largest section of the article. Naturally, there is significant overlap with the other sections. It is difficult to imagine any learning environment without some critical thinking involved. This article recommends using scenario analysis, lectures, and critical debates to promote critical thinking.

Obviously, these methods are heavily dependent on the topic being studied. I prefer to promote critical thinking mainly through the lecture approach, by asking students interesting questions and having them solve questions in their notes. Occasionally, we will have a discussion in class to share ideas about a certain accounting or finance scenario.

6. Cultivate interest and curiosity– The final motivational technique discussed in this article basically advises to add the element of surprise into the classroom. There are a few ways to accomplish this- by having students discuss instances where they were surprised or surprised someone else and surprising students yourself in class.

I had to think about this point and I can think of a few examples where the element of surprise occurred in my classroom. These were generally positive learning experiences and did perk up the mood of the class. This is an area where I will attempt to improve going forward.

I found this article to be to-the-point and relevant to my goals. My passion for what I was reading resulted in another long-winded blog post, but c’est la vie. Until next time, take care everybody!