The Dynamics of Motivation
The concept of human motivation has been studied for many years within psychology and sociology. How do we increase motivation in our students? How do we motivate our employees? The differences between external and intrinsic motivation. Where does it even come from? How do I motivate myself?
Motivation is a drive. It’s the force that keeps kids going even when they face a difficult task.
Our educational system has long been fueled by the notion that one of a teacher’s main jobs is to motivate children. There’s a widely held belief that students, like employees, are primarily motivated—or at least can be motivated—to greater achievement through rewards and punishments.
This kind of reward/punishment style of motivation- extrinsic motivation- may be useful in some regards and may yield desired outcomes but oftentimes does not integrate into a larger cognitive framework that carries on the behavior/habit/outcome for the long run. Extrinsic motivations fall on a spectrum, with integrated motivation, the most closely related to intrinsic motivation, being one of the most desirable. When people have fully identified and assimilated a cause to themselves, they develop integrated motivation. That means a person has examined the cause and found it matches their own values and needs. They can then internalize a cause and have self-drive. Because integrated motivation has many similar qualities to intrinsic motivation, helping children internalize a behavior is a great way to inspire internal motivation.
The ways in which we structure our classrooms and curriculum at wBees circles around the belief that children will find the intrinsic motivation to follow their passion and learn from their innate love for exploration and discovery. Every opportunity to learn is an invitation rather than a task. We allow students to find their flow and follow their interests because we know that self-initiated learning is more profound and is followed by deeper concentration and engagement than learning that is directed and forced.
One way we cultivate this internal motivation is by praising the process rather than the outcome. As the year goes by and the abilities and skills of our students change, so do the classroom, the materials, and the expectations. While we aim to positively challenge and spark curiosity in our students, we see true growth and learning from the process of doing rather than the end result. We often “notice” and ask questions when we want to fuel a child’s internal motivation.
“ Wow, you are finding so many ways to stack the different blocks. How do you
“ I love the way you’re holding the marker and making big and bright strokes on the paper. Tell me more about your drawing!”
“I notice you’re working on matching the objects to the name cards and looking carefully at the details! You’re so observant! What is most interesting to you about the images?”
Engaging children in the learning processes and noticing their effort, their intention, and their journey through learning helps to encourage their minds to seek out the positive benefits of engaging in challenging works, and to cultivate a growth mindset. Children develop a growth mindset when they believe that talent is not fixed, but malleable. Skills and mastery can improve through practice and hard work.
Another key factor of motivation is autonomy and independence. The reason we curate the wBees experience to be child-led is to foster the internal drive to learn and explore through their own rhythm and pace rather than a prescribed one. As a child learns what feels best for them and they begin to delineate their own style of learning and taking in the world, they begin to establish their own sense of intrinsic motivation.
Allowing a child the freedom to take initiative is crucial. Children have to make their own decisions to feel a sense of autonomy, a vital intrinsic motivator.
Part of independence and autonomy is the ability to say no and refuse as well. While we might immediately take that as disobedience or defiance, it’s important to take a step back and avoid rushing or forcing an activity or lesson on them. Rather, these moments of opposition are a chance to respect the child’s boundaries and invite them to seek alternatives that feel right for them. Likewise, it’s inviting the inevitable mistakes and errors that come with navigating independence and autonomy and using them as learning opportunities.
The human brain is designed not only to learn but also to decide what, when, and how it will learn. When we trust young children enough to ask and answer their own questions and to explore their strengths and abiding passions, each student reveals what their brain has decided it most needs or wants to learn.
The Montessori Method encourages children to build their own path and arrive at each lesson at their own pace to enable children to be the ones that shape their education and identity formation. As educators at wBees, we view our role as facilitators rather than instructors by allowing children to own their learning. We understand that this leads to more eager and productive engagement, although it does require setting aside adult notions of the “proper way” to go about learning something. And at times, this means stepping back and rethinking our methods. It can mean that the children’s learning doesn’t happen in the orderly way we might envision. It means understanding that there is no such thing as wasted time because sometimes learning requires looking at things from all sides, both alone and in the company of others, and with all of our senses.
We hope you are as motivated as we are to continue to expand the limits of learning with us through these last weeks of the school year! Each day, we’re motivated by the little and big wins we see in each of our students and the impact of being in their lives and providing them with a foundation for their growth. We thank you all for the love and kindness during Teacher Appreciation Week!
Wishing all of our wBees Mamas a wonderful Mother’s Day!
