My concerns of public education have led my conversations from attitude toward teachers to the home lives of my students. Today, the concerns bring me to the letter I. In this article, I will discuss my concerns of intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that we have to do something from within our own selves. We do because we are willing and want to do it. There are no rewards or special treats for our actions. We work on the satisfaction of completing the task.
Motivating children can be a very challenging task for teachers. Teachers are often forced to use some type of special reward such as candy or extra playtime. Teachers use this method either because they do not know what else to do or because it is the only thing that works.
It seems to me that older elementary school students and middle school students are the hardest to motivate. Younger students appear more exciting about school and willingly complete almost any task given. However, they usually work to please the teacher or their parents and not for their own personal goals. By the end of high school and moving into college, most students have intrinsic motivation. They realize the importance of hard work and gain personal satisfaction from learning and completing tasks.
Research shows that children perform better when completing a task through intrinsic motivation rather than for a prize or reward. Students and adults alike take more pride and care in their work when they are working out of self-satisfaction. When working for a reward, people tend to do the minimal amount to get what they want.
Teachers often struggle to create environments and lessons that show students the true values of education. We understand the importance of children working to do their best without an incentive. However no matter how well your lesson is planned or how exciting the material is, it is often very hard to convince a thirteen year old that he will ever use what he learns in school.
Many children today are all about getting something in return. As soon as they complete a task or help with a chore, they begin questioning what you are going to give them. I feel that in a lot cases, intrinsic motivation must come with maturity.
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