Motivation & Literacy Learning

Motivation lies the heart of creating meaningful learning. I think all educators would agree class of motivated, engaged students is the dream.

 R-E-A-D is certainly a dreaded four letter word for some students that swiftly

deflates motivation. But reading and strong literacy skills are vital lynchpins for academic success across all content areas. What are we to do? How can we motivate students? By creating scintillating lessons with all the bells and whistles all day every day? By dangling other “carrots” and rewards and the ever popular “stick” of grades?  The belief that these are the keys to motivating students is a common misconception.

Today we discussed sources of motivation and how to foster it in general, and more specifically, with respect to literacy. Don’t get me wrong, sure, a jazzy lesson that wows and engages all students is fantastic and can motivate and engage students. And some students are indeed driven to get that grade. But what happens when the student is at home? Are they motivated willing to go that extra mile? Maybe. However, such extrinsic factors are less likely to motivate students. The key is to ignite internal, self-motivation in students.

For me, at the end of the day, creating relationships and connecting with your students is at the heart of the matter. When we get to know our students and foster an environment where they feel valued, accepted and connected to, they begin to want to contribute to the group and go the extra mile. Content and being well-versed on the subject matter is of course important, but connection and knowing your students trumps all else in creating motivated students that want to contribute to the class as a whole. Furthermore, I think when students understand “the why” behind what they are doing and are given independence it further encourages them.

Giving students books that are relevant and interesting to them and giving them a choice in materials is a great first step in motivating them to read. When you know your students, you can better help them tap into what they are interested in. The question, "what do you like to read?" can be a difficult one for students to answer. Telling a student choose what you want to read can also be overwhelming, especially for students who generally don't like reading. A great approach that we discussed that struck a chord with me was scaffolding book choice. For example, you know Johnny likes snakes, so you give him a book on snakes. This then maybe leads him to explore books on reptiles or a broader subject like where snakes live. From there you can widen the net of interest.

Another strategy that stuck with me from our discussions was the a

answer to the question, “how do I get my kids to read?” Talk to your children about the books they are reading. By talking to your children about books, you connect with them and make reading something fun, social and you are showing that reading is something important and worth discussing. What a great, simple suggestion! I will definitely use that recommendation in the future.