I think the best, most authentic ways to increase students' intrinsic motivation is to provide them opportunities to feel successful all along the way and to develop lessons that peak and build on their curiosities. While not all lessons will intrinsically interest every learner, having even a few lessons that engage a child's curiosity can give him or her the opportunity to experience the joy of learning for learning's sake. I think that this in turn will motivate students to seek out more opportunities to develop their natural curiosity.
I try to do these things in a few ways. The first is by activating prior knowledge, I think kids are often surprised by how much they already know, and that activating this tends to lead them to generate thier own questions. It also makes them feel a part of what they are learning. Another way I try to both allow the kids to feel successful and to build their curiosity, is that I tell them as little as possible. This may sound odd, but I try to kind of talk around the subject and lead them to discover the answer themselves. When they finally hit upon it, they have ownership of their learning. This is especially fun and easy for science, when I would try to only give students the background knowledge they needed and then allow them to discover the answers/solutions themselves.
When a student is struggling I think the best way to build up intrinsic motivation is to provide intensive scaffolding (maybe that's the wrong term...) so that they have many small opportunities to feel successful as they build up to the larger concept.
You said a few things that are particularly noteworthy in your response to this prompt. First, you defined intrinsic motivation as "learning for the sake of learning". So much of our school culture undermines this goal, don't you think? From grades to grouping to rewards--we're fighting an uphill battle when it comes to encouraging kids to value their efforts for the academic and emotional rewards it brings.
ReplyDeleteSecond, you point out that tapping into kids' curiosity is a way to promote intrinsic motivation, and you're absolutely right. When we set up tasks in a way that asks, "Let's see what you already know about this topic", vs. "I'm going to give you a test, or ask you some questions to see what you need to learn", you're setting up two very different situations.
Third, you wrote about giving students control of their learning, and I like to use the word "agency" instead. The way we design our instruction, set up our classrooms, "deliver" instruction, and give feedback to students as they learn all makes a difference in their sense of agency--the feeling that effort and strategies has an effect on outcomes. When you tell kids "as little as possible", you're sending the message that you know they can puzzle through a cognitive task. You have faith in their thinking. And when they do offer some potential answers, the way you respond is so important. "That's right!" might provide a momentary boost of confidence, but asking, "How did you figure that out?" makes a much longer impression.
Check out my response to Julie's post for more on how language affects motivation.
Finally, breaking down a task into manageable parts (intensive scaffolding is a perfect term to use) helps develop agency, too. Instead of doing a task for a student, and creating what we call "learned helplessness", you're guiding the student to self-discovery.
Why do you think we see so little effort toward promoting intrinsic motivation in schools? Why is the culture so reward-based? You'll have a chance to read more about motivation when you choose an article to read on Wednesday. (See my blog post on our site).
p.s. We "pique" students' interests, but climb toward a mountain "peak".