Maintaining and Improving Motivation. Presented by: Dr. Sal Massa

Transcription

1 Maintaining and Improving Motivation Presented by: Dr. Sal Massa

2 Today s Objectives Talk about motivational issues. Discuss some theory. Field your questions. Develop some practical strategies.

3 What is motivation? Researchers often refer to motivation as arousal and drive. Orientation toward a goal Caring enough to do something about achieving the goal Willingness to be active combined with actual behavior

4 Does this sound familiar? DRSC3#view=detail&mid=46EFBF2FB6678E EFBF2FB66 78E110433

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6 The Underachievement Myth My son used to be an A student. But this year, for no reason I can figure out, he s become lazy and unmotivated. My daughter is squeaking by with C s and D s and it doesn t seem to bother her a bit. She s so unmotivated. How I can I make her do better? I know my son is bright. He has so much potential. So why doesn t he care about doing so poorly at school?

7 Common sources of negative motivation *The causes are virtually unlimited, but they vary by student population, time of year and income level. Lack of positive relationships Learned helplessness Awareness of disrespect towards one s culture or ethnicity Perception of threats Brain anomalies Drug use Perceptions that class assignments or tasks are irrelevant

8 Have you tried: Promising rewards. Imposing punishments. Trying to make school work. more interesting/entertaining. Emphasizing the importance of education for their future. Tutoring. Having heart-to-heart talks. Being encouraging. And on and on and on All in vain

9 According to Faber and Mazlish (1995), there are six strategies for fostering positive motivation: - Acknowledge feelings, - Engage cooperation, - Avoid punishment, - Problem solve, - Give praise, - Don t box your child into a role.

10 Children need to have their feelings acknowledged: At home and in school 1. Identify your child s feelings. 2. Acknowledge your child s feelings verbally. 3. Give your child in fantasy what you can t give them in reality. 4. Accept your child s feelings even as you stop unacceptable behavior.

11 Engaging cooperation: At home and in School 1. Describe the problem. 2. Give information. 3. Offer a choice. 4. Say it with a word or gesture. 5. Describe what you feel. 6. Put it in writing. 7. Be playful.

12 Alternatives to punishment: At home and in school 1. Point out a way to be helpful. 2. Express your strong disapproval. 3. State your expectations. 4. Show your child how to make amends. 5. Offer a choice. 6. Let your child experience the consequences of their behavior.

13 Problem solving: At home and in school 1. Listen to your child s feelings and needs. 2. Summarize your child s point of view. 3. Express your feelings and needs. 4. Invite your child to brainstorm with you. 5. Write down all ideas. 6. Together decide which ideas you like and how you plan to put them into action.

14 Helpful praise and constructive responses: At home and school 1. Describe what you see or hear. 2. Describe what you feel. 3. Point out what needs to be done.

15 Freeing a child from playing a role: At home and in school 1. Look for opportunities to show your child a new picture of him/herself. 2. Put your child in a situation where he/she can see themselves differently. 3. Let your child overhear you say something positive about them. 4. Model the behavior you d like to see. 5. Remind your child of past accomplishments. 6. State your feelings and/or expectations.

16 The power of positive feedback Find something anything good, and compliment you child for it. Behavior will continue if it is rewarded, and it will stop if it is not rewarded. By focusing on the problem, or the negative behaviors, we are often perpetuating them, and missing the opportunity to improve the situation.

17 Source of motivation Intrinsic- This is associated with activities that your child chooses as rewarding (ex. Playing a video game). Extrinsic- This is created by environmental factors (ex. Doing what my friends what to do).

18 Behavioral Approach Reward- an attractive object or event supplied as a consequence of behavior. Incentive- an object or event that encourages or discourages behavior.

19 Rewards and the Brain The brain quickly habituates to rewards which means that what worked at one time may not work for long. All rewards must be individualized.

20 Good or bad? Human brains are designed to predict, process, enjoy and Rewards and the Brain remember rewards. Positive functions of rewards: Induce pleasure; Increase the frequency of goal-seeking behaviors; Maintain learned behaviors; Increase social behaviors; Reinforce existing learning; Increase the success rate of new learning.

21 Humanistic Approach Encouraging the use of your child s inner resources- the skills they already possess. It recognizes that motivation is often guided by our Hierarchy of needs (Mazlow).

22 Cognitive Approach Attribution Theory- basically refers to the causes which your child attributes to their behaviors. Are the causes externally or internally motivated? How much can the causes be controlled by your child?

23 Sociocultural conception Emphasize participation, identities, and interpersonal relations- children are motivated in a specific direction if they are members of a community that values that direction.

24 Motivation for learning Motivation for learning increases if: Your child feels he/she can control the factors involved (ex. Attribution); They are interested in the task and; They have confidence in their skills.

25 The 6 P s Motivational Strategies from Richard Lavoie Praise- specific and sincere. Power- offer minor choices. Projects-encourage the completion of tasks. People-encourages relationships. Prizes-sought by children who value status. Prestige-satisfy need to feel important.

26 Practical suggestions Use rewards judiciously Use low-cost, concrete rewards Use rewards in the form of acknowledgments Inappropriate rewards have two elements: predictability and market value If you want to stop using rewards: Avoid going cold turkey Begin to develop intrinsic motivation Step up the abstract rewards

27 Practical suggestions Make sure the task is behaviorally Activating intrinsic motivation relevant- the brain will not adapt to senseless tasks. Provide plenty of encouragement. Allow your child to exercise choice. Role-model the joy of learning. Provide a variety of relevant experiences. Ensure that the content has high relevance. Allow your child to be part of a successful team. Increase feedback.

28 Changing states (Focus & Attitude) You can t make me, and I don t want to Change the focus or attitude then change the behavior. The choice must be perceived as choice. Steps Decide what focus or attitude you would like to foster for your child. Be sensitive to their current focus or attitude. Plan the actions you will take. Create a back-up plan. Start to change the focus or attitude Monitor and adjust

29 More tools for motivation Eliminate threat. Set daily goals. Work to have a positive influence. Manage your child s emotions and teach them how to do that too.

30 Resources Farber, A. and Mazlish, E. (1995). How to talk so kids can learn: At home and in school Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Lavoie, R. (2008) The motivation breakthrough: 6 secrets to turning on the tuned-out child. Selznick, R. (2008) The shut-down learner: Helping your academically discouraged child.