Motivational Writing
Writing is a part of students’ everyday lives, and yet many still struggle with the task. A number of students hold a negative perception of their writing abilities, often due to past experiences. Students should feel safe in the classroom, and be able to think of writing as an expression of ideas, rather than a composition leading to a specific grade or score. In order to promote a classroom community of motivational writers, it is imperative that teachers consider the factors that motivate students, as well as the classroom environment needed in order to implement those factors. Before attempting to incorporate motivational factors into the classroom, we must first ask ourselves: what is motivation?
Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors, causing individuals to act. In simpler terms, motivation is used to describe why a person does something. Children naturally possess the motivation to learn. According to Crow (2006), “from the time of birth, children are active, inquisitive, curious, and playful, even in the absence of specific rewards” (p. 24). This natural motivation for life continues to grow in children, up until about the third grade. At this time a child’s natural intrinsic motivation begins to steadily decline, which may be due to the fact that intrinsic motivation is often being replaced by extrinsic motivation in classrooms.
There are two common forms of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations are those that arise externally, often involving rewards, such as trophies, stickers, special privileges, and social recognition. Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within the individual, such as completing assignments for personal gratification. Teachers vary in the way they motivate students. Some use extrinsic incentives which are a more controlling way to regulate student behavior, while others use intrinsic styles in which they support students’ interests and encourage autonomy (Reeve, Bolt, & Cai, 1999). Autonomy-supportive teachers seek a student’s initiative, while controlling teachers seek a student’s compliance.
Creating a classroom community full of motivated writers can be a simple task, so long as you have the right instructional strategies and activities to do so. Teachers should strive to design instruction and create an atmosphere that will build on identified and intrinsic interests. Giving students opportunities to write about what interests them will motivate them to think that writing can be fun and worthwhile (Bomer, 2010). Offering students choices, in regards to both structures and topics in writing, can make students more excited about the overall writing process (Leograndis, 2008). In addition to offering choices for writing, exposing students to a greater variety of writing styles can also increase their engagement and interest level. Activities such as exploring authors’ crafts can help students understand that writing is a unique expression of ideas. In order to continually motivate students to write on a day to day basis, teachers should attempt to incorporate writing elements into everyday activities, engage in a number of shared writing activities, and offer the chance for students to share their work in author’s chair, which can “strengthen your community and set your writers up for success in their future writing projects” (p. 60). Research states that “praise and encouragement take writing a greater distance than criticism,” therefore it is important to provide positive comments to students and confer with them individually about their writing to allow opportunities for further exploration and thought processes (p. 20).
Intrinsically motivated students are more likely to be self-directed learners because of their desire and passion to learn. Harnessing these ideas and incorporating them into a motivating classroom can result in an increased number of motivated writers. In order to truly value a student for his or her writing, it is imperative that students are valued for their uniqueness and individuality (Bomer, 2010). Offering students choices, thinking outside of the box, and providing words of encouragement can help to create motivated writers. Teachers must aim to incorporate collaborative and inquiry-based approaches to writing, so that students are able to learn and grow as individuals. Because an individual’s motivation to learn depends primarily upon what happens to them during their school years, it is imperative that we provide appropriate learning experiences in order to harness student potential (Crow, 2006).
References:
Bomer, K. (2010). Hidden gems: Naming and teaching from the brilliance in every student’s writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Crow, S. R. (2006). What motivates a lifelong learner? School libraries worldwide, 12(1), 22-34.
Leograndi, D. (2008). Launching the writing workshop: A step by step guide in photographs. New York: NY: Scholastic Inc.
Reeve, J., Bolt, E., & Cai, Y. (1999). Autonomy-supportive teachers: How they teach and motivate students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 537-548.
Writing is a part of students’ everyday lives, and yet many still struggle with the task. A number of students hold a negative perception of their writing abilities, often due to past experiences. Students should feel safe in the classroom, and be able to think of writing as an expression of ideas, rather than a composition leading to a specific grade or score. In order to promote a classroom community of motivational writers, it is imperative that teachers consider the factors that motivate students, as well as the classroom environment needed in order to implement those factors. Before attempting to incorporate motivational factors into the classroom, we must first ask ourselves: what is motivation?
Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors, causing individuals to act. In simpler terms, motivation is used to describe why a person does something. Children naturally possess the motivation to learn. According to Crow (2006), “from the time of birth, children are active, inquisitive, curious, and playful, even in the absence of specific rewards” (p. 24). This natural motivation for life continues to grow in children, up until about the third grade. At this time a child’s natural intrinsic motivation begins to steadily decline, which may be due to the fact that intrinsic motivation is often being replaced by extrinsic motivation in classrooms.
There are two common forms of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivations are those that arise externally, often involving rewards, such as trophies, stickers, special privileges, and social recognition. Intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within the individual, such as completing assignments for personal gratification. Teachers vary in the way they motivate students. Some use extrinsic incentives which are a more controlling way to regulate student behavior, while others use intrinsic styles in which they support students’ interests and encourage autonomy (Reeve, Bolt, & Cai, 1999). Autonomy-supportive teachers seek a student’s initiative, while controlling teachers seek a student’s compliance.
Creating a classroom community full of motivated writers can be a simple task, so long as you have the right instructional strategies and activities to do so. Teachers should strive to design instruction and create an atmosphere that will build on identified and intrinsic interests. Giving students opportunities to write about what interests them will motivate them to think that writing can be fun and worthwhile (Bomer, 2010). Offering students choices, in regards to both structures and topics in writing, can make students more excited about the overall writing process (Leograndis, 2008). In addition to offering choices for writing, exposing students to a greater variety of writing styles can also increase their engagement and interest level. Activities such as exploring authors’ crafts can help students understand that writing is a unique expression of ideas. In order to continually motivate students to write on a day to day basis, teachers should attempt to incorporate writing elements into everyday activities, engage in a number of shared writing activities, and offer the chance for students to share their work in author’s chair, which can “strengthen your community and set your writers up for success in their future writing projects” (p. 60). Research states that “praise and encouragement take writing a greater distance than criticism,” therefore it is important to provide positive comments to students and confer with them individually about their writing to allow opportunities for further exploration and thought processes (p. 20).
Intrinsically motivated students are more likely to be self-directed learners because of their desire and passion to learn. Harnessing these ideas and incorporating them into a motivating classroom can result in an increased number of motivated writers. In order to truly value a student for his or her writing, it is imperative that students are valued for their uniqueness and individuality (Bomer, 2010). Offering students choices, thinking outside of the box, and providing words of encouragement can help to create motivated writers. Teachers must aim to incorporate collaborative and inquiry-based approaches to writing, so that students are able to learn and grow as individuals. Because an individual’s motivation to learn depends primarily upon what happens to them during their school years, it is imperative that we provide appropriate learning experiences in order to harness student potential (Crow, 2006).
References:
Bomer, K. (2010). Hidden gems: Naming and teaching from the brilliance in every student’s writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Crow, S. R. (2006). What motivates a lifelong learner? School libraries worldwide, 12(1), 22-34.
Leograndi, D. (2008). Launching the writing workshop: A step by step guide in photographs. New York: NY: Scholastic Inc.
Reeve, J., Bolt, E., & Cai, Y. (1999). Autonomy-supportive teachers: How they teach and motivate students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 537-548.