"We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire...Give us the tools and we will finish the job."
Sir Winston S. Chruchill, BBC radio braodcast, 9 Feb. 1941.
| The media center is the instructional center of the school. Jampacked with resources and materials to support instruction, it encourages students to undertake and satisfy their personal research and reading needs (Cleaver, 1989). |
Learning is Dangerous |
| Take a look at what teens today are reading, watching on TV and listening to on the radio. What are they playing on their game consoles? Most of those media will be fast-action, engaging, heart-stopping, terror-inducing escapism. What is education like these days? Limited by standards and worksheets, it is often as dull as dishwater for kids. Why reinvent the wheel? Make learning as dangerous as the stuff kids like to spend their free time on to encourage attention and interaction in the classroom. Engaging students in the learning process means using motivational techniques and constructivist elements. When librarians and teachers create a constructivist environment, students can't switch off. The instructor mentors and scaffolds the environment within the student's zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978). |
Need as a motivator |
| STudents come to school with a variety of needs. Need is a very profound motivator. All people seek to satisfy their needs in the course of their development (Maslow, 1970). Maslow arranged the needs in a heirarchy: |
biological---->safety---->love---->esteem---->self-actualization
| Students move from biological (most fundamental) to self-actualization(upper most) needs. Here's the kicker: students cannot achieve the need for self-actualization without fulfilling their biological and safety needs. A student who missed dinner last night and breakfast this morning (biological) will not be able to realize the learning objective of creating a power point presentation (self-actualization). For librarians, this means being aware of the climate of the media center: Is it the right temperature? Can you sit and work comfortably? Is any bullying going on? Do students feel welcome and valued? Is your collection challenging and age-appropriate? Being aware of the levels of need and their relative importance to learning is an important element in understanding student motivation as influenced by need (Wlodkowski, 1986). |
What is motivation? |
| Does motivation start from within? Does motivation require a kick start? We know that things that are "motivated" are more energetic or powerful. Many educators say their students lack motivation. However, students are motivated. Ask any middle school student aobut cars, music, sports, or celebrities. If the mood is right, you will see their eyes light up and their brain engage. In school, students just don't seem to transfer the same effort to their studies. That's why it is useful to build on a student's own interests (Hawley, 1982). Librarians: take heed. Do some needs assessment and find out what your student patrons are interested in and bolster your motivated collection. |
Intrinsic Motivators |
| All teachers and librarians dream of the perfect student who wants to learn for the sake of it. This is an intrinsic motivator. It comes from within the individual student. They check out books because they really want to read them, not because they have a book report due. Intrinsic motivation is strong, solid, and enduring. |
Extrinsic Motivators |
| Grades, pats on the back, treats, cash, smiles, exhibition of work, write-ups, and congratulatory letters, are all examples of extrinsic motivators. These types of inducements and rewards come from outside sources. They are designed to entice the student to achieve, perform, or persist. It is hoped, in the long run, they might have a lasting effect on a student so that they might want to do the work again for the sake of it. They rarely work that way. Extrinsic motivators, unlike intrinsic motivators are fleeting. The best extrinsic motivators are linked directly to the behavior they hope to influence. |
Expectancy-Value Theory |
| Understanding the impact of E-V is a good first step for school librarians.Ruth Small and Marilyn Arnone explain E-V theory in their book Turning Kids on to Research: The Power of Motivation (Libraries Unlimited, 2000). Before embarking upon a learning activity, students evaluate how they expect to fare (expectancy) against what personal value the activity has for them (value). If the student rates the task with no personal value and little chance of doing very well on it, guess what? They will have no motivation to complete or compete. If a student expects to do well on a project and feels that doing it is important to them then BINGO! they will jump in feet first and get the job done. Thus, it becomes the librarian's role to assist students in finding what piques their interest (value) and show them ways they can use information comfortably within their zone of proximal development (expectancy). |
| Students are working in two ways, according to the E-V model. They are working toward success and away from failure. Prior learning will tell a student in what activity they are likely to find success. Experience also teaches students where they can expect to fail. The two sides of the equation (expectancy and value) balance themselves in different ways for different individuals. A person who is geared up for achievement will choose tasks that are moderately difficult. A person who really wants to avoid failure will choose to do things that are either really easy or impossibly difficult. Sound familiar? The kid who checks out the easiest book in the collection is probably checking out the hardest one as well. The failure-avoider is probably still researching the same famous person from first grade or has chosen to research the most elusive character on earth. For librarians, bearing in mind the student's expectancy-value quotient can help in the design of more successful lessons and programs. |
Cleaver, Betty P. and Willam Taylor. The Instructional Consultant Role fo the School Library Meida Specialist. 1989. Chicago: ALA. 1998.
Hawley, Robert C.Ten Steps for Motivating Reluctant Learners. Amherst, MA: Education Research Associates. 1982.
Maslow, A. Motivation and Personality (2nd ed.). New York: Harper & Row. 1970.
Small, Ruth and Marilyn P. Arnone. Turning Kids to Research: The Power of Motivation. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. 2000.
Vygotsky, L.S. Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1978.
Wlodkowski, Raymond J. Motivation and Teaching: A Practical Guide. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association. 1986.