Motivational Strategies for the Classroom - Essay Example

Motivating Motivating Introduction While it is true that need to be able to intrinsically motivate themselves towards succeeding, both academically and personally, in life there is some truth to the reality that teachers and other concerned adults can have a great influence in this regard as well. Consider that today’s student has a myriad of issues that they present the average teacher with, but there is the equally telling reality that teachers set the tone for success within their classroom. This begins with eye contact and treating everyone as equals, to ensuring the adequate resources are provided in order to young people to feel good about their accomplishments, no matter how big or small they may be. Motivational Strategies for the Classroom The reinforcement theory is designed to help analyze the behavior expressed by any one individual and determine how it is reflective of the consequences resulting from the behavior, be it positive or negative. The very nature of the reinforcement theory, then, is predicated on the notion of law and effect, whereby an individual that receives positive consequences after their behavior tends to repeat that same behavior, yet individuals you receive negative consequences work hard to not repeat that same behavior (Brown, 2015). At the same time, there are certain limitations to the reinforcement theory that must be taken into consideration as well, such as the reality that the theory itself overlooks the internal state of the individual in question. This includes the inner feelings and drives that individuals tend to have throughout their lives, yet these are overlooked by Skinners original theory and subsequent discussions. The theory itself is designed to focus upon what happens to a person when he or she undertakes a given action, so the external environment that exists should be designed in an effective and positive manner so that people are motivated to act (Brown, 2015). In today’s increasingly modern, global, and competitive atmosphere, this is most commonly reflected in a school’s ability to inspire and motive students to aspire towards academic excellence. As such, the reinforcement theory can certainly be seen to be an effective tool in terms of analyzing and controlling mechanisms that correspond to behaviors the individuals tend to exhibit in both their academic and personal lives. The theory does stop short, however, of explaining the exact causes related to an individual’s behavior, so this should be a subject of discussion as well. In examining studies related to the efficacy of the reinforcement theory, it is important to note that research has proven that behavior that is reinforced tend to be repeated, or strengthened. Looking at this issue from the opposite point of view, behavior that is not reinforced actually has been observed to be eliminated, extinguished, or weakened (Yulia, 2013). Considering this, it becomes apparent that this theory does not work the same for all people, and many critics of Skinner’s work contends that it negates the process of the human mind and its capability to think for him or her self, one of the very concepts that Skinner work so hard to support. Some scholars would argue that the reinforcement theory negates any type of free thinking in terms of deciding how to act and in what way, as we truly become a product of our environment. Others contend hat this is a Marxist way of thinking whereby all of society thinks and acts in a certain way. In essence, the will of the state would win out as governments reward only the behavior that it sees to be beneficial to greater society, while working to stifle and dissenting behavior that might arise (Yulia, 2013). Even given support to the contrary, there is little denying that many humans do have a propensity to respond positively to positive reinforcement, while working to stay away from behavior that results in negative reinforcement or punishment. Skinner coined the term operant conditioning in order to identify the way that an individual’s behavior tend to change upon the introduction of a reinforcement, eventually resulting in what the person perceives to be the desired behavior. Within this thought process lies neutral operants, which are responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated. In essence, this is behavior that results irrespective of the environmental conditions, or the motivation or influence of others (Chandler & Swanston, 2012). The reinforcement theory remains as one of the most plausible and often studies theories of work motivation because of its ability to delve into the human psyche and determine what environmental factors, if present, lead to an increase in overall satisfaction and productivity in an academic setting. A proper understanding of motivational theory can have a great impact on developing future, more involved, studies that are conducted in this discipline. This will, in turn, lead to positive social change as students from all walks of life and various cultures better understand the factors that need to be present to motivate their employees to excellence. This will be of a direct benefit to society as human civilization continue to advance and progress in a positive direction moving forward. Psychology is interested in the study of humans, the way they think, act, and react to different circumstances (Evans, 2014). A great part of this involves the manner in which a person choose to behave. We are a civilization that is predicated on the ability of the majority to conform to certain organizational and societal objectives, yet it is often difficult to determine how this has occurred. Skinner realized that all humans have the propensity to think for themselves, yet he also postulated that most individuals tend to behave as the group around them conditions them to do. This juxtaposition of human thought and action is what influenced the work of Skinner, and continues to provide much thought provoking discussion amongst scholars in the field of behavioral psychology. All of these areas, and more, are certainly worthy of future study and the implications are vast in terms of better understanding how to apply the reinforcement theory within the context of the modern, globally competitive, academic arena that will be well poised for future success (Evans, 2014). In order to motivate students more properly, educators also need to be aware of the cultural diversity that exists in today’s classroom. Cultural diversity is all around of us. This is reflected in the reality that some states in America are already quickly approaching a situation where the minority is actually the majority. As such, society is increasingly heterogeneous, and this is certain impacting the way that teachers conduct their classrooms (Brown, 2015). One way to ensure success for all students is to embrace principles of cultural diversity. Students need to learn to appreciate one another and the various differences present in the classroom. This begins with the teacher. Teachers must try to integrate various types of leaning activities into the daily routine of the classroom in order to maximize the potential of each student (Ruz, 2013). There also needs to be more of an emphasis on recruiting teachers from a variety of different cultures. While the student population today is growing increasingly heterogeneous, the reality is that the teaching population is largely still homogeneous. This means that many students are underrepresented in the school system and they are taught by teachers who do not truly understand them and their way of life. In order to help ensure their success, it would be helpful to have more educators who were of minority groups in order to facilitate the learning process. In the end, community involvement is needed today more than ever. We live in a fragmented society, and this is reflected in the way our schools are governed. We need to have the community involved in order to better the learning environment for all students and demonstrate the education is valued and important (Johnson, 2014). Finally, proper motivational strategy involves an understanding of the life space development of today’s student. To begin, it is helpful to understand some basic principles and models commonly used to define multigenerational issues and life span development, particularly as they related to the family life cycle. According to Linderberger, & Baltes (2010), lifespan development can be described as lifelong, multi-dimensional, and multi-generational. As they explain, the mental stability of an individual forms the basis for general knowledge in three core areas of individual development: (1) inter-individual regularities in development, (2) inter-individual difference in development, and (3) individual plasticity in development. Thus, the risk to good development, according to this theory, include not giving attention to each of these components and their age-related interactions, which are the foundation of human development. As an example, cognitive factors such as: comprehension, memory, ability, perception and reasoning, and language and problem-solving skills are stated to decline as individuals grow older. Further, these are factors that contribute to cognitive deficits in older people also contribute to depression (lack of life satisfaction) and loneliness. This also related to family issues, structure, and organization (Marintcheva, 2012). Relative to the development of children, one model refers to the developmental life cycle as “the capacity to explain and predict human behavior in terms of mental states”. This theory has been widely used to describe the social-cognitive development of children. According to one study, much of the research on this theory is focused on children’s understanding of false beliefs during their preschool years described as: Stage one —theory of mind is an important developmental process that leads children to a better understanding of themselves and of other people of them. Stage two, children gradually develop important skills to recognize the relationship between desires and emotions (an example of this is a child not having what they desire and how it affects the emotional states that typically originate during pre-school years), and Stage three —during the same period, children began to understand that people make false beliefs which can reflect misguided actions (Nandra, 2112). Research shows that child development relative to mental theory development can be impacted by culture and family environment. For instance, the theory holds that development can be linked to genetic and environmental influences. As an example, cultural differences exist with such factors such as parenting, gender socialization that can impact development. According to Mantell (2013), cultural differences characterize one of the attachment components (autonomy) in adolescent autonomy. Finally, another popular theory of human development is based on Erickson’s theory on the development of the personality. Erikson’s theory comprised eight stages of psychosocial development. He posited eight “bipolar” stages across the life span characterized by psychological and social processes. The first stage (Trust vs. mistrust) is the stage of infancy from birth to 15 months. The second stage is the early childhood stage (Autonomy vs. shame), from 18 months to 3 years. Erikson’s fourth stage (industry vs. inferiority) referred to school ages 6 to 12. Stage 5 (Identity vs. role confusion) characterized the adolescent, ages 12 to 18. The sixth stage (Intimacy and solidarity vs. isolation) described the young adult ages 18 to 35. Erickson’s seventh stage (generativity vs. self-absorption or stagnation) characterized middle adulthood, from ages of 35 to 55. Finally, the eighth and last stage (Integrity vs. despair) described late adulthood, from 55 to 65 to death (Mantell, 2013). Based on Erickson’s Psychosocial theory, crises can occur at particular points along the lifespan continuum. For example, crises can occur at any point in life as a function of psychosocial factors that Erikson referred to as “hazard of existence” For example, if an individual has problems in earlier stages, he or she may revisit that stage later in life, so that all psychosocial issues can arise. For example, if an infant enters into the toddler stage (autonomy vs. shame); and has more trust than mistrust, he or she will have less problems with relationships later in life (Mantell, 2013). In terms of being a graduate learner in the field of general psychology, it is important to understand the various models and theories related to individual life span development. This is culturally unique by the individual and should be understand within the context of the family structure and environment that one is raised in. While there are no universal truth, the discipline psychology has developed a series of stages that most individuals pass through on the path to their own cognitive and emotional development. In addition, the way that the family develops, particularly in terms of a multigenerational model, is extremely important to study because it relates to shifting patterns and trends within society. General psychology is a social science devoted to better understanding the unique dynamics of the human mind and how individuals develop into conscientious and productive members of society. This most often occurs in stages throughout the life span of the individual, so by understanding these the general psychologist can better treat individuals who seem to be deviating in some way from generally accepted cultural and social norms. Within that realm, it is important as a graduate learner that you develop your own model of family psychology that is multi-cultural and multi-generational, taking into account shifting values and mores present in society and how this impact individual cognitive development over time. Teachers and educational psychologists must be multicultural in their approach in order to help individuals from all walks of life, family situations, and cultures to work through issues and problems in their own way and in a way that fosters their own personal growth and development (Johnson, 2014). Conclusion In the end, a mere understanding of the reinforcement theory or the various stages of development will do little to motivate students unless educators and other concerned adults work to properly encourage young people to strive for excellence. This begins with personalizing education, which can be demonstrated by an action as easy as learning the name of each and every student in the classroom. In addition, objectives must be clearly stated to the students, and they must be able to be reasonably attained. This can be one by providing lots of examples during instruction and being patient with students until they understand and master any given topic. To do that, proper motivational strategies can be reinforced by implementing the principles of the reinforcement theory. This is done by being available to students before and after class, and involving students themselves in the learning process. In the end, it is also important that every student is treated equality and that they are truly valued, no matter how difficult or amenable they might be. References Brown, S. (2015). Motivating high school students to score proficient on state tests. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 3(3), 1-18. Chandler, G. and Swanston, J. (2012). Motivating underrepresented students to pursue faculty roles. Nurse Educator, 37(6), 233-234. Evans, D. (2014). Motivating students earning using a formative assessment journey. Journal of Anatomy, 224(3), 296-303. Johnson, C. (2014). A SMART approach to motivating students in secondary physical education. Journal of Physical Education, 85(4), 42-44. Mantell, C. (2013). Motivating students for content mastery. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 105(2), 38. Marintcheva, B. (2012). Research brief: Motivating struggling students. Childhood Education, 88(2), 141. Morgan, S. (2013). Motivating students - carrot or stick? Veterinary Nursing Journal, 28(2), 63-65. Nandra, S. (2012). Motivating new students. General Anthropology, 19(2), 1-9. Ruz, E. (2013). Motivating Latina doctoral students in STEM disciplines. New Directions for Higher Education, 163, 35-42. Yulia, Y. (2013). Teaching challenges in Indonesia: Motivating students and teachers classroom language. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3(1), 1. Read More