Helping Students Motivate Themselves Quotes

“Will what I am about to do or say bring me closer or will it push me away farther from the person with whom I am communicating?” (Marshall, n.d.)”
― Larry Ferlazzo, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges

“People are more motivated and confident when they believe they have more control over their environment. “People with low-power mindsets do less than they otherwise could,” said one motivation researcher (Rigoglioso, 2008). Inviting students to have a voice in classroom decisions—where they sit, what day a test takes place, in what order units are studied, or even where a plant should be placed in the classroom—can help them develop that greater sense of control. An added benefit to this strategy could be fewer discipline issues. William Glasser suggests that power is a key need of students, and that 95% of classroom management problems happen because students are trying to fulfill that need (Ryan & Cooper, 2008, p. 85).”
― Larry Ferlazzo, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges

“one study has found that it can even be helpful for people to literally “bribe” themselves with rewards if they meet their goals (Kristof, 2009). This can be applied in the classroom by suggesting that students list how they can reward themselves—a night of video games, sleeping in late—if they achieve some of their goals.”
― Larry Ferlazzo, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges

“None of these points mean that students cannot be recognized and celebrated for their success. The key is to not hold it out as a “carrot” but, instead, to provide it as an unexpected “bonus” (Chai, 2009).”
― Larry Ferlazzo, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges

“If someone’s baseline rewards aren’t adequate or equitable, her focus will be on the unfairness of her situation and the anxiety of her circumstance. You’ll get neither the predictability of extrinsic motivation nor the weirdness of intrinsic motivation. You’ll get very little motivation at all. But once we’re past that threshold, carrots and sticks can achieve precisely the opposite of their intended aims. (Pink, 2009, p. 35)”
― Larry Ferlazzo, Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers to Classroom Challenges