Motivation

A classmate this week brought in an article about motivation, and how important it is for students in their reading. Since I am also an athletic coach, I know how motivation is imperative to a human being in order to be successful.  Intrinsic and extrinsic are both important, but motivation in itself, is the main thing, no matter where it is coming from.

The article stated that there were "three main facets to fostering motivation in students." This would include interest, confidence, and dedication. I completely agree that there must be an interest to read, in order to help a student be more successful. Usually, I see the students that are in the lower levels are the ones who have the least interest, and vice-versa. If we can get all students to enjoy reading, no matter what level they are at, their level of reading will increase even faster. I also believe that confidence is crucial to a student. This area includes a student feeling safe in their environment and that they know they have teacher support.  I have always tried to have a very comfortable classroom environment, and I truly believe that my class feels comfortable with it, and with me. Although I agree that dedication is important, I believe this would be the least important of the three facets. Every once in a while, I will see a student that is not persistent in reading or doesn't do it as much as they need to, but they are still a strong/high level reader.  It is important for students to dedicate time to reading, but I believe that some people are just more "natural" readers and can still be successful, even with less time spent reading than another person. What do you think? I'm stumped, because I think it's important, but I don't necessarily think it can define or label a reader, and that they HAVE to be dedicated.

With all this talk about motivation, I must say that it cannot be done without teaching it.  I believe that all individuals needs to motivated, but they also need to know how and why.  It is important to have a positive well-being, and a strong self-efficacy almost always leads to success!

Reference: Cambria, J., Guthrie, J.T. (2010). Motivating and engaging students in reading. New England Reading Association Journal, 46(1), 16-28.