This is the first of two questions that fueled my search as an educator looking to better understand and teach her middle school students.

How do we teach to the whole child? One way to do this is to understand our students social and emotional development and current stage.

There are many causes of low motivation amongst middle school students.


More information can be found here: http://www.greatschools.org/parenting/behavior-discipline/616-motivating-th...

I will focus on three main theories that help educators better understand motivation in their students. First, attribution theory suggests that students' perceptions of their experiences influence their motivation more than the actual reality of their experiences.

Anderman, L. H., & Midgley, C. (1997). Motivation and middle school

Second, goal theory emphasizes that students are more motivated when they focus on personal improvement and understanding rather than completing a task to demonstrate ability.

Goal theory connects well to Carol Dweck's growth mindset research. A growth mindset, a belief that you can learn and grow through hard work and effort, is instrumental in high academic achievement. A fixed mindset, a belief that your intelligence is static and unchanging, can hinder your academic success.

Finally, self-determination theory focuses on three critical student needs: a sense of competence, relatedness to others, and autonomy.

Self-determination theory suggests that social factors like peer group affects one's motivation. In middle school, peers are often the most important aspect of students' lives. Educators must keep this in mind when planning learning activities; most middle school students do not and will not learn in isolation.

Aligned with self-determination theory, students will be more motivated when they choose their assignments and have a certain degree of control over the products they produce to demonstrate their learning.

The results of a Chicago action research project suggests that a technology supported learning environment does improve student motivation (Godzicki, Godzicki, Krofel & Michaels, 2013). Specifically, in this study, student motivation and engagement increased by 9%.

Godzicki, L., Godzicki, N., Krofel, M., & Michaels, R. (2013). Increasing motivation in elementary and middle school students through technology-supported learning environments (Master of Arts). Saint Xavier.

A blog from Duke University reminds educators that we too often ask boys to do things they’re not developmentally ready to do, like sit still for long periods of time, be quiet, and use fine motor skills (Stevens, 2006). The blog suggests giving boys opportunities to use their energy to learn. It’s important to let boys explore, touch, and manipulate. Math manipulatives can be effective in increasing motivation amongst all students, espeically boys.

Stevens, K. (2006). Lighting a Fire: Motivating Boys to Succeed. Digest of Gifted Research. Retrieved from http://tip.duke.edu/node/829

A focus on positive reinforcements can be incredibly powerful in the middle school classroom. According to the B.F. Skinner Foundation (2014), "Students who are punished when they do not study may study, but they may also stay away from school (truancy), vandalize school property, attack teachers, or stubbornly do nothing. Redesigning school systems so that what students do is more often positively reinforced can make a great difference."

Bfskinner.org. (2014). The B. F. Skinner Foundation – Definition. Retrieved 15 December 2014, from http://www.bfskinner.org/behavioral-science/definition/

The greatest disservice we can do for our students is have low expectations for them. Many students disengage because the work is not challenging enough. With appropriate time, support, and scaffolds, students can perform and achieve at very high levels. Middle school students are motivated when teachers have high expectations for them.

Just like teachers crave a Friday happy hour to celebrate a week of hard work, students also crave celebrations. It's integral that educators celebrate students' hard work, including posting student exemplars, unexpected rewards, and whole class celebrations for reaching a class goal (i.e. a pizza party when each student can complete an entire multiplication chart in 5 minutes).

There is no silver bullet to increasing motivation in the middle school student. In the end, increasing motivation revolves around building positive relationships with students and a willingness to work with individual students to meet their needs.