How to Motivate Teachers

Teachers’ Motivation

Student motivation and engagement are considered as critical actors toward enhancing learning outcomes and performance. Over the past few decades, numerous efforts have been made in the education sector to enhance student motivation and participation in learning activities and tasks. However, when increasing student engagement, teachers must also find ways to maintain motivation for the profession. While student engagement is critical, teachers’ motivation is also essential toward the achievement of learning goals and objectives. This paper examines ways that can be utilized to enhance teachers’ motivation to teach so that they can continually engage students in learning. Additionally, the paper will discuss the impact of expectancy-value theory on daily and annual instructional practices.
Ways for Improving Teacher Motivation
One of the ways I can utilize to increase motivation to teach so that I can continually engage students in learning is to become autonomous. Even though my role as a teacher implies that I drive student learning, a degree of autonomy is essential toward increasing teacher motivation. According to Daniels (2017), feelings of autonomy have been found to increase the desire and motivation of teachers to develop their skills and enhance competence. As teachers further develop their skills and competence due to feelings of autonomy, they create a learning environment where teachers continually engage students in learning.
The second way I can use to enhance motivation to teach for increased engagement of students in learning is collaborating with other educators or instructors. Collaborating with other teachers is essential because this profession entails life-long learning in order to achieve the desired learning goals and objectives. Collaboration will enhance my motivation by giving me more opportunities to grow and flourish.
The other approach will entail working with school administrators to ensure that the learning environment recognizes and reward teachers for their contribution in learning. Recognition and respect from administrators are crucial factors toward improving teacher motivation to continually engage students in learning tasks and activities. Together with the school administrators, I will help in create platforms for performance review and recognizing and rewarding teachers for their input.
Impact of Expectancy-value Theory
Expectancy-value Theory is one of the models of motivation that is based on the idea that people exert effort on a task based on the extent with which they expect to succeed in it. Moreover, the effort that people put on a particular task is proportional to the extent with which they value the task and success in it (Marinak, 2013). This theory has a major impact of daily and annual instructional strategies and practices. In this regard, I always plan my daily and yearly instructional practices in a manner that creates value for students in the various learning tasks. I take time to help students understand the value and significance of learning tasks/activities with respect to their outcomes and future careers. I ensure that students understand the value of the tasks, what is required of them to complete these tasks, and the importance of success on the respective learning task.
In conclusion, student engagement and teacher motivation are important components towards enhancing students’ learning outcomes and performance. Teacher motivation play a critical role in the establishment of learning environment and development of instructional strategies/practices that in turn influence student engagement. An important aspect of this process is helping students understand the value of engaging in particular learning tasks and the value of their respective success.
References
Daniels, E. (2017, April 27). Curricular Factors in Middle School Teachers’ Motivation to Become and Remain Effective. Research in Middle Level Education, 40(5), 1-14.
Marinak, B.A. (2013). Courageous Reading Instruction: The Effects of an Elementary Motivation Intervention. The Journal of Educational Research, 106, 39-48.