by Tracie Joy

Created on: April 20, 2008

In a productive learning community, the members have common goals, mutual relationships and

show concern for one another. The members tend to share norms and act in certain ways.

In a productive learning community, students perceive themselves as capable. They see

each other as peers and celebrate the accomplishments of one another. In a productive

learning community, everyone is expected to do their best. There are guidelines and

expectations for getting work done. There are plans in place for giving and receiving help

and open communication is encouraged and supported.

Reinforcement theory states that the occurrence of a behavior can be increased or

decreased through positive or negative stimuli. For example, a student receives a grade for

work done. If the student receives a good grade they are positively motivated to continue to

work hard. If the student does not put in a lot of effort and receives a poor grade, that

grade is a negative stimulus. They will want to work hard to receive the higher grade

(positive stimulus).

Needs theory, such as Maslow's Hierarchy, states that people are driven or motivated

by internal needs rather than external rewards for motivation. If lower level needs such as

food and shelter are not met, students will be unable to self motivate. If a student does

not have a sense of belonging, they will be less likely to seek knowledge.

Cognitive theorists believe that people are motivated by their thinking. External

events and rewards are not motivators in cognitive theory, rather the motivation comes from

the belief a person holds about an event.

In social learning theory, motivation comes from two sources, individuals'

expectations about the possibilities of achieving a goal, and how much satisfaction will a

person receive if they attain the goal.

It is my personal belief that all four of these theories come into play when

motivating students. Basic needs must be met before a student can focus on academics. Some

students are easily motivated by external stimuli and something as simple as a grade on a

paper, test or project can be the motivating factor that encourages them to try harder. No

two students are motivated the same way, and it is up to the educator to find out what makes

the student want to learn.

Learn more about this author, Tracie Joy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.