Every single middle school teacher who has existed at one point has asked this question.
How do you motivate middle school students?
Middle school students are by nature very ego-centric. Their brains struggle to balance the desire to receive reward (often peer approval) with predicting and weighing consequence. The study of the adolescent brain will really help you understand why your teen and pre-teen students are doing some of the things they are doing... But for this article, let's focus on what we can control.
Research shows that middle school students are motivated by 3 main things:
1. Choice
2. Belonging
3. Success
In the middle grades classroom, choice is an amazing tool to motivate your students. Win your students over as soon as possible.
Allow your students to help develop the classroom norms for your room and how the students (and teacher) there in will function. Nine times out of ten, you will be pleasantly surprised at how your students respond when you ask them questions like... What does a good student do? What does a good teacher do?
You can also prompt student discussions with sentence frames like... I learn best when______. I learn best in a group when_________. By allowing students to have a voice in how the classroom functions, you are encouraging them to take ownership and increasing buy in.
Choice can also be as simple as allowing students on occasion to form their own groups, to choose their own seat, or to choose whether or not to do homework (See how I got my students to voluntarily complete their homework, HERE). I realize that grouping is so important and can serve as an effective instructional strategy in the classroom, but if students are practicing 10 problems that will not be graded...allowing them to choose where they sit for the activity or where they work within the room can be a great motivator for them to work quickly and efficiently (especially if they want to keep that privilege).
Choice can also be as complicated as choosing to complete a complex task rather than completing the multiple choice questions on the upcoming assessment.
When you begin to utilize choice in the classroom, your students begin to take ownership of their learning and behavior in your classroom.
Many students associate choice in the classroom with respect. Students who are allowed to make choices in the classroom feel involved in the learning process and begin to feel a sense of belonging in the learning environment.
Which brings us to point 2...
Students need to feel like they belong!
When it comes to a student feeling like they belong in the classroom, John C. Maxwell sums it up pretty well.
Most of us immediately think about our middle school aged students and their overwhelming need to fit in with their peers. We cringe at the remembrance of the things we have seen that only prove the point that some of our students will do almost anything to resemble the crowd.
But, I encourage you to think about it in a different way.
Ask yourself... Do my students feel welcome in the classroom? Do they know I genuinely care about them and the progress that they make in my room? Do they feel safe to make mistakes and engage in the learning process?
You may be wondering how this relates to motivation.... but try motivating someone who doesn't like you (or thinks that you don't like them) to do anything.
Welcome and greet each and every student that comes into your classroom. Get to know their likes and dislikes, hobbies, dreams, and more. Take a genuine interest in their well being. Notice if they are not feeling well or having a bad day.
I think we can all agree that teaching is one of the most complex jobs just by the very nature of it. When students know that you care (and have clear expectations and norms), they feel secure in the environment and will be willing to try new things.
Mutual respect goes a long way when motivating students. So many barriers like frustration, loneliness, confusion, and low self esteem are broken down systematically in classrooms where teachers are actively working to build working relationships with their learners and making learners feel welcome.
Imagine the struggling math student. This student is lacking prior knowledge needed for the tasks that are required. The student feels like they are at the bottom of an insurmountable mountain. All this student wants to do is escape class unharmed and chalks failure up to not being a "math person".
This situation was all too real as a middle grades math teacher. Many of my students felt so unsuccessful at math. They had absolutely NO motivation to work at getting better because success felt so far away.
My job as a teacher is to make success feel attainable and real.
It is to support my students with tools and information that helps them reach their goals. It is to help them set clear and realistic goals and celebrate with them each success no matter how small.
I am all about breaking topics down and helping my students see their successes.
One of the most powerful ways to help your students feel successful is to set clear obtainable goals. Remember when that last set of new standards rolled out and everyone spent weeks of training "unpacking" them. We can do this for students in regards to their learning standards too.
Small wins are still wins.
Chunk learning standards into smaller groups of "I can" statements.
The most essential part of this whole entire process is encouraging students to take ownership of their learning. Facilitate this process by having students maintain goal sheets or checklists, evaluate their learning on Maslow's Levels of Learning, and rewarding them when they reach their goals.
A great idea has been developed recently called Gamifying Learning. In this concept, small goals are set for students and as they reach each goal they collect a new badge... think girl/boy scouts. Students are very clear on what it takes to earn each badge and stay focused and motivated to continue the pattern of success.
As you can see, motivating middle school learners is much more complicated than expecting your students to come in and work with a good attitude because that is what you want them to do. Motivating middle school students is about recognizing their growing independence by allowing choice, welcoming them into the learning environment, and supporting them with attainable goals and providing the information and support needed to meet those goals.
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