Motivation

Motivation I have looked at how to motivate learners. These are learner's behaviours, Maslow's Hierarchy Theory and Motivational Drivers. I have used the following websites for my information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs , http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Theory_of_Human_Motivation.asp , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation . All sources accessed on the 18th of March 2011. We have looked at why learners may display signs of negative behaviour and lack of motivation during their program. This may be because they have problems at home or work or they may not have wanted to do the NVQ in the first place. We looked at ways to overcome this by setting some ground rules at the start of a program. This way you lay down the expected behaviour for the program and can overcome some of the issues from the start. You can do this in three different ways. The first is student led. This is where the students set the rules. The positive aspects of doing it this way is that they are more likely to 'buy into' the rules, take ownership of the rules and self manage the rules as they set them. The negative is that they could set the standards too low; they may be too soft and can be unrealistic for the program. The second is teacher led. The positive aspects of this are that the rules will be specific to the program; teacher takes control and can link the rules to the subjects in the program. The negative aspects can be that the students view the rules as too harsh, it may not be inclusive to all learning styles and the students may rebel against the rules. The third option is consultation led. This takes the best from both student and teacher led options and is like a negotiation between the student and the teacher. By agreeing the roles together it will become a 'contract' between the student and the teacher. Some situations or programs may require you to use just the teacher led option. We also looked at Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. Maslow's hierarchy was first published in 1943 and is shown in a pyramid diagram. He continued to work on his theory and backed it up with a studying people at a college before publishing his final findings in a book called 'Motivation and Personality' in 1954. This is a theory about the psychology behind human motivation. It is broken into five sections. The first is Physiological. This is basic human needs, like toilets, drinking facilities and the room environment. The second is Safety. This is about how safe the learner feels in the environment you have provided, for example have you gone through instructions in event of an emergency. The third is Love and Belonging. This is about inclusion within the session, look at the learning styles have you got something for everyone and during the session have you adapted your approach looking at verbal and non verbal communication. The fourth is Esteem. Does the learner have low self esteem and confidence in their own abilities' They may already have high self esteem with allot of confidence in their own abilities. This stage is reinforced with recognition of completed tasks. The fifth is Self Actualisation. This stage is realising your full potential. This stage is only achieved if the previous four stages have been achieved. I have looked at motivational drivers. I have researched further into the two areas known as Intrinsic and Extrinsic drivers. Intrinsic are internal or deep emotional motivation needs. These include self motivation, a want for further development, an enjoyment or a passion. Extrinsic are external or surface motivational needs. These include financial, a job requirement (forced) or even a punishment. The reason why a learner is at the training can influence their behaviour. If, for example, they are there as a punishment this already will be a negative reason for being there. This is where ground rules set by the teacher is better than a student led ground rules. If, for example, the learner is there because they want further development they are less likely to display initial negative behaviour and a consultation led ground rules will benefit the learner and tutor to lay down expectations. By communicating with your learners you can understand their reasons for why they are completing the NVQ. If you understand these reasons you can then adjust your assessment plans to make it more interesting and exciting. Using the Maslow's hierarchy you need to follow through with the five steps. Step 1: Does the learner have sufficient breaks before the assessment to get something to drink, eat or go to the toilet' Step 2: Is the learner happy in their job role' Do they feel safe in their environment' Step 3: Does the learner feel like they fit in with their team' Do they feel that they get treated equally and get sufficient support in their job role' Step 4: Does the learner have the confidence in their own skills to prove competency' Have I given sufficient feedback on their performance to help them recognise the skills they have or have learnt' Step 5: Does the learner now realise how good they are' Are they aware that they have skills and knowledge to complete the task again' By researching this topic I am now able to recognise how I can motivate my learners. By using the knowledge gained I feel that my learners will be more motivated in completing their programs. [pic]