Motivation means different things to different people. Here are a few definitions that appealed to me:
Motivation is:
1) The desire to achieve a goal combined with the energy to work towards that goal (University of South Australia, 2010).
1) The desire to achieve a goal combined with the energy to work towards that goal (University of South Australia, 2010).
2) An internal state that rouses us to action, pushes us in particular directions, and keeps us engaged in certain activities (Ormrod, 2008).
3) The fuel that drives a person to fulfill goals, wants, and needs (Personal Improvement, 2010).
Motivation to Learn is:
A tendency to find learning activities meaningful and worthwhile and therefore attempt to get the maximum benefit from them (Brophy, 2004).
A tendency to find learning activities meaningful and worthwhile and therefore attempt to get the maximum benefit from them (Brophy, 2004).
For a great article on What is Motivation and How to Stengthen it, click here
My educational mantra is a quote from Yeats, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." Lighting a fire is not about teaching facts and figures or teaching to a test, but about making learning meaningful and engaging to students. This can occur through hands-on learning, student led learning and through activities that relate to the student's own life. If we want to keep the fire burning and develop lifelong learners, we have to nuture a love of learning by creating opportunities for the thrill of personal discovery.
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