Fostering Intrinsic Motivation

[SeaConquest]

I have been thinking about the efficacy of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation in various situations, and was hoping that we could discuss philosophies or strategies relating to developing intrinsic motivation in our children.

 

Some questions:

 

Recognizing that every child is different, do you take concrete steps in your homeschool, or during extracurricular activities, to foster intrinsic motivation in your children?

What are your specific strategies?

What results have you seen?

How do you balance the use of extrinsic motivation, such that it serves to encourage intrinsic motivation vs. the child becoming dependent upon extrinsic motivation?

How do you deal with lack of motivation or underachievement -- i.e., a child of sufficient ability, but insufficient will?

 

What sayeth the Hive?

 

 

[CardinalAlt]

^^^ the above. Which also means giving time and helping to acquire needed resources, without crossing the line into making it parent-led. She needs to stay more motivated than me, and I need to let the interest die when she's ready.

 

Another aspect for me is making sure I save the extrinsic rewards for where they are really needed. We don't need extrinsic rewards for reading, so sure, she can do the library summer reading program if she wants... But I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Finishing the work that's more mom-led leads to the carrot of a little screen time, but not the math program she thinks is super fun - she doesn't need a carrot for that.

[CardinalAlt]

Oh, and all the growth mindset stuff - making a big deal about determination, problem-solving, etc., not intrinsic "talent" or steady state qualities like "smart."

[klmama]

I let my dc know that they are welcome to do whatever activity they would like, but they have to put in the time and effort to make it happen. A dc wants lessons of some kind? Fine. Dc has to practice outside of lesson time. I'm not going to nag anyone to practice, and I won't even remind regularly. Any dc who wants lessons has a job to do - practice - and I'll drive to lessons and pay for them. If at-home practice doesn't happen, the lessons will end. That's the way it works for all of the dc's outside activities. I expect them to put in the effort needed to improve and excel on their own; if they don't care enough to work hard on their own, I'm not going to push them into it. I'm certainly not going to give up my time and money if they don't care more about it than I do. I will gladly help them through tough spots in their music or give pointers for their gymnastics or whatever other help they ask me for, but the activity has to be their baby, not mine. This approach includes both intrinsic motivation (they want to do the activity) and extrinsic (if they don't put in the effort, the activity ends). It works for us.

 

This approach has transferred well to academics. Anything they want to learn about, they can. They still have to get other academic work done, and they eventually learn to budget their time so they can do everything they want to do. Yes, even the hated diagramming of sentences gets done because next it's time to learn about the loved subject or paint or play or practice for another preferred activity.

[Jungle Mama]

Thank you KLMama.  You have really helped me to see how to guide my child who is very interested in the words "Olympic Trampolinist" but I do sometimes feel I am putting more effort than him into getting him there.  I will keep your words in mind when I book this year's activities.

 

Best wishes

Jen in Oz

 

[wintermom]

One of the wonderful benefits is that as a homeschool mom, I can use things that intrinsically motivate my individual children in several different ways:

 

- If the activity is academic or extra-curricular, I can use this as a focus in our school. So if a child loves board games, I and/or the child can purchase or make a board game on a subject area we're studying.

 

- Or I can use "playing board games" as the motivation for getting their math done; when the child finishes their math they earn time to play their favourite board game - for an extra treat, I'll even play Monopoly with them (even though I don't love it. ;)

 

- I can also limit/remove the activity that intrinsically motivates my child (e.g., playing computer games) at times to discourage inappropriate behaviour. 

 

I'm not exactly sure how much control others have for the intrinsic motivation of individuals. As a parent, I try to provide a wide range of positive opportunities of physical activities, musical experiences, and academic subjects. Hopefully each child finds something that sparks their interest. Often, a first exposure to something won't provide the "thrill" as a little more skill is needed to really enjoy the activity (e.g., playing tennis isn't too fun if you can't hit the ball over the net, but once you learn some skills it can be fantastic). Conversely, an activity that a person thought they'd love ends up being not what they expected (e.g., a girl who loves horses to look at, draw and play with horse toys may find out that actually riding a horse is too scary). 

 

Once that activity or subject which creates the spark is discovered, I try to support it with opportunities to gain skill and experience. If I can provide the skill development, then I do it (e.g., take them cross-country skiing and teach them some basic skill). If they really love it and want to go beyond what I can provide them, then I look for instructors or group settings to pursue this activity further. If I can't provide that initial skill development, then I look for programs and groups where they can. 

 

My dc are still pretty young (8, 10, 12 and 14), and I've noticed that in activities or subjects (e.g., Latin) where they have additional classes, groups, and/or instructors to walk the journey of developing knowledge and skill, they tend to improve their skills quicker and stay in the activity longer then when they are on their own. Even when they have a teacher or group, if dh and I take an interest and support their leaning and participation, they stay in the activity longer. It's difficult to stay motivated on one's own, even when there is a strong intrinsic motivation. Even adults have trouble sticking with an activity, and some form of accountability can be helpful. 

 

This post is getting long, but I'll finish with an example of my ds and I learning to play the violin:

 

- Ds (6 at the time), saw my violin (that I had been unsuccessfully trying to teach myself to play) and was fascinated by it and tried to make sounds. Dh and I decided to pay for violin lessons for ds and I'd try to learn along with him. We found a wonderful private teacher and discovered that group classes were also an important part of the teaching philosophy (Suzuki). My learning along with ds was quicker at the start, but his skills very quickly surpassed mine. I was required to be present in all his lessons and practices, and I noticed that this skills developed so much quicker than my other 2 dc who took private piano lessons but I wasn't required to sit in on the lessons or practicing. As ds's violin skills grew and his repertoire of songs increased, his motivation to practice and play also grew. He didn't necessarily remember to or want to practice, so I used some games recommended by other parents and teachers to keep the practice sessions more fun. As ds's skills grew, mine fell farther and farther behind. I didn't practice with the same consistency as he did, I didn't have a teacher and adult telling me what to do and providing daily feedback, and I didn't have a group class to play with. I eventually gave up playing violin altogether. I would still love to play violin, and enjoy picking up the instrument and looking at it, so I'm obviously intrinsically motivated, I just didn't follow-up with the necessary support of teachers, and carving out time to play and practice.

[dauphin]

If I had a handle on this I would have my younger two at home instead of at a Montessori school but I believe (from personal experience) that this is, pardon the pun, intrinsic to the Montessori philosophy. I have studied it some but in no way feel prepared to try to replicate that at home in the early years. But, IMO, once it has been fostered in the early years, you have to do some reprogramming in order to teach OUT the love of learning for its own sake.

 

Would love if any Montessori experienced people would comment on how they make it work at home.....