🏆 Stimulating intrinsic motivation
There are two types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, which is tied to the task itself, and extrinsic motivation, which stems from expected outcomes. For example:
Practising the cello because you enjoy playing it is intrinsic motivation.
Practising the cello to win a competition is extrinsic motivation.
Both types of motivation can coexist. You may enjoy your work but feel temporarily more motivated by the promise of a pay rise. However, intrinsic motivation is generally more effective in stimulating learning. Learners are more likely to put in effort when the focus is on the skills they will acquire rather than the performance they are expected to achieve.
For instance, saying “This training will help you improve your customer relations skills” is more motivating than “This training will help increase your sales by 30%.” Rewards, in some cases, can even be counterproductive.
💡 Making learning meaningful
One of the best ways to foster intrinsic motivation is to give learners a sense of purpose in the activities you design.
Even abstract activities can be made relatable to learners:
Arithmetic: “Imagine you have £6 and you want to buy three baguettes at £1.20 each.”
Literature: “Lord Byron, the rock star before rock stars existed...”
Concrete examples and comparisons help give learning a clear purpose.
Even adult learners, who may naturally see the immediate utility of their learning, benefit from clearly articulated goals. Don’t hesitate to explain the why of the learning experience (e.g., “Why take agile training?”).
🎯 Setting realistic goals
Motivation is closely linked to the goals you set for learners. Overly ambitious goals can lead to failure and discouragement, while goals that are too simple can quickly demotivate.
For example, a beginner swimmer asked to swim multiple lengths right away will feel overwhelmed. Conversely, asking a novice coder to repeat the same basic HTML exercise multiple times without progression will also diminish motivation.
The key is to set goals that challenge learners just beyond their current abilities – a concept known as the Zone of Proximal Development.
🎓 Tailoring learning objectives
Imagine a negotiation techniques course where a final assessment is conducted. Among the participants:
Élodie wants to improve her professional skills.
Raphaël aims to prove his abilities to himself and others.
Clémence wants to outperform her peers.
Antonin has no specific goals but hopes to sell more this year.
Cognitive science predicts different motivational outcomes based on these goals:
Élodie: Likely to increase effort and time spent learning after poor results.
Raphaël: Likely to reduce effort due to decreased motivation.
Clémence: Motivation might dip slightly, but her efforts will remain steady.
Antonin: Likely to seek help but remain less motivated.
Learners focused on improving skills and progressing tend to approach failure more constructively than those aiming to achieve specific benchmarks or compete with others.
🛠️ Encouraging active participation
All other factors being equal, active pedagogies—such as project-based learning, where learners construct knowledge by engaging with real tasks—are generally more motivating than passive methods.
However, be cautious with overly complex or purely entertaining activities that lack direct links to learning objectives. Engagement should serve the learning goal.
🔎 Using mental shortcuts
Provide learners with mnemonic techniques to aid recall, and repeat them often. Repetition helps learners internalise these shortcuts.
Limit the number of mnemonics introduced; focus instead on reinforcing a select few. Additionally, encourage learners to create their own mental shortcuts during active recall exercises for deeper engagement.
💡 Generating emotions
Emotions are powerful allies in learning. Use them strategically to enhance retention, but avoid overloading learners emotionally. Excessive emotional engagement might cause them to remember the feeling rather than the content itself.
🤝 Encouraging group work
Collaborative learning, where participants work towards shared goals, can boost motivation. Seeing others actively engaged often inspires learners to do the same.
Keywords: recommendations, tips, group work, learner motivation
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