The Importance of Motivation in the Classroom

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The Importance of Motivation in the Classroom

It is first important to understand how motivation works in the classroom. There are infinite procedures teachers use to achieve desired effects from their students, but there are general patterns these motivational tools follow. In order for teachers to communicate with their students, they must identify with their needs on an individual basis (Gawel, 1997). This proposal is much akin to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which states five basic needs that must be met in order to achieve full motivation. These needs, in ascending order, are as follows: physiological, security, love and belongingness, esteem and self-respect, and self-actualization (Gawel, 1997). Each of these needs details a very important issue in motivation inside the classroom and out.

Maslow's first need of physiological sufficiency is very basic. This issue simply asks if the students are comfortable in their environment. That is, are they hungry, too cold, too hot? If a student?s physical environment does not match appropriately with the student?s need, he will not be motivated to learn or to achieve any higher need. Similarly, if the student does not feel safe (via the second need, security), they will not focus on working. If a student feels threatened by another student or by the teacher, he may not progress as well as hoped and in many cases, he reverts from the instruction rather than responding to it. In order to alleviate feelings of danger, a teacher can show protection and love, which is the third hierarchal need. A student must feel safe and invited in a classroom for him to achieve; making a classroom seem like a prison elicits the antithesis of motivation: lassitude.

In Maslow?s fourth need, est...

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