Empowerment is Key to Motivation

Chapter 6 of George Couros book "The Innovator's Mindset" puts the focus on engagement and empowerment.  Couros points out to his readers that increase engagement we must be willing to empower our students.  By that, Couros means to give them the tools that they need to want to explore a topic deeper.  That could be through YouTube videos, reading blogs or researching credible online resources.  I agree completely with what he is saying and have experienced my own motivation growing simply by reading his book.  Often times Couros will reference a source that has me seeking out that source to read more about it or to read the entire article.  By providing me with the resources, I see curiosity sparked and my motivation to learn more is increased.

An example of this in our own school comes to mind when I read chapter 6.  The second grade students are required to research a topic of a person in history.  These students are allowed to pick the person they wish to research further.  They are able to use textbooks, nonfiction books, the internet or any other source that is of interest to them.  In the end all students are to create a costume and dress as that individual.  They then put their work on exhibit in the Wax Museum.  Through this assignment I have witnessed students eagerly researching their character knowing that they will be able to present their work to the school and the community.  I have seen the most struggling student motivated by this assignment.  Why is that?  It is because this assignment provides them an opportunity to feel empowerment.  Students are not told how they they must do their research or how their character must look.  Rather they are given the opportunity use their imagination.

Empowerment is key to increasing motivation.  Nobody wants to be constantly told what to do or what to say.  Although there are guidelines to completing an assignment or a project, allowing the students the freedom to be creative and resourceful increases both motivation and engagement.  If you have not done this in your classroom, give it a try and see how it affects your student's learning.