Motivating Children in the Classroom

Motivation plays a significant role in the growth and development of children. Well-motivated students are able to accomplish assigned tasks and responsibilities and generate desirable learning outcomes. This idea is based on the premise that children who do not exert effort and lack the ability to cope up with the challenges of classroom learning do not perform well academically. Children must be able to understand the importance of effort and acknowledge their capability of accomplishing their tasks during classroom instruction. (Alderman, 2004) This is where the role of the teacher, the educational institution, and the stakeholders come in.
The classroom environment must foster learning and education, as well as good working atmosphere for the comfort of the students. Teachers should display desirable characteristics and views that are motivating for the children. Moreover, stakeholders, such as the parents, government, religious institutions, etc. must be able to provide a community for the children that support their education and their learning environments. However, since the teacher actively involved in education and the learning process, he must be able to take on multifarious roles and incorporate numerous strategies and techniques in order to promote education and learning to the children by motivation.
The foundation of the children’s involvement in their education is feeling the sense of belongingness and comfort within the confines of the learning environment. Providing a learning environment that is adaptable to the child and an institution, which fosters desirable social interactions and relationships, becomes a primary motivation for children to attend school. (Alderman, 2004) Therefore, the classroom environment must be structured in such a way that it is built on the relationship of each child with the other, and the teacher to the children. Developing this kind of relationship is influenced by open communication and social interaction through group activities.

Moreover, the teacher should be able to grasp a thorough knowledge of the psychology of a child in order to set relevant instructional tools and strategies that are appropriate to implement for children. This includes the knowledge of several learning theories that might be instrumental for motivating children. Some of these theories include the cognitive theory, social cognitive theory, behavioral theory, humanist theory, cognitive-behavioral theory, etc. These theories seek to explicate how the minds of children work and how they behave. This understanding shall help the teacher design a motivational plan that targets the specific needs and demands of children. (McInerney, 2000)
Classroom motivation may differ depending on the nature and scope of the course. Taking a look at how motivation is implemented in Physical Education, it is observable that it greatly differs with other courses, such as language arts or science for instance. One good thing about Physical Education is that it supports social interaction, cooperation, and teamwork, which is the foreground of motivation among children. The challenge for children in this particular course is the goal or the objective to achieve in the tasks and activities of Physical Education. The danger in this concept lies in the tendency of students to become uninspired in learning when they experiencing loss or failures. However, in some instances, losses or failures enhance motivation and pushes children to learn more and try harder in order to attain success through persistence. (Hardy & Mawer, 1999)
The Physical Education teacher should be able to determine individual attributes of the children in order to determine what motivates them in the course. Children who are uninspired by failures should be made to experience success in order for them to gain at least an ounce of confidence and drive to get involved with the tasks and activities of the course. Setting of specific goals or objectives is also instrumental in motivating children in Physical Education. If the teacher sets our clear goals that children should accomplish, they are motivated to get up and moving in order to accomplish the particular goal. Experiencing success in the realization of goals and objectives provide the students with the sense of worth and aptitude. (Hardy & Mawer, 1999)
Motivation does not only concentrate with the ability of the teacher to encourage positive performance outputs, or the character of children to get motivated by classroom instruction. It is also dependent on the activities, which are involved during classroom instruction. The implementation of various activities and a lot of choices or alternatives is instrumental in rousing the interest of children.
Since the preference of children is varied, it is always recommended to provide varied activities that children can choose from. Through this, they are able to explore new and exciting activities, from which they can determine their strengths and weaknesses and identify what truly interests them. Moreover, this type of activity setting creates the desire for mastery and goal accomplishment. (Hardy & Mawer, 1999)
The most important thing in teaching Physical Education is to motivate them to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge wherein the goals and objectives of the particular course are grounded. The implementation of various games is necessary in order to motivate them, through the light and fun nature of games and activities, with the incorporation of values and academic knowledge within these particular games and activities.
There are a lot of skills and abilities that Physical Education may teach, provided the teacher keep the children well motivated by incorporating fun and interesting games to the lesson. For instance, there are games that teach sportsmanship, the skills of following instructions, math and spelling skills, acting, interest in reading stories, etc. Involving these kinds of activities does not only motivate them, but increase their chances of learning more, in terms of the academic and moral aspects of learning. (Clements, 1995)
References
Alderman, M. K. (2004). “Motivation for Achievement: Possibilities for Teaching and
Learning.” Questia Media America, Inc.: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates, 336 pgs.
Clements, R. L (1995). “Games and Great Ideas: A Guide for Elementary School Physical
Educators and Classroom Teachers.” Questia Media America, Inc: Greenwood Press, 366 pgs.
Hardy, C. A. & Mawer, M. (1999). “Learning and Teaching in Physical Education.” Questia
Media America, Inc.: Falmer Press, 240 pgs.
McInerney, D. M. (2000). “Helping Kids Achieve Their Best: Understanding and Using
Motivation in the Classroom. Questia Media America, Inc.: Allen & Unwin, 123 pgs.