Strategies for Motivation

in the Classroom
‘The secret of education is respecting
the pupil’
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Compiled by Kim Harrison, Derek Noffke, Julie Pappas, Louise Raye, & Allira Zangari
 Alphabetical listings of strategies for
motivating students in the Classroom

A B C D E F G H

I J K L M N O P

Q R S T U V W X

Y Z

Click on crayons when you

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Motivation – the moving force that energises behaviour

N.B Stages mentioned with activities are only a recommendation as every class and teacher varies.
 A
Awards (all stages)
Awards are a great way of motivating. Make your own awards and certificates on
brightly coloured paper for al KLAs. Here are some examples:

Certificates for English Certificates for citizenship Miscellaneous certificates

Handwriting Cheerful student Book work
Public speaking Playground behaviour Homework
Good listener Group Work Telling time
News presentation Honesty Creativity Improving
Reading improvement Library helper Originality
Thank you – general
Certificates for PDHPE Student of the week
Best and fairest Beautiful behaviour
Good sport Responsible behaviour
Great helper Helpful student “Shake hands with
Improving student and say ‘you
Kindness make me very happy’”
Consideration of others

“I am a teacher. A teacher is someone who leads. There is no magic here. I don’t

not walk on water. I do not part the sea. I just love children.” (Marva Collins)
 B
‘Be in it Box’ (Stage 1)
Tickets are given out to children that are obeying class rules, e.g. listening, sitting
up straight, and not speaking. They put their name on the ticket and place it in the
box (bright red). At recess and sometimes at end of day, their names are drawn out
and they receive a lolly. Give hints to kids who the winner for the day is which gets
the class guessing and excited.

“Extrinsic motivators are not used as bribes but as a tool to extend learning”
(e.g. Bandura & Schunk, 1981 as cited in Dolezal, Welsh, Pressley, & Vincent, 2003, p.260)
 C (C continues next page)

The countdown method (Early stage 1-Stage 2)

This involves the teacher counting down from 10 to 1,
and in that time the students are to organise
themselves as requested. It may involve the students
dropping what they are doing and turning their
attention to the teacher, or perhaps even moving Clapping (Early Stage 1-Stage 1)
from their table to a whole class focus (WCF) Another method commonly used to gain
position. This method of gaining student attention attention involves the teacher clapping
appears to be very effective, so long as it is followed
rhythmic patterns until the students
through. For example, one teacher, (a substitute) join in and repeat the patterns. This
observed to use this method to move children from
method is also very effective and
their desks to WCF position counted down to one, and efficient.
then began the next lesson. However, various children
still hadn’t reached the WCF and were not
reprimanded in any way. Those children were well
aware that this particular teacher did not take the
countdown too seriously. Where as, with their regular
classroom teacher it was taken much more seriously,
as the children know that refusing to comply will
result in negative consequences.

“Use classroom management techniques that are positive, constructive, and

encouraging towards students” (Dolezal et al, 2003, p. 261)
 C (cont.)

Chequebook reward system (Stage 2-Stage 3)

Each child receives a chequebook in the classroom. You begin each week with a
specific amount of money deposited into the chequebook (say $200). If a
student does not get their homework finished they might have to write a check
for $50 to you. If a student breaks one of your classroom rules, perhaps they
will owe you $25. You can use any behaviours that you would like to encourage in
your room. At the end of the week, the students are able to purchase privileges
based on the money they have left in their chequebooks. For instance, they may
pay you $75 to sit by a friend for a day.

e f o r what
en a p urpos explain
i ve c hildr t o le arn –
“G t
e y a r e abou
th
value”

“Children are our most valuable natural resource” (Herbert Hoover)

 D
Teacher’s Desk arrangement (Stage 3)
In a Year 5/6 class, the teacher’s desk can be found at the back of the classroom.
When asked why it was placed at the back, the teacher responded by saying that it
gives her the opportunity to monitor the students without the students necessarily
being aware of when she is and isn’t monitoring, (as their desks all face the front.) It
gives the students less opportunity to misbehave or disrupt fellow classmates, as they
never know when their teacher is watching – and turning around to check would make
them look suspicious right away! The teacher enforces the success of this technique
by stating that her class is very well behaved when they work at their desks and she
rarely finds herself correcting student behaviour.

“The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher”
(Elbert Hubbard)
 F
Focus Point (All stages) Free Day (All stages)
This method is useful when the teacher needs During Free Day you might play
to control the class quickly and settle them board games, have a free
down. recess, go for a walk. Those
Write the word “Focus” on the chalkboard and students who choose not to be a
directly beside the word you write a time that part of the team and play by
is near the end of that particular period, e.g. the rules can be supervised by
if period finishes at 1.00pm, you write an aide or placed in another
12:55pm beside the word “Focus.” Tell the classroom during this time.
students that they need to focus on that time
and those last five minutes will be for them to
fulfill their ‘talking needs.’ Everyone must
work well in order to get their reward of five
minutes. Appoint the most talkative student
as time monitor.

“What the pupils want to learn is as important as what the teacher wants to
teach” (Lois E LeBar)
 H
Happy Ball (All stages)
For this activity you will need a soft ball, up to a basketball size, that has a smiley or
happy face painted on it. Children are to sit in a large circle on the floor facing the
center awaiting the game to start. The teacher starts the game by rolling the ball to
a student and the following areas can be investigated.
• Learning student names: a student rolls the ball whilst saying the students name that
they are rolling it to.
• Self-esteem activity: a student says something positive to the student that they are
rolling the ball to.
• News activity: saying something positive about what activities the student may do
over the weekend.
• Getting to know you session: a student rolls the ball to another student and says
something that they have learnt about that person, e.g. Tom has two brothers.
• Children are discouraged from rolling the ball only to their friends.

House Points (All stages)

When a student learns something new, behaves or does
something correctly, they will receive a point towards
their school house Team. E.g. Bass, Flinders, Cook.

“One of the most important things a teacher can do is send the pupil home in the
afternoon liking himself just a little better than when he came in the morning”
(Ernest Melby)
 L
Student Line-ups (Early Stage 1 –Stage 2)
In groups of approximately ten, students are asked to line up in various orders. These
may include:
• Tallest to shortest.
• Shoe size.
• Month of birthdays.
• Alphabetical order of first names.
The list goes on, however this can be modified by directing the students not to talk
whilst undertaking this activity, making them think about how they are going to
communicate their answers.

“The teacher has devised rules and routines for her students that are useful
and provide smooth transitions within lessons and between activities”
(e.g. Evertson, Emmer, & Worsham, 2000 as cited in Dolezal et al,2003, p.261)
 M
Classroom Money Auction (Stage 1 – Stage 3)
Teacher creates fake money vouchers (class dollars) which are given to students
for good behaviour, performance or improvement. The child takes responsibility
for their own accumulated dollars and at the end of the term a class auction is
held where students can bid for small prizes such as pens, notebooks, balls,
McDonalds vouchers etc. Prizes can be shown to the students throughout the
term as an incentive to work towards.
“If they finish early let them
100 Minute Club (Stage 1 – Stage 3)
listen to music they like”
All students are expected to read 100 minutes weekly. Parents sign
weekly verification slips. They should either read 20-30 minutes nightly
during the school week or spread it out to include the weekend as long as
it equals 100 minutes. Students are read to by family members to earn
their minutes at the beginning of year. All students who have completed
this weekly requirement are awarded at an awards ceremony (held every
6 weeks). They receive certificates and usually something additional such
as pencils, ice cream from canteen etc.

Talk with the students about the importance of learning, and using the mind,
overcoming adversity, having a dream and working for it
 P
Personal Incentive chart (Stage 1
– Stage 3) Teacher Payback (Stage 1 – Stage 3)
Students could have a personal Have a class points chart, whereby exceptional
incentive chart on their desks, behaviour by the whole class is rewarded with a
where they fill up little squares with point. Set a class goal to be achieved by the end
tiny dot stickers when they bring of the year e.g. 500 points. Agree upon the
their homework in. After five spaces teacher payback prior to commencing the point
are filled they get a reward. After score e.g. teacher has to wear a spider man
the entire chart is filled they get a costume for a day. If students reach the goal,
"bigger" reward. Some incentives the teacher pays the price!
that children like include decorated
pencils, pens, candy, homework
passes (teacher made), scented
stickers, use the teacher's desk (or
a special table) for a day, lining up
first, teacher’s assistant. Some
companies (e.g. McDonald’s) give out
free coupons, which can also be used
as rewards.

“Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way”
(George Evans)
 R
Tips for Using Rewards (http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr300.shtml)

• Keep the reward system simple. A complicated behaviour system is difficult and time
consuming to manage.
• Make the reward meaningful to your students. Opportunities for student choice can be
particularly effective.
• Use rewards to get students off to a good start with a specific behaviour.
• Focus on one behaviour at a time, and have your students help select it.
• Begin by rewarding students often, and then gradually reduce the rewards and maintain
expectations.
• Raise the expectations that must be met for the rewards as the students progress.
• Think in the short term. A system that is no longer needed after a few weeks has done
its job!
• Modify behaviour systems for students with extreme problems. Frequent smaller
rewards given to these students may have more benefit.

Consistently find ways to compliment and encourage students for their good
behaviour, learning success, and helpfulness in the classroom (Brophy 1981 as cited
in Dolezal, et al 2003, p.259)
 S (S continues next page)

Singing (Early Stage 1-Stage 1)

A teacher can also gain attention through singing a familiar
song that the children will be inclined to join in with. So long as
the song is familiar to all, this technique is once again
extremely effective. However, it has the potential to take up
time, as one song leads to another
Speak softly (Stage 2- Stage 3)
This is a helpful technique when you walk into a classroom and there is a loud chatter going on.
Stand directly in front of class and begin speaking in a low soft tone of voice. First one student
will notice you are saying something, and then several others. What occurs most often is one
student will tell the others to be quiet.

Classroom Star of the Week (Early Stage 1 – Stage 2)

Explain that each student within the classroom has the opportunity to be Star of the Week. Make a
poster of a large star with the child’s photo in the middle; this is then surrounded by classmates’
positive comments about the student. Each student should check with the teacher about what they
are going to write to get approval, eliminating the possibility of negative comments being written.
This exercise is a powerful way of helping children build self-esteem and identity.

“Our life is what our thoughts make it” (Marcus Aurelius)

 S cont.

Success every day (All Stages)

At the end of each day, have the students briefly share with the rest of the class
the success they have experienced during that day. Some students will find this
hard at first, but as others begin to share, they too will realise they have had some
of the same successes. The sensitive teacher will also look for successes to be
pointed out to the child with extremely low self esteem. A variation of this is to
have each child share with the class what he feels he has learned that day. In
addition to a great form of reflection and review, it provides students with a sense
of accomplishment. Without recall students are often not consciously aware of all
the learning they are accomplishing. Knowing that they are learning adds positively
to a child’s self concept and motivates them to continue learning.

“The people who influence you are people who believe in you” (Henry Drummond)
 T (T continues next page)

Classroom Tree (All stages)

Display a tree on the classroom wall or bulletin board with a box of blank leaves at its base.
Encourage students to write something nice that another student might have done during the
week. E.g. Jessica helped a younger student after she had fallen over in the playground and was
crying. At the end of the week the teacher reads these reports to the class, giving positive
feedback to the actual ‘good deeder’ and to the person who noticed.

Time-out for ‘thinking time.’ (Early Stage 1 – Stage 2)

• The student is asked to sit in chair if they’ve broken a classroom rule.
While in chair, they are still engaged in lesson. They return to the learning
situation when they feel they are ready to participate appropriately or when
the teacher asks them to.
• If an instruction is given to the whole class, and an individual decides not to conform, the ‘three
warning’ approach is usually implemented. This involves the student being warned three times,
progressively more severe. By the third warning, if the student still is refusing to comply, a ‘time-
out’ is called. This involves the student being sent outside the classroom, or otherwise to their desk
to reflect on their behaviour. In one circumstance observed, the ‘time-out’ method was welcomed
by a student, who made the connection that ‘time-out’ equated to no work. However, in other cases
the ‘time-out’ method has been successful in that the student involved has in fact recognized the
error of their ways. This may even lead to a whole week of good behaviour on behalf of the student.

“The kids in our classroom are infinitely more significant than the subject
matter we’re teaching them” (Meladee McCarty)
 T cont.

Skill Tickets – A positive behaviour management strategy by Peter Thompson.

(All stages)
When a student is displaying desirable skills and behaviour, reward them with a skill
ticket. Students are often rewarded in order to reinforce positive behaviour and
achievement. They keep track of the tickets they are owed which periodically are given
out each week. There are weekly, monthly, term and yearly draws from the prize bag.
Teachers can blend this system with a merit award point system in which the students
keep track of the merit points they earn each day building up towards a class end of
term reward. A skill ticket is also an automatic merit point.
Ensure all students are found deserving of earning skill tickets.

“Don’t tell them how to do it, show them how to do it and don’t say a word. If
you tell them, they’ll watch your lips move. If you show them, they’ll want to do
it themselves” (Maria Montessori)
 W
Welcome Sign (All stages) “Mak
The class is to design and make a sign that
tact e lesson
i s
feel le – touc hands
can be placed on the classroom door for
visitors to see and admire. The only condition ing” hing on
is that all students are involved in the and –
various stages of the project.

“The quality of teachers’ instructional messages affects pupil’s involvement in

academic lessons. Emphasising higher-level thinking – analysing, synthesising,
and applying ideas and concepts – promotes participation and Learning”
(Stephen Marks as cited in Berk, 1997)
 Acknowledgments
These ideas and quotes came from various student teacher’s school experience observing classrooms
as well as other sources, these are:

• Canfield, J, 1976, 100 ways to enhance self concept in the classroom, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
• Dolezal,S E, Welsh, L M, Pressley, M, & Vincent, M M, 2003, ‘How nine third-grade teachers
motivate student academic engagement’, The Elementary School Journal, 103, 3; 239-312.
• Eddleston L, (n.d.), Awards for everyone - Blackline masters, Dominie Publications
• Bafile, C, 2000, Classroom Rewards Reap Dividends for Teachers and Students, Education World,
<http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr300.shtml>
• Utilizing Classroom Rewards for Students, (n.d.), Teachnet.com, <http://www.teachnet.com/how-
to/manage/freeday120100.html>
• McGrath, H. & Noble, T. 1993. Different Kids, Same Classroom, Making Mixed Ability Classes
Really Work, Longman Cheshire, Melbourne, Australia.
• Warrawong Public School, Term 2, 2003, Positive Behaviour Strategies for the Classroom,
(booklet).
• Watson, G, 1996, Teacher Smart: 125 tested techniques for classroom management and control,
The Center for Applied Research in Education, New York.

“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the

classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s my daily
mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to
make a persons life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an
instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all
situation, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or
de-escalated and a person humanised or de-humanised” (Haim Ginot)