Motivating Teenagers

Teenagers are difficult to understand at times. They have boundless energy for activities of their choosing, but place a student in class and he just shuts down. Teachers and parents all over the world wonder about this phenomenon. What is it that motivates teens, and where can I get some?

What is Motivation?

Motivation comes in two varieties. Intrinsic motivation comes from within. Kids genuinely want to achieve something. The goal is the reward. For example, a child spends hours on the court to hone basketball skills for try-outs. Intrinsic motivation is what we all hope to find in our students. They want to do well simply to do well.

Extrinsic motivation works the other way. Students work hard to achieve a reward outside of self. Perhaps they are working for a payoff at the end of the week or the simple smiling face by the “A” on a paper. Extrinsic motivation can get a bad rap occasionally as “spoiling” or rewarding basic expectations, but it alone is not bad or dangerous.

Why Unmotivated?

Students may appear to be unmotivated for a number of reasons:

They simply don’t care. If a student, a teenager in particular, doesn’t see a reason to know something, he probably won’t care. Find something to make the content meaningful. For very reluctant students, find a way to make them an expert on something or simply show you care about them. That may be enough to make them care about you and your class

They are shy or intimidated. If a student feels embarrassed or shy in your classroom, she will stay clammed up. Many feel it is better to not try at all than try and fail.

There is something else on their mind. If Suzy just broke up with her boyfriend, she’s not going to be very in-tune with the math lesson today. Be understanding of this and try to personally encourage Suzy or cut her some slack for the day. Give her the assignment for homework and personally check with her that she understands.

Motivating Correctly

To motivate teens, teachers must tap into every form of motivation possible. Generally speaking, if a student is not showing a great deal of intrinsic motivation, it is challenging to bring some about. That is not to say it’s not present in that child, it’s simply not present in the classroom or activity.

This is the time to start dishing out a bit of extrinsic motivation or a reward system. Rewards do not need to be tangible. A bit of praise or special attention can be reward enough. With teenagers, it’s very important not to embarrass them in front of their peers, but a few kind words from you might be the only ones they hear that day.

If a student is knowledgeable on a topic that has little or nothing to do with curriculum, work hard to find a way to work it in. For example, Johnny hangs out in the back of the room, yet you know he is obsessed with racing motorcycles. During your physics lesson ask Johnny to explain to the class how acceleration in a motorcycle race works. What happens if you give the bike too much gas or not enough throttle?

If Johnny feels you are trustworthy and asking seriously, he might just let you into his world for a little while. He can also benefit from a confidence boost as other kids listen to his knowledge base. And with any luck, he now cares a great deal more about physics and acceleration as it has additional meaning for him.