Theories of Motivation

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  
  • Program Title (as applicable): Principles of Teaching
  • Course Title: Human Growth & Development
  • Course Number: 8909020
  • Career Cluster: Education and Training
  • CIP Number: 0713129900
  • Course Type: Career Preparatory

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Helping Students Succeed.” See CPALMS resource ID 210594.

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will use their knowledge of human development and theories of motivation to address factors that may be influencing student achievement and potential ways of adjusting their instruction to match student needs.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Discuss major theories of motivation.
  • Identify factors that could contribute to a students' learning and motivation.
  • Explain how theories of motivation relate to classroom instruction.
  • Compose a professional email, following the proper format and adhering to proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • The major theories of motivation (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, incentive theory, optimal arousal, expectancy theory, etc.)
  • Composing professional emails

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What do major theories of motivation tell us as education professionals?
  • How do these theories relate to classroom instruction?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, review important content vocabulary from the case study, Helping Students Succeed, see CPALMS Resource ID 210541.
     • Review what students already know about learning theories and human development.
     • If students have already read the case study, proceed to step 2 discussion questions.
  2. Pose the following discussion questions (these can be discussed while reading, or as a class before the activity if the case study was already read): 
     • What is already referenced as factors influencing students’ motivation in the case study? 
     • What can theories of motivation tell us about each student?
     • What factors could influence each student’s motivation?   
       • Review the factors already included on the attached Case Study Analysis handout.
     • What else could Laura learn from her discussion with the guidance counselor?
       • Tie the conversation back to the factors (for example, Laura could learn that Charity is from a single-parent household and must babysit her younger siblings every evening while her mom is at work).
  3. Pair students or put into small groups to read through the case study again and complete the attached Case Study Analysis and Email Template.  
     • Allow students time to read through the case study and discuss the following:
       • What factors could influence Juan and Charity?
       • What can a theory of motivation tell us about Juan and Charity? (allow students to pick which theory to apply, or you may want to assign a theory to them).
       • How can you adjust your teaching practice based on this theory of motivation?
     • Monitor student progress and assist students will completing their case study analysis, clarifying misconceptions as needed.  
  4. Bring the class back together to review the worksheet, asking groups to share their findings and application to the case study.
     • Share samples of how each theory of motivation can relate to the students in the case study. For example, Maslow's hierarchy of needs would tell us that if Charity's basic needs are not being met she may not reach the higher levels, resulting in her low self-efficacy.
  5. Ask students to draft their email to the guidance counselor. This email should take place after the conversation between Laura and the guidance counselor.
     • Review the expectations for composing professional emails, including proper grammar, punctuation and capitalization.  Emphasize the importance of following conventions for professional settings. For example, remind students that all proper nouns should be capitalized and/or remind them to use spell check.  
  6. To bring the lesson to a close, have students reflect on the following questions on an exit ticket: 
     • How did theories of motivation help you better understand the students in the case study?  
     • How can you apply theories of motivation to your own classroom instruction in the future?  
     • How can you apply theories of motivation to your own life as a student?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • You may want to include a brief review on composing professional emails before asking students to draft the email, particularly if you intend to collect it as a summative assessment. Suggested reminders for students: professional tone and vocabulary, not including sensitive information and data about students, etc.
  • Some suggested theories of motivation: attribution theory, optimal arousal motivation theory, reinforcement theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-determination/humanistic theory.