Is It a Lack of Motivation Or…? Part 2 of 4
Motivation Shmotivation!
What would happen if we stopped complaining about students not being “motivated” enough -- and instead worked to figure out what is the root issue behind the apparent lack of motivation?!
Welcome to the second in a four-part series investigating what else might be going on for students who seem to be unmotivated.
In the first part of the series, we looked at the four “low-hanging fruit” reasons why a student might appear unmotivated. Before I begin to solve a student’s motivation dilemma, I try to double-check whether the student: (1) has diagnosable brain-based differences, (2) has the right tools for learning, (3) understands the task, and (4) is in an appropriate environment for taking action.
The next most common reason a student might appear unmotivated is that they have a skill weakness that is keeping them from getting started with a task.
What a relief for a student to find out that they are not bad or broken or experiencing a moral failing for their difficulties with task initiation. Instead, they just haven’t been taught the right skills!
There are three key areas in which students have skill deficits that impact their motivation to learn:
1. Is it a lack of motivation, or a skill weakness when it comes to LEARNING HOW TO LEARN?
It is still rather shocking to me that more schools don’t emphasize the importance of teaching study strategies.
So many students don’t really know how to study, and the strategies they choose on their own (if they study at all) often don’t work or don’t work effectively.
It can be so unmotivating to study for tests and quizzes when you’re just guessing what you need to do to learn effectively.
For this reason, I find that many students benefit from learning overtly:
The science of learning and what the brain needs to learn effectively
Effective strategies for studying, memorizing, test-taking, note-taking, etc
Metacognition and how to notice and reflect on their own thinking
These three skill sets are at the center of my Anti-Boring Approach to teaching educators how to coach students. I find that once students better understand what exactly is happening in their brains while they’re learning, they make better choices in their learning. The brain science is, quite literally, motivating to students!
But the science alone isn’t enough. Students also need specific strategies to put that science into action. That’s where learning specific techniques for studying, taking notes, and taking tests comes into play.
Finally, students need to be taught skills in how to notice what they are doing, whether what they are doing is working, and how they might troubleshoot their thinking and associated behaviors. This is what metacognitive skills are all about! AND, it’s exactly what I teach educators in my “science of studying” micro-credential inside the Anti-Boring Learning Lab!
It is quite inspiring to watch students suddenly get fired up about their own learning when they realize there are effective (and fun!) strategies that they have control over choosing for themselves.
You might be interested in downloading my free resource “Unlock Student Learning” [find it in my Anti-Boring Learning Library] which is all about how to teach the neuroscience of learning to students in 15 minutes or less.
2. Is it a lack of motivation, or a skill weakness when it comes to EMOTIONAL REGULATION?
A common reason many students feel unmotivated is that they have uncomfortable feelings in their bodies, and they are worried that taking action will exacerbate those uncomfortable feelings.
Students benefit from building skills in the following areas related to emotion:
The science of the nervous system and regulation theory
Self-regulation strategies for calming themselves
Co-regulation strategies for seeking out the calming influence of others
Once again, I find that students become incredibly motivated to practice difficult things when they learn the science behind why something works. A clear explanation of the nervous system can do wonders for a student who is feeling shame, anxiety, fear, or many other distresses.
Once they have an explanation for how their feelings work, then they benefit from learning specific strategies to regulate themselves. This often takes a lot of practice, of course, and I find that the skill-building around learning skills is easier and quicker than the skill-building around emotional regulation.
Finally, it also helps students to better understand what co-regulation is: the idea that other people’s nervous systems can help us regulate our own.
You might be interested in downloading my free resource The Anti-Boring Approach to Nervous System Regulation. In this, I include a chart that lists “things to do by myself” and “things to do with other people” to regulate emotions.
3. Is it a lack of motivation, or a skill weakness with it comes to developing HABITS AND ROUTINES?
Many parents who seek out academic coaches are eager to have their students develop better habits and routines. This is one of the most difficult, but also the most meaningful, areas to work on with students -- especially executive function challenged students.
The most common routines students have weaknesses in are in the following categories:
Time management and organization
Getting started initiating tasks, and
Dealing effectively with procrastination
These challenges are intimately connected to a student’s skills with emotional regulation.
The stronger a student’s skills with self-regulation are, the more effective they will be at establishing habits and routines. The stronger their habits and routines are, the more motivated they will be to take action. Or alternatively, the more able they will be to take action…even if they’re not motivated!
Download the Motivation Checklist
At this point in our series, we’ve covered five possibilities for what might be going on for a student instead of a lack of motivation:
A brain-based difference?
An issue with resources and tools?
Lack of clarity about tasks? or
An unmotivating environment?
A skill weakness in regards to learning, emotional regulation, and/or habit building?
In our next two articles, we will present six more options for what else could be going on with a student who struggles to get motivated. You might also like to download this free guide that provides a one-page checklist designed to be used directly with students to discuss their motivational challenges.
Whenever a student or their parent or teacher complains of lack of motivation, you can whip out this chart and use it to help build empathy and connection, and also to figure out a starting point for helping jumpstart action.