The Will to Learn

In Toward a Theory of Instruction ( Bruner, 1966) the topic of motivation and its relation to school success is explored. Jerome Bruner exposed the roles of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators in our schools today. He stated that in order for students to be successful and for learning to be truly meaningful, the motivators must be intrinsic. Intrinsic rewards are the rewards that you gain from the success of the activity itself. Curiosity is often an intrinsic motive for humans to engage in an activity. Young children are found to be stimulated by and curious with the things in their environment. An amazing thought is that what can be a distracting force for children can also inspire them as learners. Their mind as well as their bodies become the tools that will empower them to secure the resources necessary for their learning success. They are always searching for new learning connections to make in their environment. Maybe that is part of the attraction of science, learning by discovery and the sense of accomplishment when an experiment or lab goes as planned. Students are also motivated by what they know. Sometimes if it is a content area that they have a strong knowledge base of, that knowledge can be an intrinsic motivator for wanting to move ahead academically in order to advance their knowledge.
As a primary school educator, extrinsic rewards have always played a major role in motivating and reinforcing student behavior. Stickers, verbal praise, and a simple thumbs up are a way of affirming student learning. But nothing put a smile on the face of my students more than when they receive their spelling tests back! A sticker, thumbs up, or hearing "great job" couldn't match the feeling of earning a terrific grade on the test. True learning was when the struggling student began earning 100% on his tests each week and I saw his face beaming! What a wonderful sight!