A common confusion of teachers and school leaders is that classroom management and motivation are the same.
Successful classroom management does not create motivation to learn. More and more teachers complain about the apathy of students to put forth effort in their learning. However, a teacher can have the most effective classroom management but still not prompt student effort. The reason is that classroom management has nothing to do with student motivation. Classroom management has to do with what the teacher does—specifically, the procedures taught, practiced, and reinforced to ensure that students understand how to implement what has been taught.
Motivation, in contrast to making instruction efficient, is about making instruction effective. What does the teacher do to create interest, challenge students, or make the learning enjoyable?
A simple way to motivate students is for the teacher to reflect on the reason that the lesson is being taught—simply, the “Why?” of the lesson. When the teacher can articulate this, then sharing it with students gives them a reason to put forth their effort to learn.
With all the current technology available to peak young people’s interests these days, ways to prompt students to put forth effort is essential for successful teaching. Efficient classroom management helps, but should not be confused with making the lesson of such interest that students WANT to put forth effort to learn.
