Inquiry blog entry 2- Motivating students who don’t like school and Extrinsic Motivators

It is commonly known in education that a student who is intrinsically motivated for school will probably do better in the long run than a student who is extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation occurs when a student pursues learning due to having an interest in the topic. Intrinsic motivation is also important to have when you have a career goal. Extrinsic motivation has more to due with external factors to the student, such as rewards or punishment. This can be expensive, but most of all it is a short term solution to learning. There are many ways a teacher can try to tap into intrinsic motivation (which I will explore more during my inquiry). In some of the more difficult students however, intrinsic motivation can be difficult to tap in to. The question then remains, is extrinsic motivation an incorrect way to teach? Or is utilizing both methods acceptable? Extrinsic motivation is often a fast way to get things rolling. There is a lot more planning that goes in to intrinsic motivation and often the curriculum can be restrictive of this.