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Session 4. Motivation and Relevance
Objective. Rewrite ordinary textbook tasks so that they offer relevance, choice and achievable challenge, using the three needs of self-determination theory.
Pupils rarely ask for more motivation; they ask 'Why do we need this?' and 'Is it too hard for me?'. Both are honest questions about meaning and about success. If you answer them in the way you design tasks, you do not need to shout, bribe or beg. This session shows how three needs, autonomy, competence and belonging, can be built into an ordinary 45-minute lesson, and how to use praise and rewards without making pupils depend on them.
Key ideas
Two kinds of motivation
- Intrinsic motivation is doing something because it is interesting or meaningful. Extrinsic motivation is doing it for a reward or to avoid a penalty.
- Marks, praise and small rewards can start a habit, and marks matter for exams. But if rewards are the only reason, pupils may stop when the reward stops.
- Aim to add reasons that come from the pupil: curiosity, usefulness, pride, belonging. Use rewards lightly and never as the only plan.
Three needs that fuel motivation
- Self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan) says people are more motivated when three needs are met: autonomy (some choice), competence (I can do it) and relatedness (I belong).
- A 45-minute lesson can touch all three: a small choice, a task at the right level, and a moment where pupils feel seen by the teacher and each other.
- Choice does not mean chaos. Offer two or three options that all lead to the same objective: which problem set, which example, which way to show the answer.
Make it relevant
- Relevance means pupils can see why this matters to them: in their mahalla, their family, a future job, or a puzzle they care about.
- Ask three questions when you plan: where in our town or village does this appear? Who uses it in their work? What would go wrong without it?
- Keep the link honest. A forced link such as 'fractions are like Navruz' with no real task teaches nothing. The task itself must use the idea.
Success and effort
- Competence grows when tasks are challenging but within reach. If every task is easy or impossible, motivation falls. Start with a step most pupils can do, then add difficulty.
- Praise effort and strategy, not just ability: 'You tried a second method' works better than 'You are clever'. This follows Carol Dweck's research on mindset.
- Show progress: a simple list of what the class could not do last month and can do now. Visible progress feeds the next effort.
The three needs in the classroom
| Need | A pupil thinks | A teacher move |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | I have some say in how I work | Offer two or three ways to show the same learning |
| Competence | I can do this, and I am getting better | Set a first step most can do, then raise the level; give specific feedback |
| Relatedness | The teacher and my classmates value me | Learn names and interests; use pairs; thank contributions |
Three needs, three teacher moves
Autonomy
I have a say
- Two or three options
- Same objective
- Pupils explain their choice
Competence
I can do this
- A first step most can do
- Then a challenge
- Specific feedback
Relatedness
I belong
- Use names
- Pairs and small groups
- Thank contributions
Choice that fits a crowded syllabus
Some teachers worry that choice means losing control of a full syllabus. It does not. Choice can be small: which two of four problems to do, which example to use, whether to show the answer as a drawing, a table or a sentence. All options lead to the same objective and the same check.
Offer choice inside clear limits, and explain the limits: 'You choose, but you must do at least one from the harder group.' In some classrooms pupils are used to being told exactly what to do, so begin with two options. Choosing is a skill that grows with practice.
Belonging in a class of thirty-five
Relatedness is about feeling that the teacher and classmates value me. It does not need long conversations. Use names, greet at the door, and thank contributions specifically ('Thank you, Dilnoza, your example helped me see the point'). Mixed pairs and short group tasks let pupils be known by more than the front row.
Be careful with public comparison and ranking. Reading marks aloud or praising only the top few tells most of the class that they are outside. Praise the strategy, the improvement and the help given to a classmate, and keep marks private when you can.
Examples from the classroom
Plov and proportion
Scene. Aziz teaches Grade 6 proportion in Samarkand. The textbook has ten exercises on ratios. He asks pupils how much rice and carrot a plov for 4 people needs and how much for 10. They work out the numbers in pairs, then each pair chooses a different recipe amount to scale. Pupils ask better questions than usual, and Aziz checks the same objective, a ratio solved correctly.
Insight. A real local task and a small choice add relevance and autonomy without changing the objective.
Three levels in Grade 9
Scene. Malika gives her Grade 9 class in Tashkent three sets of equations: A (easy), B (medium), C (challenge). Pupils must do at least two sets and one from B or C. At first most choose A. After two weeks, many have moved to B. Weaker pupils say they now try more because they know they can start with a problem that works.
Insight. A first step that most pupils can do builds competence, and choice makes the next step feel safe.
Praise that names the strategy
Scene. Dilnoza used to say 'Well done, clever girl.' She noticed pupils then avoided hard questions to keep the label. She changed to 'I see you tried the number line when the first way failed.' In her Grade 4 class in Bukhara, more pupils began saying 'Let me try another way' out loud.
Insight. Praising effort and strategy supports a growth view, as in Carol Dweck's research, and keeps pupils willing to try hard things.
Common pitfalls
- Giving choice with no limits, so that pupils pick the easiest option every time.
- Forcing a link to daily life that does not actually use the idea, such as a story wrapped round the same exercise.
- Using marks, stickers and rankings as the main reason pupils work.
- Praising 'cleverness' or 'talent' rather than effort, strategy and progress.
Make It Matter: Rewrite the Task
- In groups of three, take the 6 task cards from the Activity Kit. Each is an ordinary textbook task that feels flat for pupils.
- For each card, mark in the table which of the three needs is weak (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and what the pupil probably thinks: 'why am I doing this?'
- Rewrite four of the six tasks. Each rewrite must keep the same objective, add at least one of choice, a real local link or an achievable challenge, and say in one line how you will check the objective.
- Gallery walk (10 min): put your rewrites on the wall. Visit other groups and place a sticky note on a task: a star where the objective is still clear, a question mark where the link feels forced.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- Which rewrite added the most motivation without losing the objective? What did it change?
- Where did a link feel forced, and how would you make it honest?
- Which task in your next week could you rewrite in five minutes?
Reflect
- What do you say when a pupil asks 'Why do we have to learn this?' Is your answer true and specific?
- Where do rewards or marks carry most of the motivation in your class? What else could carry some of it?
- Which pupil seems to feel they do not belong? What one thing could you do this week?
Try it tomorrow
- Choose one task for tomorrow and offer two ways to complete it, both leading to the same objective.
- Write an honest answer to 'Why do we need this?' for your next topic, using one local example.
- Replace one 'Well done' with praise that names what the pupil did, such as 'You checked your answer by working backwards'.
Further reading and links
Give pupils a reason, a small choice and a task they can succeed at, without losing the objective.