OAK FARM MONTESSORI January 2021
How often do you provide incentives to your children to obtain a desired result? I know I have been guilty of using the veggies incentive with Jack numerous times. Fortunately, in the classrooms at Oak Farm Montessori School, teachers use encouraging words and phrases without direct praise. “I see you worked really hard on that project, how does it make you feel?” or “I noticed how you kept trying until you were successful.” This provides the students with the opportunity to find internal pride (intrinsic motivation) instead of seeking immediate gratification or praise (extrinsic motivation) from an adult. Without this important lesson of finding joy for oneself, the child is left constantly seeking praise and rewards; even when it is not offered. Self motivation leads to lifelong learning, curiosity and a desire to explore and find solutions independently. Maria Montessori said, “If a young man must be punished or rewarded by his school or family to make him study for his degree, it would be better for him not to receive it at all.” She believed that allowing the child to discover, for him or herself, their own joy and celebration was the true path for peace. All of us know, intrinsically, if we did our best. Providing a medal, sticker or award transfers that personal accomplishment to the collective whole and can diminish the desire to try again for fear of failure. So, eat your veggies because they help your body grow strong and stay healthy...not because someone told you to.
Candice 2
HEAD OF SCHOOL
“Eat your veggies and then you can have a dessert.” “If you get good grades you will make grandma proud.”
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“The children are now working as if I did not exist.” ~Maria Montessori
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get to do it!! Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation Nefy Hathaway, Toddler 1 Teacher
To guide a child to reach their potential, we study to understand, through observations, the stages of growth, as well as the child’s inner drive, while offering guidance and an environment that fosters the whole child. However, only the child can achieve selfconstruction. The “I get to do it” mentality stems from intrinsic motivation. This involves doing something because it is personally rewarding to oneself. Extrinsic motivation requires doing something because you desire to earn the opinion or approval of someone else and/or expect a reward in return; while avoiding punishment. Maria Montessori believed that learning begins the moment you are born. The unconscious mind in a young child absorbs and retains input through all their senses. The journey that a young child takes towards independence and intrinsic motivation is a key component of the Montessori philosophy. Naturally, the materials in a Montessori classroom call for independent work; and as Montessorians we often say, “Never do for a child what he/she can do for himself/herself.” It’s not only a prepared environment, routines and attractive materials that motivate this approach, it’s our way of thinking and understanding of each individual child; our actions modeled as well as words expressed. For example, if a young child comes to school excited about their new shirt or hat and asks, “Do you like my new hat Nefy?” I simply reply with, “Do you like your new hat?” “Your new hat has grey stripes.” The point here is that it’s not about me or what others think or view. Using both descriptive and appreciative praise rather than evaluative praise allows a child to feel truly respected and feel a sense of belonging while instilling intrinsic desire to do and be what their heart desires. Encouraging intrinsic motivation in a young child will aid in one’s critical thinking, self-worth, emotional health, independence, leadership and security in oneself. When these crucial skills have become instilled, a young child’s mindset becomes “I get to,” rather than, “I have to.” In the Infant and Toddler environments at Oak Farm Montessori, grace and courtesy through care of self, care of others and care for their environment is modeled and encouraged every day. Observing a child’s determination as well as their joy when they say, “I can,” or “I did it!” is our greatest reward. 4
no shame, only gain diana mccreery, primary 4 teacher
Imagine a school environment where academic choices are made based on the needs and wants that come from within the child instead of those mandated by a test or administrator. That is exactly what intrinsic motivation provides, the unsung hero of Montessori Education. It’s the experience from which creative ideas flow, where students find their passion in life, and most importantly, their purpose. The three main types of intrinsic goals are: • The desire to master a material or concept • To outperform or keep up with others • To impress and/or work collaboratively with others. Intrinsic Motivation vs. Extrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by internal rewards. In other words, the motivation to engage in a behavior arises from within the individual because it is intrinsically rewarding. Children are born with innate curiosity and a desire to learn that fosters this type of motivation. Extrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by external rewards; such as: money, fame, grades, and praise. Unlike intrinsic motivation, this type of motivation is external and occurs outside of the individual. How does Intrinsic Motivation look in the primary environment? The “prepared environment” is designed for independence, coordination, concentration, and order. Children are ready to learn because the space is ready and available. The Primary Teachers reflect and observe. When a skill is mastered we reflect, ”How did that feel?” “Now that you know (how to read, how to add) what does that feel like to you?” “What can you do with this knowledge?” The child is then able to explore their own successes instead of receiving outside praise or rewards to feel accomplishment. Children are encouraged to give lessons to peers, share their knowledge, or reflect on their work together. Giving lessons furthers the mastery of a child’s own skills. Children are 100% ready for the next skill introduced by displaying complete mastery of the previous skill. It’s highly motivating to move forward with each level of difficulty. The Primary Teacher is skilled in recognizing an accomplishment without adding extra opinion or judgement. “I see you’ve finished the entire bead frame equation, and you did it independently!” A smile and acknowledgment wins’ motivation over praise. Praise only serves to qualify each accomplishment with an adult opinion, whereas acknowledgement leaves the child free to feel their own pride within each lesson. No sticker chart, no pizza party, and no shame or consequence can give the child the intrinsic motivation that is fostered and encouraged in our classrooms. Children WANT to learn, to explore, to know...and we are fortunate to watch this blossom into life long learning. #supportourschool
If education recognizes the intrinsic value of the child’s personality and provides an environment suited to spiritual growth, we have the revelation of an entirely new child whose astonishing characteristics can eventually contribute to the betterment of the world. Maria Montessori
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Process vs. Product Ines Oldenburg, Lower Elementary 2 Teacher
In a Montessori classroom, children do not get grades, stars or any other traditional forms of extrinsic motivation. Instead, teachers spend their time trying to find ways to encourage our students to develop intrinsic motivation. When you enter a Montessori classroom you will not hear a lot of praise. But why? As adults we enjoy hearing praises like, “good job”, “you are the best!” We have become “approval junkies”, feeling good for the moment to receive praise, but constantly seeking others approval. Research shows that children and adults who work for rewards and praise are less likely to challenge themselves. However, intrinsically motivated human beings perform better when tasks become more complex. When we work only for rewards and praise, a mistake can be devastating. Therefore, we do not attempt tasks unless we know we can succeed. With positive performance feedback (encouragement) that is focused on the task, such as “you worked hard”, “you figured it out”, “you are learning more and more every day”, intrinsic motivation is enhanced and a willingness to try new and difficult things is promoted. Encouragement helps our children feel capable and focuses on the effort while praise focuses on the outcome. Instead of immediately ‘rescuing’ your child when they are bored, allow them to find interesting things to do on his or her own. They will no longer finish a task quickly only to seek you out for another, because when our motivation comes from within, we do not have to depend on others to give us reasons for doing what we do. Personally, I know that my students learn better when they want to learn rather than when they have to because someone tells them they have to learn a certain subject. At Oak Farm Montessori School we try to help our students daily to develop intrinsic motivation because we want our students to know things for life; not just for the next test. We want them prepared for life with tools and skills that matter and are meaningful. We do this by giving lessons that are inspiring, by planning lessons that build on the child’s abilities, by following the interest of our students, and by allowing our students to make mistakes. Lower Elementary students have an active part in their learning by being able to make their own daily plans; having some autonomy in their education further enhances intrinsic motivation. I have been fortunate that most of my motivation comes from within because when I grew up we had very little extrinsic motivators. That intrinsic motivation has helped me become who I am today, and is still helping me as I strive to be a lifelong learner. I know that I have done my job when a child is excited to learn something new and I can see the pride in a child’s face after they accomplished something they worked so hard to achieve. #supportourschool
TA K I N G O N A C H A L L E N G E ELIZABETH DANIELSON, UPPER ELEMENTARY 3 TEACHER
Stickers, prizes, treats, toys, and money often make kids’ eyes light up with joy and excitement! It’s tempting to tie these tangible items to change behaviors or motivation in order to complete a task. It may work temporarily, but we want to think about the big picture. How do we truly motivate our children to accomplish challenging tasks? What happens when that extrinsic reward is no longer there? In Upper Elementary we want to intrinsically motivate our students to take on challenges. How do we accomplish this? We carefully prepare our environment to set them up for success. After a lesson, students are given a due date to complete the project, but also the freedom to work at their own pace. Three hour work cycles allow them time to truly reflect on their thinking and take their time on their work. Students are also given the responsibility of checking the majority of their own work. There is no judgement or failure for a wrong answer. The process of learning is not always perfect. It often involves rethinking, scratching things out and trying again. Through this work, the students begin to understand the value of the process. It’s about more than just a finished product. The sense of accomplishment and joy that comes from the process of completing a challenging task is something that will last longer than a prize or a dollar. Reflect on how you feel after completing a challenging task? What motivated you? As parents we naturally want our children to be happy and successful. The next time you are asking your child to complete a challenging task or goal, think about how you can set them up for success? Remember that when they have opportunities to be successful, they are more likely to take on challenging tasks in the future. 8
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P R O V I D I N G
Heather Lemmon, Middle School Teacher
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S P A R K
On the topic of motivation, Maria Montessori said “Our aim, therefore, is not merely to make the child understand . . . but to so touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inmost core. We do not want complacent pupils, but eager ones.” (Montessori, 1989, p. 11). She found, through her countless hours of observation and research, that when a child/adolescent was excited about their work they couldn’t help themselves but to dig deeper into that work. We see it from the infant environment all the way through our high school environment. When students are sparked, they are eager learners! Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation is one of the classic discussions in the world of education. The Montessori philosophy is a beautiful testament to the power of intrinsic motivation. It is through this internal spark that we visit the idea of our place in this world or what the universe is calling us to do. Montessori calls this the Cosmic Task. At the middle school level, we talk about our cosmic task often. One cannot achieve their cosmic task through a constant search for the next reward from an outside source. In Montessori, we understand that the outside source will eventually become stagnant or unappealing as well. When a student has an internal drive and focus, their learning is much deeper and richer than if we were to reward them. This richness leads to a realization of their own interests and eventually to their Cosmic Task...all starting from a spark in the eager learner! A perfect example of our commitment to intrinsic motivation, and the benefits of it, came recently in the Celebration of Life event held at the middle school where we butchered our meat birds. This event was a culmination of more than one Erdkinder group’s efforts to raise, care for, and develop a great deal of empathy for these animals. On butchering day, the students who have been most closely involved with the raising of these animals took the lead in the event. The students have a deep interest in the care of the animals because they ”belong” to them. Students also know the birds’ purpose is two-fold: 1. To nourish a family or families in our community and 2. To be income for their microeconomy 10
A N D WAT C H I N G I T G L O W. . . business. They have been with these animals since their first arrival on the farm and they were there with them, thanking them for their lives and for the nourishment they will provide, throughout the entire process. This is intrinsic motivation at its best. There are no rewards for this work. In fact, it is often a difficult task for students. All students choose how and if they will participate in the process, but some truly stretch themselves into territory that puts them in a space of growth and even nervousness. It is also a most humbling experience to watch our students thank the bird for its life and then humanely process the bird from start to finish. Talk about students being actively engaged in their own learning! Some of you may be thinking, “Isn’t the payment for the bird an extrinsic reward...just like a paycheck for a worker who does their job?� This payment is a payment for a good or service that was performed. In this case, the raising and processing of the birds. During the processing of the birds, there is no talk of money at all. The only group that has this focus is the Microeconomy Erdkinder group. This group focuses on how much it costs to purchase, feed, and process the animals. They then turn that information into a pricing exercise. All parts of this process are student lead and engaging to the learner. Intrinsic motivation at Oak Farm Montessori Middle School comes from meaningful work where students are challenged to dig deeper and are given the space and opportunities to do so. This results in a true and lasting reward for our students. This is the type of reward that propels students to search for, and go after, their cosmic task throughout their lifetime; not just when they are being rewarded. This produces lifelong learners and world changers! Maria Montessori was truly ahead of her time in so many ways and her ideas on how a child is motivated is certainly one of those ways. Reference: Montessori, M. (1989). To educate the human potential. Oxford, England: Clio Press. #supportourschool
Motivate from within
Rikki Colon & Wesley Kromer, High School Teachers
Motivating students can be a tough task. Think about the last time your child washed the dishes on their own without being asked. When you ask them why they did it, I’m sure their response was simply “I was intrinsically motivated.” If you’re ever caught in this situation with a puzzled look on your face, not knowing what to do or say, simply say “thank you.” Why does this scenario not happen all the time? Why don’t children wash the dishes, clean the house, and mow the lawn without being told? Well, here is a possible explanation from my point of view. Nobody really likes washing the dishes. Very few of us are intrinsically motivated to, night after night, roll up our sleeves, turn the water on and start washing the dirty dishes. So, how do you motivate others? Sometimes you have to let them choose their motivation and sometimes you have to help them along. Here we’ll explore what motivation looks like at the high school level. Motivation is a state-of-mind which drives a person to work in a certain way to achieve desired goals. Motivation is a force that compels a person to work with a high level of determination and focus; even if things appear to be against them. Motivation translates into a certain kind of behavior. Where this motivation comes from can have a lasting impact on the life of a student. There are two types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is reward-driven behavior. Incentives — like praise, fame, money, or grades — are used as enticements for specific activities. These enticements are not inherently bad, but when they are the primary goal for an activity, such as learning, the activity itself is depersonalized and is no longer done for the purpose of enjoyment or for personal growth. These extrinsic motivators act as distractions from the goal of learning; which is learning itself! 12
Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to seek, of one’s own will, tasks, and challenges, to expand and train one’s abilities, to explore and learn, without the need of external reward. It is more about personal growth and the recognition of purpose. As Montessori educators, we believe that each young adult possesses not only the ability to learn, but also the innate desire to do so. Therefore, it is our responsibility to prepare the environment for them to step into that mindset. Easy enough, you say? Take a walk through any Montessori classroom and you will see a prepared environment. Rooms are child-sized with activities set up for success and allow freedom of movement and choice. The environment has to be safe for the child to explore freely. The environment has to be comfortable and inviting so the child is able to work. How does this translate over to the high school environment? At this stage of development, maybe we should be asking, “What about the environment of the mind?” What about the high school student who is so concerned about grades, deadlines, and standardized, college entrance exams? How do we prepare the environment of the mind so that we tap into their innate desire to learn? How does one help foster intrinsic motivation in the high school classroom? As an English teacher in the secondary environment, I have found several techniques useful to help build intrinsic motivation: • Build student confidence by finding success in their work, no matter how small the success. I may receive a paper that is full of grammatical errors, but rich in content. I focus on what the student did well and acknowledge the effort put forth. • Offer specific feedback to point out what went well, what can be improved, and where to find resources to make those improvements. After each writing piece, I conference with students. This allows me to individualize each assignment and I often find that it creates an atmosphere of trust where students ask questions that they may not ask in a group setting. This allows students to push beyond barriers that may be hindering their learning. • Give as much freedom of choice as possible. Let students set their own goals, choose topics, choose their workspace, even choose how to demonstrate mastery where appropriate. I love offering choice! “What do you want to research?” “How do you want to present your findings?” “What novels do you want to read?” Of course, there is freedom within limits, but I am always looking for ways to increase their autonomy. • Treat every child as an individual. Through building confidence, individualized feedback, and freedom of choice, I strive to ensure every student feels a sense of individual worth and that they are a vital part of our community. We all desire to feel a sense of competency, to have autonomy, and to feel that we are part of a community. We, as educators and parents, can use these fundamental desires to help foster intrinsic motivation. To gain competence, students must feel confident in their worldchanging abilities. Autonomy can be achieved when students have a choice in setting their own goals and engaging in work that they deem as valuable and relevant. When work is both valuable and world-changing, and goals have been achieved, students feel connected to their community. These three components, when working in unison, can significantly increase a student’s motivation from within. #supportourschool
DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAM You're invited: What is Dual Language Immersion? How does this program look in a Montessori classroom? Is there an additional cost? Will it compliment or compete with the Montessori curriculum? How many students will the program serve?
Thursday, January 7th 6:00 - 7:30pm A virtual conversation and learning opportunity
Virtual Meeting Registration at: www.oakfarm.org
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Making a joyful contribution Sara Pulse, Music Teacher
Intrinsic motivation versus extrinsic motivation, what’s the difference? Does it even matter? One of the eight guiding principles of the Montessori method is a strong focus on intrinsic motivation, which in turn helps children develop selfconfidence. Let’s define these terms to see the differences... Extrinsic motivation is the belief that in order to motivate a child to learn something new a reward should be given to the child. Intrinsic motivation is the inward self satisfaction of a job well done. Excelling in school, sports, music, etc. It is not tied to outward awards (money for grades, trophies, medals, etc.), but rather, tied to motivation coming from within oneself. Children are, by nature, curious about the world around them. Montessori education encourages the importance of exploring with children and learning by doing; not by receiving outward awards for completing or excelling at a task. Engaging in appropriate behavior or learning a new skill can open doors for a child in our world. However, tying learning new things to a physical award can negatively impact motivation to engage in that learning or activity when the reward is withdrawn. An example of this within the classroom is restoring a work area so learning can continue without things getting in the way. This is done so all children can use the items in the area. Everyone knows where things are placed and are caring for them so they can be used in the future. What happens when rewards are given for restoring an area, but in another similar situation there is no reward tied to the task? In Montessori, the idea of being a lifelong learner and caretaker comes from within. It is satisfying because the task is enjoyed or one can see the benefits from it; not because there is a reward attached. There is a concept within Montessori called “control of error”. The child checks his or her own work and corrects the mistakes without the worry of judgement. How wonderful to make a mistake and learn from it without the worry of a teacher or parent’s disapproval! The focus is on the process and not the end result. As parents and teachers we can acknowledge what has been achieved. We can also remind children that some things in life are hard and it is important to keep trying. Sometimes it is helpful to remind a child of difficult things he/she has done in the past. Looking back to see where a child has come from, and where they are going, can be a strong intrinsic motivator. We love our children and want to shower them with that love! The truth is that they will not always be children. We want them to grow to be productive, kind, caring individuals who know their self worth. We want them to know self worth does not come from outward things, but from within…..intrinsically! #supportourschool
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