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Motivate your learners to learn and to achieve the learning outcomes!
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One of your most important tasks as a classroom manager is to motivate your learners to learn and to achieve the learning outcomes. In order to motivate your learners and their parents, you should first obtain knowledge of and insight into the nature of motivation and the most important forces which motivate people.
What is motivation?
A general definition of motivation is ‘influencing a subordinate to achieve the goal that the manager wants him or her to achieve’. However, a distinction should be made between putting into motion and motivation. What makes learners put that little bit extra into their work? The answer is relatively simple: when someone carries out a task because he or she enjoys it, then that person is motivated (Gerber et al., 1998:329).
- Motivation depends on goal-directed behaviour, which has two elements – needs (which initiate people’s behaviour and actions) and goals (which fulfil the needs).
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It can be said, therefore, that the process of motivation in its simplest form is initiated by a conscious awareness of an unsatisfied need. A goal is then set and actions are taken that will result in the achievement of the goal. When the needs have been satisfied, new ones develop and the cycle continues.
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- Through planning and organisation, school management determine the school's goals and objectives, when and how they should be achieved, and who should do it. The school principal should be able to convince the other education leaders – such as the deputy principal, heads of department and the rest of the staff – to work together to achieve these goals.
- The principal should not only co-ordinate school activities, but also see to it that the staff chosen to do the work actually do it. People are required to carry out the plans of action that have been drawn up, and the principal and the
 management team have to put people (staff, learners and parents) into motion or motivate them (Kroon, 1990:351).
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