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We believe that teachers should aim to achieve effective teaching and learning; in other words, to develop all learners to their full potential. To this end, you have to motivate (Links to an external site.)your learners and instil in them the will to learn.
Motivation refers to states within the organism that drive behaviour towards some goals.
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According to Kruger & Van Schalkwyk (1993:70-2), the following guidelines could be followed to motivate learners:
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As far as possible, meet the child’s physiological needs.
A learner who is hungry, physically uncared for and without adequate clothing and shelter cannot learn effectively. Motivation in this case takes the form of provision and intervention (Links to an external site.), doing everything possible to meet the child’s  physiological needs. This may involve working together with social and educational aid services, the church and welfare structures in an attempt to eliminate the learner’s destitution.
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Meet the learner’s need for security and safety.
A learner who feels insecure (Links to an external site.)and unsafe, is rejected or has to live in unstable circumstances experiences fear, anxiety (Links to an external site.)and insecurity, and consequently cannot learn properly. In the classroom situation, learners must experience security – care for them, make the classroom a safe haven, and do not allow anything which may lead to feelings of insecurity.
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Meet the learner’s need for respect.
A learner whose human dignity is affected will feel rejected and cast out, will have a poor self-image (Links to an external site.), and will suffer from a feeling of inferiority.You can motivate the child by building up his or her self-image and self-confidence . Learners must know that they are special people, that they have a special task and calling in life, and that they are of great value to society, the school, family members and friends.
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Meet the learner’s need for self-realisation.
It is every person’s innermost wish to make a meaningful contribution to life by using his or her natural abilities to the best possible advantage. Everyone wants to realise his or her full potential. Motivating learners in this regard involves creating opportunities for all learners to develop their inborn qualities to the full. For example, learners must be given the opportunity to lead, so that they can develop any natural leadership (Links to an external site.)abilities they might have. The creation of opportunities is one of the teacher’s most important motivational tasks.
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Create and further future expectations.
A person who cannot dream, has no ideals or cannot visualise a future will have no ambition. A learner who can say, “One day I want to …”, will try harder and be motivated by this striving to fulfil future expectations.
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Reward learners when they perform to the best of their abilities.
However, rewards must be of sufficient value and should be something that all learners are striving for. As we said before, the higher the value of the reward, the greater and better the effort will be. Rewards may take the form of recognition (Links to an external site.).You as teacher must know the special values of your learners and adjust your rewards accordingly. Furthermore, you must remember that while 60% may not be good enough for an intelligent learner, in the case of a below-average learner this may be an achievement which should be rewarded. Learners’ expectations to be rewarded for good performance must be met. A reward will be more effective if learners know they will definitely receive it when they perform well.
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Meet the learner’s need for social acceptance.
A learner who is rejected, has no friends, and is not accepted by teachers cannot learn. You as teacher must be the first to accept all learners as persons, and do everything possible to make them socially acceptable. Furthermore, you must use your influence to change the negative attitudes of other learners, so that each learner can socialise (Links to an external site.) normally.
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