ABSTRACT
This statement prompts us to consider what forms of motivation should be employed in teaching. Interesting and challenging work is obviously preferable to the monotonous variety, but developing a classroom climate that promotes a thirst for learning does not happen by chance. Positive motivation stresses the personal rewards to be gained from the enterprise; negative motivation stresses the consequences of failing to respond. The best teachers emphasize the positive. Littledyke (1998, p. 17) suggests that constructive teaching should anticipate learning that is ‘meaningful, lasting and transferable to other contexts’ and take account of children’s experiences and views. However, he is at pains to point out that the teacher’s role is to facilitate learning of identified curricular objectives and not to allow a free-for-all in which children discover things without guidance or direction. Consequently, motivation cannot be relied upon solely to achieve the stated goals, though other outcomes may unexpectedly be achieved if children are given freedom to follow their instincts (see also Gilbert 2002).
