Beliefs That Support Success

offer hope, give unmotivated students purpose, and reawaken the joy of learning that once came naturally.

Successfully motivating challenging students requires that we embrace the following beliefs or tenets.

• All students are capable of learning when they have the academic and personal tools to be successful. • Students are inherently motivated to learn, but they learn to be unmotivated when they repeatedly fail. • Learning requires risk taking, so classrooms need to be safe places physically and psychologically. • All students have basic needs to belong, to be competent, and to influence what happens to them. Motivation to learn most often occurs when these basic needs are met. • High self-esteem should not be a goal, but rather a result that comes with the mastery of challenging tasks. • High motivation for learning in school most often occurs when adults treat students with respect and dignity.

These tenets are driven by the following five key processes that educators can use for guidance as they create and apply strategies that motivate and inspire students to learn.

• Emphasizing effort • Creating confidence and hope • Valuing involvement and influence • Building relationships • Sparking enthusiasm for learning

These processes form the framework for this book, with each chapter providing a brief description of why the process is important, followed by several specific motivational activities and strategies you can implement in your own school or classroom.