We all know that incentives motivate us to do things, especially to learn. We can particularly see the importance of motivation is education of adults in post-secondary and vocational education, such as an LVN program. Particularly interesting is the internal motivation in the adults and children following successful external motivation.
Yes, external incentives motivate learning, and we know that in most children and adults, the external motivating factors play a much greater role in pushing them to learn. Positive and negative reinforcement system, such as the system of grading established in all our teaching institutions, from kindergarten to post-graduate and professional schools, have been very effective. That’s why they have been used for centuries. There are multiple types of external reinforcing factors, however, that can be employed besides the grades or scores. These external motivators we can successfully employ at LVN colleges to help the nursing students on their way to learning.
When dealing with young children, and even adults, posessional motivators can be used as reward, such as new toy, or new gadget, new computer, or a game. This is why many companies use promotional souvenirs, such as mugs, pens, hats, t-shirts, to motivate people to buy their services and merchandise. Activity motivators are used to reward desired behaviors by giving bonus time-spending, such as enjoying a movie, or a game, or a party, which is often done by companies to reward their workers for job well-done. However, the most powerful of all the types of motivators and reward is the social one. It is saying “Good job!” or “Thank you!” or “I am proud of you,” that is the most valuable.
Interestingly, the most powerful of all motivators or rewards is free. It does not cost anything to say “You are doing great! Well done!” and yet this type of reward we value the most. If a child never hears these words from his or her parents, then all their efforts to please mom and dad will feel futile, regardless of the toys, clothes, games, TV time, and other rewards they may receive. A hug, a kind word, are easy to give, but not easy to get in our society today.
Teachers, instructors, and bosses often forget about these very simple ways to reinforce and motivate positive behaviors. Soon, the external motivators lead to the development of internal motivators. This is why it is so important to remember these simple things when teaching at an LVN school, to help nursing students go on and succeed. By building their ego and self-confidence, we are building reliable, educated, and self-motivated healthcare professionals. By giving them external motivation to learn, we develop their internal motivation to grow.
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