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“Wow, teaching gifted and high-ability learners must be so easy — they’re already so motivated!”

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Addressing Motivational Issues Using Andrew Martin’s Motivation and Engagement Wheel (Slides 22-27)

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Addressing Motivational Issues Using Andrew Martin’s Motivation and Engagement Wheel (Slides 22-27)

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Choose a scenario and use the Motivation and Engagement Wheel to explore the following:

Identify the Motivational Issues – What challenges are the students facing in this scenario?

Analyse Possible Causes – Why do you think these issues are occurring? Consider both internal factors (e.g., self-efficacy, interest) and external factors (e.g., teaching strategies, classroom environment).

Evaluate the Teacher’s Strategies – What strategies is the teacher using, and to what extent do these address the students’ needs? What actions can the teacher take to help students move toward a higher level of motivation and engagement?

Please appoint a scribe and a presenter. Key in the key ideas of your group's discussion in a new post. Remember to write down the room number of your group.

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Dear Colleagues, please download the slides that we are using for the session. If you are keen, we will be happy to share other resources related to this topic. Feel free to email me at David_Kwek@moe.gov.sg

Best Regards
David Kwek, GEB

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Motivation of Gifted and High-ability Adolescents (updated to highlight PS skills)

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Rinn, A. N., & Crutchfield, K. (2020). Developing psychosocial skills at school. In J. H. Robins, J. L. Jolly, F. A. Karnes, & S. M.Bean (Eds.), Methods and materials for teaching the gifted (5th ed., pp. 81–100). Routledge.

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Martin, A. J. (2017). How to motivate and engage students who are gifted. Midland, WA: Australian Mensa Inc.

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Patrick, H., Gentry, M., & Owen, S. V. (2006). Motivation and Gifted Adolescents. In F. A. Dixon & S. M. Moon (Eds.), The handbook of secondary gifted education (pp. 165–195). Prufrock Press Inc.

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Dai, D. Y., Moon, S. M., & Feldhusen, J. F. (1998). Achievement motivation and gifted students: A social cognitive perspective. Educational Psychologist, 33(2-3), 45–63.

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Clinkenbeard, P. R. (2012). Motivation and gifted students: Implications of theory and research. Psychology in the Schools, 49(7), 622–630.

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What is the role of motivation in talent development?

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What is the role of motivation in talent development?

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True or False?

1. Talent development can occur without motivation if the right conditions for skill-building (appropriate resources and opportunities) are in place.

2. Extrinsic motivation should be avoided because it undermines long-term effort and commitment.

3. A person with innate talent and a fixed mindset will outperform someone with a growth mindset in the long term.

Please appoint a scribe and a presenter. Key in the key ideas of your group's discussion in a new post. Remember to write down the room number of your group.

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Scenario about a class of diverse characters (Slides 12-17)

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Scenario about a class of diverse characters (Slides 12-17)

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Read the scenario and character profiles.

What challenges might arise that could affect students’ motivation and engagement during the project?

What strategies can you use to help students stay motivated, take ownership of their learning, and bring out their best work?

How can you ensure that all students feel valued and contribute meaningfully to the team’s success?

Please appoint a scribe and a presenter. Key in the key ideas of your group's discussion in a new post. Remember to write down the room number of your group.

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Not all gifted learners are motivated (by academics) - they have different motivations. Also, they often aren't motivated in the classroom because the material doesn't engage or appeal to them - especially in a classroom where we have to manage not only HAL kids.

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High-ability students can appear unmotivated if their needs for depth, complexity, or faster pacing aren't met. Differentiation and enrichment are essential to keep them stimulated and engaged.

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Not always true. Sometimes students are bored cause they already know the content, so it is difficult to engage and get their attention. At times, they might not be interested in the content and hence not motivated to learn.

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most of the ip students in my school are not very motivated.

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Not necessarily true - some may only be motivated in the areas that they are doing well in or have a particular interest in

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It's challenging but rewarding to teach gifted and high-ability learners. They need to be engaged to learn well.

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Not true. HAL can get easily distracted when they're not engaged well. Teachers need to constantly think of 'out of the box' strategies to engage them. They also get tired because of over-commitment and obsessed with details.

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can be unmotivated if the materials don't appeal to them or if the pace is too slow

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can be unmotivated if the materials don't appeal to them or if the pace is too slow

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It can be difficult to keep lessons engaging and meaningful for a class with gifted students. They may have different areas of strength/interests/work styles etc.

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Its a double -edged sword. Difficult to engage them at times if we do not provide appropriate challenge or relevance especially.

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Not necessarily. Their source of motivation can differ, and when it comes to assessment, they shut off because sometimes the testing can appear to be too "rigid" for them - they do not like a system that is too structured for them. They prefer navigating on their own.

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It mostly depends on what they are motivated by - they tend to have their own views on what is valuable/relevant.

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1. True.

2. Partially true. Sometimes we need extrinsic motivation such as leadership roles.

3. Partially true. If a person with innate talent and a fixed mindset can stay focus, he/she can outperform someone with a growth mindset.

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1. Talent development can occur without motivation, provided that the right conditions for skill-building, such as access to appropriate resources and opportunities, are in place. However, if a child lacks motivation, talent development becomes significantly more difficult. While it is not entirely impossible, the process is often less effective. The student may go through the motions without genuine engagement or internalisation of skills. In such cases, some degree of development may still occur, but it is likely to be slow, superficial, and frustrating for both the student and the teacher.

2. This statement is not entirely true or false. Extrinsic motivation should not be avoided outright. It can actually play a supportive role in talent development. When used meaningfully and thoughtfully, extrinsic rewards can serve as an initial spark, especially when students are not yet intrinsically interested or do not see the value in the task. Over time, as they begin to experience success and understand the purpose behind their efforts, this external motivation can gradually give way to more sustained, intrinsic commitment. Therefore, rather than rejecting extrinsic motivation altogether, it's more productive to use it strategically, depending on the learner’s needs and the context.

3. Not enough time to discuss

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Q1: Do not want to cooperate/simply dont want to do. Could be due to work being too simple and there is no kick in completing the task. Tim is probably the one finishing the work rather than his friends-no collaborative efforts.

Q2: Provide checkpoints along the way, assign specific roles to the students within the group so that these checkpoints willbe clearer.

Q3: Assign purposeful roles, post reflection on how they have contributed meaningfully in the project, peer feedback to help know each other better

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Challenges:

- conflict between Freya and Tim as Tim may think Freya is a freeloader. Freya may feel hurt by this perception.

- students may request to change groups as they feel they cannot work for the people in the group

Strategies:

- teacher could guide the group to come up with some differentiated roles to take on so that everyone can contribute, ensure fair allocation of work

- Speak to Tim to step up as a leader. Allow him to delegate the task and guide him to be more nurturing

- for Freya, allow her to choose her role that she feels comfortable with so that she doesn't feel inadequate

- possible extrinsic motivation could be a peer feedback form at the end of the project for students to rate their team mates

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1. Challenges: If all 3 are in the same group, first student will probably end up doing all the work, second student may take it personally if she feels her ideas are not valued, third student will freeload

2. Strategies: teacher can facilitate clear allocation of work and deadlines, students share their working style to reach a consensus

3. Teacher can check in with progress of group, groups to keep a project log to track who are doing what task

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Challenges:

Students may be very individualistic that may hamper the group dynamics

May have free-loaders or students like Tim who dominate the group

Strategies

Teacher should get the group to discuss and decide on the group norms as well as delineate their responsibilities.

There are merits in assigning any of the 3 profiles as the group (willingness, breaking out certain stereotypes)

But regardless of the appointment, the teacher should check in with the students regularly. Good to have some progress chart. (Also answering Q3).

Beyond their individual assigned portions, the students need to view as a collective effort or responsibility.

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Scenario 2:

Motivational Issues:

Task Avoidance: Martha sees poetry as irrelevant to her future in science and questions the value of engaging in it.

Low Task Value: She doesn’t perceive the poetry assignment as meaningful or useful.

Possible causes: lack of interest, poor task management skills; She’s overwhelmed with school workload and struggling to prioritize what feels important.

Evaluate teacher's strategies: She explained that poetry builds creative thinking—connecting it to skills useful in science. Mentioning the enrichment programmes aligns with Martha’s desire to stay competitive and top-tier.

But It May Fall Short Because: She didn’t fully address Martha’s overload or explore her interests or voice in the assignment. Could ask Martha why she doesnt want to do poetry: dont want to disappoint others as well as not good at producing good work in the subject

What teacher could have done: explore students belief in the subject and probably help her in finding the reason why she is weak in the subject.

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Motivational issues:

negative motivation: anxiety, failure avoidance

comparing himself to others, wanting to avoid failure, not sure how to obtain success

Causes:

lack of self belief

tendency to compare himself with others

Evaluation of teacher's strategies:

the teacher is aware that anxiety is a common emotion that students will face because the task is difficult

"we expect only a few students to solve it" - may cause more anxiety because Peter now realises that he is not the top few in the class

What is the intention of the task? is it diagnostic?

Suggestion: give students a few problems, perhaps starting with a few simpler tasks to give students some confidence, then more difficult questions at the end (give students some small wins)

Suggestion: can the teacher give some clues / a bit of scaffolding to get him started (to reduce his anxiety when his peers have started)

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Scenario 1

1. Challenges: Anxiety - student compare with peers and feel discouraged

2. External: Student looking at peers who seem to be moving faster and not struggling. Internal: how student perceives failure

3. Teacher strategies: Good that teacher encouraged him to focus on the process rather than outcome. But perhaps don't just tell student that only high-ability students will get it. Instead, the teacher can give some guidance on how to get started. Can encourage them to go at their own pace - not everyone will have the same strengths. Teacher can set positive classroom climate that encourages students that its ok to fail/make mistakes

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(Scenario 1) Peter:

some form of selection made to place him in this class - there seems to be some self doubt that is limiting his motivation to participate in class fully (or immerse himself in the learning task)

may feel very powerless due to the ambiguity of the process - learning disposition is not the type that can 'go with the flow' and get to the epiphany

feels doubtful and because end goal may not be clear to him, it adds to his anxiety and uncertainty about whether he can learn or succeed in this task/ such lessons

perfectionist - don't want to make mistakes + want to observe first to get his bearings right

reshape the experience - don't mention anything about expecting only a few to get it right away, but focus on the exploration of ways to solve the problem and what is the range of solutions the class came up with (make the situation less daunting and validate everyone's 'struggles' to solve the problem)

(Scenario 2) Martha:

avoidance and disengagement with poetry

rather than only talking about the content as a requirement to remain in the enrichment programme, there should be more focus on the range of skills that one develops through learning about poetry

there could be more conversation with Martha about what aspect/ field of Science she's interested in and see if there can be any link made between the skills learned in poetry lessons to the areas she's interested in

perhaps there can be some sorting out of priorities and commitment to various things happening - self management issues (being 'stretched' in too many ways and in too many subjects may have made Martha tired and breed the desire to avoid areas that she can't seem to see any benefits to)

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Question 1 - failure avoidance; uncertainty control of not being unsure of how to do well and negative self-belief. The student seems to have fixed mindset tendencies as is obvious that the child is struggling with the idea that difficulty is part of learning. Question 2 - We reckon it is because there is visible peer success creating pressure. But as the teacher is being encouraging, the teacher may be inadvertently increasing the fear/less confident. Because the teacher shared that "only a few students are expected to solve it". Maybe this sentence, while helping to comfort the students itself, can create an invisible pressure. Question 3 - maybe can use a DI (intermediate, advanced, basic) approach to help them to gain confidence with their ability. For the very challenging questions, it can be group work rather than individual work.