Thank you to all the educators who have been visiting my website, using the FREE RESOURCES, requesting more information, and asking really good questions. This post will address some of the questions I’ve received over the last few weeks about motivating students when using student-directed small groups.

“A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning.” -Pat Riley

Just the fact that many of you are asking about team points indicates that you’re ready to use the TABOR ROTATION Framework to help you simplify small-group, differentiated instruction in your mathematics block. Giving points gives students a base “salary” so they are not “coming to work for free.” The point system is a way of paying students adequately and fairly for the work they are doing so that we may continue to higher plains of motivation.

Here are the steps I recommend for beginning the process of using team points:
1.    The teacher groups the students into 4 heterogeneous groups. Make sure that the groups you create are ones who will work well together with mixed-readiness levels.
2.    Appoint team roles for the group.
3.    Have the team give themselves a mathematical name which comes from the list of terms for that grading period. Each team member should know how to explain to someone what their team name represents.
4.    Explain to the entire class that each team will be working for 30 points during math time. Every time the team reaches 30 points they receive their positive consequence or commission.
5.    The class can determine what they would like to work toward each time they reach 30 points. The reward shouldn’t be costly. The most favorite reward has been 30 minutes of math game time while the rest of the class is doing other work.
6.    After the team receives its reward the points are wiped clean and the process begins again.

Now that your class has determined the positive consequence of making good choices, let’s talk about how to help the students manage the point system. The team names are listed on the Tabor Rotation Team Point Sheet. Keep a pad of post-it notes in the TABOR ROTATION Supply Basket.

At the beginning of each math period the timekeeper from each group gets a post-it note and pencil. The timekeeper sticks this note to the front of their TABOR ROTATION Math Folder. As the team receives points, the timekeeper notes the amount on the note.

What types of behavior do you want to see? Initially, I used mass practice and recognition of good choices. I’ll give points for something about every 5 minutes. I’ll also give 3-5 points at a time, depending on how badly I want to see the behavior occur in my classroom. After a month or so of using the framework and seeing the correct behavior, I can begin distributed practice and distributed recognition.

I might give points for the following:
*Using whisper voices.
*Listening to your leader and co-leader.
*Following directions.
*Staying on task.
*Cleaning up your area.
*Making smooth transitions to the next station.

Basically, if there’s a behavior you want to see in your students, then you should model it, recognize it, and give points for it. When math time is over, the timekeeper records the number of points earned by her team in the correct square. The timekeeper is also in charge of giving a note to the teacher when his team has reached 30 points.

However, this type of extrinsic motivation will not lead to meaningful engagement of students. In fact, if you only use points and this type of “carrot” motivation, then the performance of your students will actually decrease—not increase. If this has gotten your attention, keep reading.

The reason why Tabor Rotation engages and motivates students isn’t just because of the points I give away. It’s because the framework provides students with repeated opportunities to have autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Dan Pink does a fantastic job of explaining the science of motivation. It’s worth the 20 minutes of viewing time to help you understand how to cultivate a classroom community of students at high motivation level.
[http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html]

James  Middleton,  in “A Study of Intrinsic Motivation in the Mathematics Classroom: A Personal Constructs Approach,” offers a model for using intrinsic motivation in mathematics that challenges teachers to provide teaching and learning activities that are both stimulating and offer students a degree of personal control. The study also includes a list of ways teachers can develop and cultivate intrinsic motivation in the math classroom.  [http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/interactions/motivating-students/#model]

Tabor Rotation does this through varying the modalities by which a student experiences a concept in the Tabor Rotation Stations and in the readiness groups which are planned with the students’ readiness levels, interests, and learning styles in mind.

I am on a mission to help change the way our classrooms approach the teaching and learning of mathematics. Part of my mission is to encourage teachers to think about and approach motivation in a scientifically effective way. I hope this blog has done just that!

“It’s not my job to motivate players. They bring extraordinary motivation to our program. It’s my job not to de-motivate them.” -Lou Holtz