At International School of Uganda, we strive to know our students and connect individually with them to find out what motivates them, and how we can encourage and engage them with their interests, passions and strengths. 

Motivation can affect how students approach school generally, including how they relate to teachers, their peers, how they apply themselves to their learning and whether they look for support when they are finding learning difficult. If students are not motivated to learn it is difficult to engage them in improving their outcomes at school; regardless of the skill of the teacher or curriculum (CEP, 2012). 

Learners with agency use their own initiative and will, and take responsibility and ownership of their learning. They direct their learning with a strong sense of identity and self-belief, and in conjunction with others, thereby building a sense of community and awareness of the opinions, values and needs of others. 

Learners with agency use their own initiative and will, and take responsibility and ownership of their learning. They direct their learning with a strong sense of identity and self-belief, and in conjunction with others, thereby building a sense of community and awareness of the opinions, values and needs of others. 

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, motivation manifests itself differently in different students. Students who are motivated by grades ask questions like: Will that be on the test? How many words do I have to write? Students who are motivated to learn for themselves ask questions like: Why are there several different viewpoints on this subject and what does it mean? Why is this important? What can I do next? (Bjerede & Gielniak, 2017). In his book, Pink (2011) outlines how autonomy, mastery and purpose are fundamental to intrinsic motivation, a foundational block of student agency. Pink states that student agency implies an intrinsically motivated volition on the part of the student, which goes beyond student engagement – where a student is engaged with the work for its own sake, not just for extrinsic motivators such as getting good grades or pleasing teachers or parents. 

At International School of Uganda, we strive to know our students and connect individually with them to find out what motivates them, and how we can encourage and engage them with their interests, passions and strengths.  When students are motivated and have a sense of belonging the possibilities have no limits.

International School of Uganda (ISU) is located on a beautiful, natural environmentally sustainable 33 acre campus in the district of Lubowa between Kampala and Entebbe.  With purpose built facilities including a sports hall, swimming pool, fields, track, tennis courts, an arts centre with a 420 seat state of the art theatre, science centre, early childhood centre and a resource library.  We meet the needs of our 625 learners from ages 2.5 to 19 through a holistic and inclusive approach to their development using the International Baccalaureate framework.  A fully accredited school with certified and experienced educators representing 21 nationalities. 

Visit our website www.isu.ac.ug or reach out to make an appointment and discover the difference yourself.

CITATIONS:

• Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. Chungrim, 2011
• Bjerede, M and Gielniak, M. “It’s Time for Student Agency to Take Center Stage.”Getting Smart, Getting Smart, 22 Sept. 2017