Motivation is the force which causes us to achieve our goals. These goals can be basic but essential, like getting up in the morning, or long-term goals, such as creating an award-winning photography gallery collection. In terms of learning and teaching, theories of motivation help us understand how to recognize certain behaviors and personal needs in a classroom.

Behavior
B.F Skinner -- an American psychologist, author, inventor, social philosopher and poet -- created a motivation theory that, according to the Theory Into Practice Database (TIP), centers on the idea that learning is a function of changes in outward behavior. According to his theory, changes in behavior are the result of an individual's response to events. For example, a person's response to a test may be to study, resulting in a high or higher grade.

Reinforcement
The key element to Skinner's theory of motivation is reinforcement. A reinforcer is anything that strengthens the desired response, such as a teacher's comment on a paper, a high grade or a reward, such as getting a later curfew if you get straight As.

Maslow's Hierarchy
Abraham H. Maslow (1908-1970) was a humanistic psychologist concentrated on the human potential for self-actualization and motivation. He created a "hierarchy of needs" which is instrumental in learning about motivation for learning and teaching. Maslow represented the "needs" in the form of a pyramid. The needs, starting from the base of the triangle up, are physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem needs and self-actualization needs. The hierarchy focuses on "pre-potency," the idea that an individual is not going to be motivated by any higher-level needs -- like a passing grade on an important exam or getting into a particular college -- until lower-level needs have been satisfied, like feeling loved by a parent or regarding the self with care.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
One theory of motivation examines how motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation, in terms of learning and teaching, means a person focuses on something for its own sake, such as a teacher teaching a course on chemistry because she finds it essential for a student's grasp on understanding basic elements. Extrinsic or instrumental motivation means doing something for another reason, such as the teacher wanting to teach the course on chemistry so she can make a monthly paycheck.

Deep vs. Surface Learning
Deep learning and surface learning are two approaches to the theory of motivation. According to this theory, students can often be classified as "deep" or "surface" learners. A deep learner will, for instance, relate past knowledge to a present topic, for example, making a reference to Shakespeare's "Hamlet" when discussing theories of grieving in a psychology class. A surface learner may memorize all the terms for his biology test, but only so he can pass the test with a high score. However, a student might use both approaches to learning, or have a preference for one in certain instances. This type of learning corresponds to "deep" (intrinsic) and "surface" (extrinsic) motivation.

Classroom Motivation
According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), strategies for effective classroom management promote meaningful learning, cooperation and positive relationships between students and teachers. Some of these strategies for a teacher include establishing daily procedures, rules and routines in the classroom; offering positive guidance to students; modeling conflict resolution, problem solving and anger management; and regularly communicating with students' parents and caregivers.