It's hardly a new subject. Every teacher knows it's essential, and every teacher tries to motivate students. But it's just as true that all teachers have experienced those days when they don't feel particularly motivated, when the content seems old and tired, and when students (sometimes the whole class) are clearly anything but motivated by what's happening in class. What to do then? If only there were a list of surefire strategies, those tricks that always get students and teachers fired up and moving forward. But motivation doesn't lend itself to easy answers or surefire solutions. Clearly there are things that teachers can do that work with some reliability, but why and how they motivate are vexingly complex. There is much to be learned about motivation.
