During a discussion of Third World countries, a fifth-grade teacher describes how, in some countries, children as young as nine or ten work long days in factories to support their families. Many of them work in toy factories making toys for children in wealthier countries, but they could never afford to buy such toys themselves. For one thing, teachers should keep a student's successes private and confidential unless they have the student's permission to do otherwise. Second, teachers should keep competition among students to a minimum. By telling the class that Vinnie has done better than everyone else, this teacher is helping to create a competitive atmosphere.
Teachers are more likely to motivate students when they model interest in the subject matter.
One effective motivational strategy is to relate school subject matter to students' future needs. The teacher is making her expectations for student performance clear. From Maslow's perspective, students must have their physiological needs satisfied before they will begin to address other needs. Attributing failure to insufficient effort is effective only when a student clearly hasn't exerted much effort. Peggy has already been trying very hard to succeed in chemistry.