Students have varying abilities within the classroom; with this in mind, the motivation theory can be put in place to encourage students to develop their own abilities in the areas where they may need extra help. Teachers should create a set of grading standards for each subject so that students are evaluated based on effort and performance. Students can sign up for private tutoring if they are motivated to improve their abilities in a certain subject, for example.
Learning and performance goals can be established in the classroom to make use of the motivational theory. The teacher should incorporate goals within each lesson plan that would require students to write out goals for each subject or project within an academic semester. This will help motivate students to have something to work toward. Student motivation is less likely to diminish if they have written down the goals that they want to accomplish.
Students can often motivate each other through their peers. The teacher should require group work for certain projects and encourage students to get together to study material for homework and test preparation. The motivation theory applies to student interaction in the classroom because they are often driven to complete achievements based on how they compare themselves to one another. If one student sets a standard of academic or extra-curricular achievement, more students are likely to be motivated to follow. Students that excel in one subject can be paired with those who may be struggling with that subject so that leadership and learning are engaged through peer interaction.
Curricular- and self-assessment are ways that motivational theory becomes engaged in the classroom. Students are given grades for their work, which motivate them to complete homework and study hard. Students can also see their personal growth based on the standard that the curriculum and their peers are setting. This makes some students more motivated to work harder for their accomplishments in the classroom.