​

When I Stopped Doing This, Student Motivation Skyrocketed in My PE Classes

Hi Reader,

I hope your school year has begun smoothly.

As the new school year begins, student motivation is on every PE teacher’s mind. Helping students engage meaningfully can make all the difference. Here is a lesson I learned about student motivation that has transformed how I teach, how students engage, and their motivation in PE.

For years, I thought motivating students in PE was simple.

Set clear expectations, reward those who met them, and use grades or consequences to push everyone else to participate. At first, it seemed to work.

Some students thrived, while others “made their choices” (or so I thought). I even started labeling students as “motivated” or “unmotivated.” But something did not feel right.

I began reflecting on myself as a PE student and realized these approaches would not have worked on me:

• Losing marks would have had zero impact.
• Calling home might lead to a conversation but no real change.
• Labels, reverse psychology, or “constructive criticism” would only reinforce negative self-talk.

Feeling stuck, I searched online (this was before social media existed) and found an article introducing self-determination theory (SDT). This framework explains what drives people, the psychological needs that fuel motivation, and factors that can lead to amotivation, which described many of my students.

Seeing Motivation Differently

After reflecting on SDT, I realized my approaches were counterproductive. The more controlling I became, the more I and the students relied on extrinsic motivators, which reduced their inner drive.

To help students discover intrinsic motivation, I needed to focus on meeting their psychological needs:

• Autonomy: A sense of control or influence in decisions and experiences (not “do whatever you want”).
• Relatedness: Feeling belonging and connection with peers, the class, and the subject area.
• Competence: Feeling capable and successful in activities.

All three matter, but the earliest and biggest impact in my PE classes came when I began changing my approaches to support student autonomy.

Changing My Approach

To better support student autonomy, I realized I had to rethink some of my previous practices and focus on creating opportunities for students to make meaningful choices.

What I stopped doing

• Assuming motivation was a trait students either had or did not have.
• Using marks or consequences to coerce participation.
• Being the only one to choose what and how students participated.

What I started doing

• Getting to know students’ preferences for participation, partners, and activities.
• Offering pre-determined options for activities, partners, and locations.
• Creating activities that matched preferences while still providing meaningful challenge.

Student motivation grew. Those who once avoided participation began finding ways to engage daily.

Practical Examples: What Autonomy Can Look Like in PE Class

Here are two ways I support student autonomy in PE classes today, and students love it. love it.

Please remember that supporting student autonomy means giving structured choices that align with learning goals, not letting students “do whatever they want".

• Warm-ups: Students choose the type of activity and partners, including solo if they prefer.
• Main learning activities: Students choose which activity to participate in, aligned with the unit or focus of learning, and they also choose their preferred level of competition and partners to participate with (think the Revolving Door approach).

*Note: When providing options, it is best to pre-determine them ahead of time rather than deciding on the spot. This helps students make meaningful choices.

Takeaway: How to Support Motivation

One key lesson I have learned is that the more controlling we are, the more students rely on external motivators. This is problematic in many ways.

Supporting autonomy does not mean giving up control. It means creating conditions that help students feel capable, connected, and in charge of their learning.

If you are unsure how to do this, ask your students. They will tell you.

Creating these conditions allows students to engage meaningfully while helping you understand how to best support motivation in your classes.