Enhancing motivation and learning throughout the lifespan - Susan Hallam

An Inaugural Professorial Lecture In her inaugural professorial lecture Susan Hallam explores the relationship between motivation and learning. In the first part of the lecture Professor Hallam outlines the processes involved in developing high levels of expertise in any domain. She describes the common characteristics of experts and the stages involved in developing expertise. She outlines the changes that occur in the brain over time as expertise develops. The extensive time needed for expertise to develop requires high levels of motivation on the part of the learner. These are related to the individual's identity and self-concept. Individuals with positively motivated identities tend to engage more fully with formal learning and maintain lifelong learning. The second part of the lecture therefore considers the ways that teachers, as well as the education and assessment systems within which they operate, can enhance learners' motivation and learning throughout the lifespan.