Description: there are a number of different ways that motivation can be fostered in students. One doesn’t need all of the best materials, books and resources – motivation can come from a well-intentioned and enthusiastic teacher, leading the class and pupils.
The Key to Lesson Success
Motivation is a rather loose word, but arguably the most important one for a teacher to embrace. This idea both intrinsically and extrinsically helps students of any age succeed and reach their full potential. Motivating your students is no walk in the park and of course, every student is different, but there are several important principles and ideas that can help keep spirits up. Whether your students are in higher education or in elementary school, keep track of this advice in order to help your students help themselves.
Students Need a Sense of Control
The teacher needs to show their authority and keep control of tasks in order to motivate high school students or other learners, but a lot of students can benefit from having control and choice within the classroom environment. This is one of the best ways to boost engagement. As an example, students can be given a choice on the types of is assignments and tasks they will be given, or they can work on problems in the team. Both of these tasks give students control whilst also keeping control of the class.
Giving your students a sense of responsibility is also an easy way to build motivation and a sense of community in the classroom. In this way, students will begin to see classroom tasks as a privilege rather than being a burden and this will ensure that they meet their expectations. A sense of responsibility also allows students to feel valued within the classroom, motivating students further to work hard.
Set Your Objectives Clearly
If a student doesn’t know what they need to do, it can make them frustrated and can lead them to complete classwork inadequately. People such as Charles Ebert the chief of EduBirdies says that your students will once to find out what they need to do so that they can motivate themselves to work. It is helpful to state objectives in a clear and concise manner – this may seem obvious but it is often overlooked by many educators.
A Safe Environment
A motivated student knows that they have a supportive and engaging space where they are free from threats. Knowing this will motivate them to do better. Using affirmations to reward good practices and behaviour helps validate students and when they feel safe, they will be more highly motivated. In complete contrast, if the student is in a place where they feel anxious and uneasy, they may not want to put in the extra effort to work hard.
Changing Things Up
Teaching in the classroom is the best place to learn, but for students that sit there every day and need constant stimulation, things can get a little dull after a while. A change of scene can help to increase the interest in subjects and general learning, so give opportunities for your students to learn outside of the classroom environment. There are many things one could do:
- Go and see some public speakers.
- Take your students on trips.
- Participate in events in collaboration with other school pupils.
- Your class can be moved outside for the day!
Who doesn’t love a new setting? Increasing student engagement through little things like this is hot to motivate students to learn, without compromising their education.
A change of physical scene is one way to keep students motivated, but if you need to stay in your classroom, change your lessons to incorporate more hands-on experiences. Mix things up in the classroom in order to help students remain engaged and motivated. There are a number of motivating activities for students that can be done, from group work to independent study. Part of the classroom can be moved around and the whole vibe changes for the better, providing a thoroughly engaging learning experience.
Keep up the Competition
Intrinsically, motivation in education is kept up when there are others to compete with. Of course, it would be a bad idea to foster a cutthroat competitive environment within the class, but in some cases, competition can motivate students to work harder and excel. If you can foster competition in a positive manner, activities and games within the classroom can provide opportunities for students to work harder to excel amongst each other and come out on top.
When people do come out top and excel, offering rewards to your students is a great way of encouraging motivation. One could give out physical items such as tokens and points on the board – depending on the age group, there are a number of options to try. Get creative and think of ways to offer rewards in a competitive environment or in a general setting. Who doesn’t want to try and work hard if they know they can get something at the end? Rewards don’t always have to be physical though. Think of a time when you felt proud of achieving something when someone has given you praise. Everybody craves praise and recognition, and age is no barrier to this. Well earned rewards and motivating comments are paramount to motivation.
The Power of Self-Reflection
A lot of kids approached the classroom environment with some drive to succeed, but they can figure out what they ought to do with self-reflection, helping motivate themselves further. Building self motivational skills in students by getting them to look at themselves and determine what they are good at, these self-critiques can act as motivation for them. It is through the power of self-reflection that student can make themselves feel in charge, working to create their own objectives and fulfil their goals.
Anxiety, Thoughts and Feelings
It is often the case that students can become demotivated and anxious during their learning experience and the reasons for this are often complex. When anxiety is around, teachers need to do their best to reduce it so that the student is able to pick themselves up and carry on. Telling your students to “get over it” isn’t an option here and support needs to be offered no matter what the anxiety is in question. A teacher needs to be a mentor as well as an educator in order to inspire and motivate in their classroom. How can one learn and want to learn if they feel the need to give up? Build on the positive aspects and don’t dwell on the negative ones.
In Conclusion
There are a number of different ways to motivate students and many motivation theories in education. Every teacher has their own style and method, so get creative with some of the ideas written above and really start fostering a learning experience where students want to succeed and are motivated to do so.
Are you a teacher or an educator? How do you go about motivating students within your class? We would love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us below.
About the author: Sophia Clark is a freelance blogger, writing coach and poet. She loves working with WordPress themes and plugins, making it as simple as possible.
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