Student Motivation: Five ways to get inspired

Post date: Apr 6, 2017 8:35:24 AM

by: Irene P. Mendoza- Teacher III

City of Balanga National School

One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively. They won’t retain information, they won’t participate and some of them may even become disruptive. A student may be unmotivated for a variety of reasons: They may feel that they have no interest in the subject, find the teacher’s methods un-engaging or be distracted by external forces. It may even come to light that a student who appeared unmotivated actually has difficulty learning and is in need of special attention.

While motivating students can be a difficult task, the rewards are more than worth it. Motivated students are more excited to learn and participate. Simply put: Teaching a class full of motivated students is enjoyable for teacher and student alike. Some students are self-motivated, with a natural love of learning. But even with the students who do not have this natural drive, a great teacher can make learning fun and inspire them to reach their full potential.

Here are five ways to get your students excited about learning:

1. Believe in them. If you don’t believe that a particular student is going to complete his work, he probably won’t. So stop assuming they won’t and start believing that they can.

2. Be extremely encouraging. Students look to teachers for approval and positive ,reinforcement, and are more likely to be enthusiastic about learning if they feel their work is recognized and valued. Our words can be extremely powerful in inspiring them, but more importantly, we can encourage them by giving them one-on-one help and showing them that they can indeed do the work and be successful.

3. Get them involved. The one who is working is the one who is learning, so if you want your students to learn more, make sure they’re actually working in your class, not just listening to lectures all the time. Plan times when the students are working and you walk around to help them one-on-one. Giving students a sense of ownership allow them to feel accomplished and encourages active participation in class. (USC Rossier Online)

4. Start a Rewards Program. Rewarding students reinforces positive behavior, and students eventually internalize a desire for learning. A rewards program includes giving praise to students for completing assignments and being active participants in classroom activities

5. Make learning fun. You don’t have to constantly be doing intricate activities to make learning fun. Just be passionate about what you’re teaching and let that passion shine through. Tell relevant stories and add in some humor. And simply show the kids that they can do it – Students enjoy learning when they feel that they are successful.

The big takeaway for me is in order to motivate students; you need to understand and respect them, rather than control or manipulate. Our job is to inspire, encourage autonomy, and keep the focus on possibility rather than limitations.