Everyone knows being a teacher is not an easy job. And the most difficult is to provide motivation to learn to students. Whether you are a teacher teaching at the high school level or teaching a skills school for adults, it is a challenge to get students to work hard and have the desire to learn. However, there are many ways and approaches that you can provide so that their learning process becomes something that is fun, exciting, and important for these students. If you want to know how to motivate your students, study the steps below.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Create a Supportive and Positive Environment
Step 1. Understand why motivating is challenging
One thing about students is that they are too used to people acting as "teachers" in their lives. Everyone in every situation strives to stimulate them, make them think, work hard, and strive to make these students into human beings they can be proud of. It is the pressures of various influences and inputs that make students lose their grip on self-discovery and are therefore suspicious of anyone who tries to influence them.
Once they have realized this, they tend to deal with the constant pressure from their environment by making one important decision: "I will allow you to influence me if you can prove to me that you are worthy to do that to me." This decision is their way of screening the right person for the right moment. It becomes a problem when they are impressed by someone who is a bad influence on them, or when people who are actually useful to them don't try to make a good impression on them
Step 2. Make a positive impression
If you want to motivate your students, then you have to be able to show that you are someone worth listening to. They may be suspicious of you at first, but you will win their trust and respect if you really put in the effort to earn it. To get both of these things, you have to look attractive in their eyes. You cannot attract attention if you are always standing on the dark side of life. You need to be clearly visible, in order to catch their attention and keep the attention from going away. Here are some ways to make a positive impression on your students:
- Voice your opinion. Have an opinion and determine the right time to express it. Avoid talking too long and/or having too many opinions. You have to come across as information-rich, intelligent and someone who isn't afraid to speak your mind, not someone who is arrogant and doesn't want to be the center of attention.
- Be passionate about the topics you teach. Widen your eyes, smile and show great interest in what you are teaching your students, this attitude will rub off on them. Even if they are not very interested in the subject you give, your attitude will make them very entertained. In particular, because you are frankly showing your love for the knowledge you teach, they will tend to call you a "pure" person.
- Be passionate. Having passion is something that can be contagious. It can be difficult for a student to fall asleep in class if the teacher moves swiftly in the classroom (though I don't advise you to be too agile!). Make sure you are passionate enough to introduce yourself and the subject you are going to teach well.
- Try to make your appearance attractive. You need to make a good impression; make sure when you stand in front of the classroom you look attractive. Try to dress neatly or slightly differently than the average person.
Step 3. Work a little harder
Do something "more" than what is generally required of a teacher. If a student is always late in submitting his homework, at the next opportunity, call him and guide him in completing his homework. Help your students how to write, how to gather information, and show some of the research writings of other students. This is a good way to avoid problems: if the problem lies with the student's attitude, you will eliminate the reason and if he does have difficulty completing his assignment, he will know tips for dealing with the same problem in the future.
- Pay attention, answer all questions and make sure he understands perfectly your attitude. Make sure you let him know that you won't be helping him like this again next time. Ask if he understands what you mean, and wait for his response before asking him to leave your room.
- Of course, there is a difference between trying hard and letting your students take advantage of you. You should put in extra effort if your students really need it, but don't give it if you have to sacrifice your principles.
Step 4. Offer additional information about your subject
If you want your students to be passionate about what you are going to teach, then you have to prepare your subject in a deeper and broader way than simply teaching something based on what is stated in the curriculum. Keep your students informed of the latest developments related to your topic. If you are a teacher teaching the exact sciences, you can prepare 1) an article from Scientific American for students to read in class or 2) Give your students a summary of the article, show the illustrations included in the article, do a small discussion about the concepts contained in the article and what is the meaning and message of certain sentences contained in the article and announce to them you have copied the article and for those who are interested can take it and take it home. The second option is the best.
You must understand that your job is to get your students interested in learning, not to make the topics presented to them to spark their interest
Step 5. Give assignments that force your students to think outside the box
Create different, unique and exciting classroom activities. For example, your class prepares a show related to the exact sciences (or other related science topic) that you will exhibit at the local museum. Or a class can write a book that you can publish using the services of a self-publisher and apply the proceeds from the sale to the local library.
One thing to understand is that this idea is something completely different; You have to do this in class or during school time (avoid transportation problems or extra time) and you have to work and involve everyone in every stage of the preparation
Step 6. Have a good sense of humor
Having a sense of humor will help you interact with your students, bring topics to life and make it easier for students to feel close to you. If you're always serious, it's hard for them to understand and truly feel close to you. While you don't have to be a silly teacher and joke around all the time, if you create a fun environment, they will be more motivated and eager to learn.
Step 7. Show that you are a capable person
Convince your students that you are someone worth listening to, especially since you are thinking of ways to motivate them to get them interested in learning what you have to offer. You need to show off your skills. You are not just a teacher; but you are the most qualified and best for this task. Just like when you take an interview for a job. Even though you are humble about your abilities but don't hide it. Make sure your pride radiates when you discuss with students your experiences and contributions. If you have acquaintances with experts in the field you teach, invite them. Try to keep these experts from giving speeches in front of the class, but arrange some kind of question and answer between the student and the expert - because it will be more lively and useful.
If your students think that you are not very well versed in the topic you teach, then they are likely to be lazy when they have to complete the assignments you give, or maybe you will not pay attention if they have not read the subject topic carefully
Step 8. Pay close attention to the needs of students who require more attention than others
If your student looks depressed or looks unwell, call him out of class and ask him if he's okay. Try when you do this, you are not in the middle of a pile of work. Look at him when you talk to him, but don't keep staring until you get the answer you're looking for. If the answer is OK, don't press on until you feel like there's a serious problem he's dealing with. Tell him "I thought you looked a little sad earlier" without prolonging your curiosity and getting right back to the work you were doing. By showing that you care, that's enough for him.
- If a student is facing a problem, show your concern, this is enough to motivate the student to work harder. If a student feels that you don't care about his work or how he feels, then he will have a tendency to be unmotivated.
- Consider softening some of the rules if you feel that one of your students is having a hard time. This requires caution, but tends to increase mutual trust. However, if the student continues to be late or does not complete the assignment within the allotted time, you should be able to see that this is a problem (even if it may only be a matter of the student's attitude) and help him out. Quietly allow some time to complete it and come up with a topic that may be a little easier. Of course this means loosening the rules, but what you're doing is eliminating the excuses it keeps repeating. But make sure to him that this allowance is only for the first and last chance and in the future you will not give it again.
Step 9. Ask your students to share their views
Your students may not be motivated if they feel that what you are doing is simply conveying the lesson and not paying attention to what they have to say. If you ask them about a particular political issue, a piece of literature, or the validity of the experimentation of a scientific experiment, chances are they will get excited and have their say. If they feel that you respect their opinion, then they will be brave and excited to share their opinion with you.
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Step 10. Create lively discussions in the classroom
If only your side continues to explain the lesson in front of the class, the students will become bored. If you intend to maintain their motivation and concentration, then you must create teaching and learning situations that provide space for lively discussions. Ask questions, not to all students, but to one of them, calling out their names one by one. Basically, every student doesn't want to be called by name and doesn't know the answer to a question you ask, and if they know this possibility, they will prepare an answer for every question you ask during class.
Not only will this make them more likely to read and prepare before class starts, but it will also make them more excited to be present in class, because they feel they have an important opinion
Motivate Students Step 11 Step 11. Get to know your student before you praise him
If you are teaching in a new class and you stand in front of the new students and tell them that you know they are good students and this class will teach them how to change the world, they will certainly not believe what you say and will lose their senses. their respect for you. What goes through their minds is how do you know what they are like if you don't make the effort to get to know them first? How do you want them to change the world if you don't teach them what the world really is? How can you have the same expectations of everyone? And their assumption about all of that is true.
- For most teachers, all students are the same, and they feel comfortable expressing their opinions through expressions similar to speeches, but a good teacher, understands that every student is different.
- Including the use of the word "some of you" ("some of you will become lawyers, some of you doctors, etc.") Save this type of speech at the close of class (not the last class) and structure it as something very personal. For example: "Ryan will find a way to cure cancer, Kevin will beat Bill Gates, Wendy will decorate the world, Carol will probably beat Kevin…".
- Add a little humor and make sure you know something about each student. These are your expectations of your students, just as you are trying to live up to their expectations of you, "they" have to show that they too are capable of meeting yours.
Motivate Students Step 12 Step 12. Show your students how the subject matter you teach can impact the world
Open up their horizons through stimuli they previously ignored. Problems involving humanity, society, country and the world. Topics that you think are very important, in various ways to awaken their motivation. Once you've earned their trust and they think you're an adult worth listening to…then they'll listen to you. Although they may not always agree, they will try to listen to your presentation.
You may face the challenge of motivating students because of the subject you are teaching, whether it be English literature or American history, and not see how those lessons can be applied in real life. Bring a book review or article in the newspaper, and show them that what they are learning actually has a real impact on the world. If they can see the practical side of the topic they are studying and their application to life, they will tend to want to be involved in it
Part 2 of 2: Create Challenges
Motivate Students Step 13 Step 1. Make students "experts" on a particular topic
You will be amazed at the motivation shown by the students if you ask them to make a presentation on a topic whether it is as a group or independently. They will feel passionate and responsible for becoming experts in a particular subject area, whether it is the literature on "The Catcher in the Rye" or electron configuration. Preparing a project or presentation outside of class will make students more excited to learn, and it's a great way to mix up the curriculum and keep it interesting.
Including, motivating other students if those who provide information on certain topics are done by fellow students. Sometimes, students will be bored if the presentation is done by you continuously in front of the classroom but it looks more interesting if the work is done by their classmates
Motivate Students Step 14 Step 2. Encourage group work
Group work can help students get to know each other, get them to see the subject matter from a different perspective, and help motivate them to succeed. If a student works alone, he may not feel the pressure to achieve the same success as if he worked with other students in a group, because the group will be given the trust to carry out certain roles. Group work is also a great way to mix up the curriculum, and students have different tasks to do during class.
You can also support healthy competition between groups. Whether it's a blackboard competition, a quick hit on a particular topic, or any other activity or game where each group tries to outdo the other group, you will notice that students will be more enthusiastic to follow this way of learning and provide the right answer when they face a competition (as long as it's constructive and not destructive)
Motivate Students Step 15 Step 3. Give an assignment with added grades
Grade-added assignments can help students take the subject to a new level and work to improve their grades. For example, if you are a chemistry teacher and know some of your students are having trouble, give an additional optional assignment to write a paper on a light but scientific book like "A Glance at the World." Students will have a more enjoyable time advancing their knowledge to a higher level and will explore their understanding of a new topic while also improving their final grades.
You can provide assignments that demonstrate a wider application to your subject. If you're an English teacher, for example, give a student a grade who visits a poetry reading at a local community venue and writes a report about it. Allow him to present the report to his classmates; this will help motivate other students and also encourage them to do something more in their pursuit of knowledge
Motivate Students Step 16 Step 4. Prepare various options
Students will be more motivated if they are given several choices during the learning process. Choices make them feel they have a stake in the way they learn and their motivation. Give them the choice of a work partner, or provide several options when you give your next paper or short essay assignment. You can still prepare various outlines and at the same time allow students to have choices as well.
Motivate Students Step 17 Step 5. Provide useful feedback
If you want your students to be motivated, then your feedback must be thorough, clear and meaningful. If they understand what their strengths are and where they need to be improved, they will be more motivated to learn than what they receive is the value of their work and a perfunctory written explanation of the award. Give them enough time to help them understand that you are serious about helping them succeed and what you expect from them is for them to improve the quality of their work.
If you have time, arrange a meeting with each student to discuss their progress during the learning process. This individualized attention will show them that you really care about their work
Motivate Students Step 18 Step 6. Clearly state your expectations
Give students rubrics, clear directions and even some sample assignments that have excellent grades to show them what you are looking for. If they don't understand what you really expect from their job or how to be successful in your class, they will be less motivated to be successful. Having clear instructions and a teacher ready to answer any questions they may need to complete an assignment can motivate them to produce good work.
Take time for questions after you have explained an assignment. Students sometimes act like they have understood everything, but if you test their understanding, you can find that there is always room for explanation
Motivate Students Step 19 Step 7. Combine your teaching methods
Although teaching in front of the class is the most suitable way for your subject, but if you can combine it with other ways then your students will be more motivated. For example, you could give a 10-15 minute "short lecture," followed by a group discussion discussing the concept you just presented. Then, you can create an activity on the board, and appoint a student to explain it by providing additional marks. Maintaining class dynamics will keep students alert and motivated.
Having a schedule for each class, whether in the form of a handout or written on a bulletin board, for those who want to know what is expected of them, will help motivate them
Tips
- Make your engagement look natural. Whether it's when you talk, teach, listen, clear your desk or when you read something. You have to look very natural.
- Don't be quick to take action on minor misbehavior. Your students should understand that education is the main thing not your authority.
- Don't speak slowly on purpose. This gives your students the impression that you are not sure if you speak in a normal tone they will understand.
- What you have with your students is a teacher-student relationship, don't ruin it. Don't position yourself as "a friend and not a teacher." You have to respect the boundaries. You are a teacher, but a very good and different teacher.
- Don't pay too much attention.
- If you are generally a slow talker, practice speaking faster than usual.
- You can't be seen as an "ordinary person". If you're having a bad day, don't let it show. If you're disappointed or angry, "don't show it." You need to be a great figure. At some point in the lives of these students, their role models turn into humans. They get sick, disappoint people, get divorced, become depressed and lean on the students. Students will interpret this situation as an indication that you are not strong enough to handle problems on your own. Students need people they can rely on. That side of your 'humanity' will ruin your chances of being the person they lean on. Don't talk about your problems, don't point out your weaknesses (except for something as minor as difficulty drawing a straight line). If they see you about a problem say something like "That's what I've been through" don't phrase it like this example; "Oh shit, I know very well how it feels".
- Don't smile too much and don't smile at the whole class. Smile once and for certain people.
