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Melanie Banoza ITTT Course 29 Feb 2020 Motivation in the classroom How to keep the motivation level high As we all know, there are several different reasons for students to attend an EFL course. Not everyone might feel good about it, let alone feel any motivation towards it. To crack this specific code, and have an excellent atmosphere and dynamic in class, teachers can use a lot of materials and use a lot of helpful tools to get through the lack of motivation. Let us first talk about the importance of motivation before going further into detail about how to get students excited and motivated for their lessons. Starting with the meaning of 'Motivation.' Motivation means stimulating people towards actions to achieve their goals. Motivation is the fuel to a smooth and successful time in class. Having something that is pushing the students to become the best version of themselves is the dream of any teacher. Some students might be shy or not very social, which is all okay as long as the teacher can tell that there is something in them that is interested in learning. When students are motivated they usually interact way more and they seem happier and ready to do anything necessary to do well in class. Of course, motivation does not come easy. There are always specific individuals who don't feel motivated from the very beginning or sometimes lose motivation during their time in class. That doesn't mean that the teacher has failed at their job. It is not an impossible thing to keep the motivation level high. There are a few strategies that can be used for motivational purposes. Which leads me now to the question: 'How to do so?'. 1. To keep motivation high in class, it has to start with the teacher. The teacher's personality sets the overall tone in the classroom. When the teacher shows passion and enthusiasm for teaching, it can be contagious for a lot of students who will model the teacher's positive behavior. Also, being a role model to reinforce positive actions to motivate students to learn is very important. 2. Teachers need to ensure that classroom rules are detailed so students feel safe to participate and share their opinions and comments without ridicule. Feeling free to express themselves will encourage students to be engaged and build up their self esteem as well. 3. Balancing being an authorized person and at the same time building up a positive relationship might sound challenging for some, but it is all doable. Usually, students who have a positive relationship with the teacher will do their best to achieve more in class. 4. To keep the motivation level high, it is recommended to prepare lessons around the student's interests and needs. To figure out what students like or dislike, it is helpful to conduct group discussions about the students’ interests. 5. To build a great bond with the class, the teacher should not hesitate to tell the students about his or her hobbies, interests, and overall open up to the class a little bit. 6. It is also beneficial to give the class options. The teacher should prepare a variety of exercises because each student learns differently. This way, each student can choose what they want to do and which exercise tool they intend to use at the moment. The content in each exercise should remain somewhat the same, though, because they should still be learning at the same level. 7. There are plenty of different reward systems a teacher could look into. A lot of students feel somewhat competitive and will try extra hard to get a reward, which would lead them to gain a lot of motivation from it. The bonus could be as simple as choosing what game to play next. 8. A lot of research also shows that stepping away a bit from textbooks works wonders. A lot of students feel intimidated by the way these books are put together. Bringing in authentic material that the students can connect with and that matches their needs and interests increases their motivation way more. 9. Creating your own activities and showing students that teachers prepare for class as well, and put in a lot of effort and time for them, makes students appreciate the teacher more and also makes them feel special. Especially if the teacher worked around the students’ interests. 10. Teachers should give great feedback. If there are students who are giving their best and are interested in this particular topic or exercise - teachers should acknowledge that and also give them positive feedback. 11. Some teachers like to have students feedback as well. So once a month, they would give them a paper with certain questions on it. They would want to know, for example, how satisfied the students are with the teaching skills of the teacher, how they like the variety in class, and what could be improved. That way, not only the student will stay motivated but also the teacher will. As we can tell from this essay, motivation is something that is beyond essential and necessary in class. I am sure that at least one of these suggestions to motivate students in class would help any teacher. By using any of these tactics I believe that teachers will see their students become more interested in and committed to their class and therefore get the most out of it. In this way, it is clear that motivation in the classroom is key to any good educational program.
