Teach English in TiAntang Zhen - Anqing Shi

Motivating studentsMotivation is the key to learning the language. Highly motivated and diligent students can out-perform the intelligent ones. Academic achievement shows to be more a product of clear priorities and responsible behavior than it is of intelligence. Therefore we need to study the ways to increase students? motivation to reach higher satisfaction at learning and better results. Educational psychology identifies two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. While the intrinsic motivation is connected with student?s own interest and passion about a subject, the teacher can still to some extent raise learners? curiosity and enjoyment. The teacher?s enthusiasm and positive experience with the subject can capture the students? attention and curiosity and channel their energy towards learning. Nevertheless the teacher?s efforts at making the learning activities more interesting through games, creative exercises and interaction can often bring short results; the students? interest may dwindle after the activities are over. All teachers dream of intrinsically motivated students. In many ways, teachers? ability to operate to exert influence on students? motivation is through the extrinsic way. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside the individual; it means the desire to receive good grades or rewards, promises of travelling, employment, etc. The prospects of the school, its prestige, application of the acquired knowledge can bring satisfaction and enjoyment even if the subject or the task itself is boring. That means that the prospective of future satisfaction will be a motivator to put efforts to accomplish the tasks. Studies show main several ways to motivate students. One is to provide real and applicable materials and situations relevant to students? life. For instance using local examples, teaching with events in the news, using modern technology (iPods, cell phones, YouTube videos, etc) or connecting the subject with youth culture, interests or social lives. Vocabulary and themes that are interesting to students are important, too. That means also that as much as possible assignments and class projects should be related to real life situations. This way intrinsic motivation (interest in the subject) can be raised. Experience shows that in teaching languages applicability is of utmost importance as few students are interested in the language itself, its structure or linguistics. In case of the english language people learn it mostly for the social and work benefits and as a tool for communication in other fields. Another way to motivate students is to balance the challenges properly. Tasks that exceed slightly students? abilities motivate them and generate a sense of satisfaction at accomplishment, but exceedingly difficult tasks may cause confusion and stress. This implies also that in the course of a student?s progress the level of difficulty should rise proportionately. Too simple tasks will be boring and not motivating. Variety is another way to reawaken students? involvement in study and their motivation. That is breaking the routine by changing the methods, bringing new activities, discussions, guest speakers, etc. Perhaps, one of the most motivating factors for students is a caring teacher and the supportive environment for learning. Supportive behaviors include listening, giving hints and encouragement, being responsive to student questions and showing empathy for students. Although guidelines and rules must be set and understood by the students, and if they cross the guidelines a punishment will follow, the teacher who is approachable and understanding helps students feel respected and belonging in the class. A caring teacher would be one to develop a relationship with the students. If the teacher sees potential in all students, and communicates this well to them, they will in return build a desire to learn and participate. When the students see the teacher trying hard to make them understand and do well, the reaction would also be to reciprocate positively, in this case, study. When students are struggling with poor performance, efficiency or low motivation, one strategy that may help is to teach them how to learn. That is, to outline specific strategies for completing an assignment, note-taking or reviewing for an exam. A supportive positive environment includes also relationships among students. Recent educational practice has emphasized cooperation, positive role models and peer support rather than competition and comparison among students. Students should be encouraged against the tendency to compare with one another and compete. Lack of intense competition frees students from anxiety, while cooperation in groups helps them instead to focus on the subject, be attentive to the teacher and to one another. Eventually performance is better and so is the joy of learning. This brings us to another motivational factor which is a level of autonomy and involvement of students in the learning process. Very different from the traditional top-down education throughout centuries recent approaches have showed advantages of giving more choice to students. Studies reveal students are more engaged in learning when given some level of autonomy: this can be choosing their partner, an alternative assignment, participation in planning the lessons and the course. They feel a part of the learning process and a sense of ownership over some parts of the course. Too much autonomy, although, tends to cause anxiety and the teacher must keep his or her supervisory position and assist when necessary. Finally we come to the reward and feedback as practical ways of motivating and stimulating students? performance. Both positive and negative comments influence motivation, but research consistently indicates that students are more affected by positive feedback and success. Praise builds students' self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem. Letting students know the teacher believes in their progress helps them to improve over time. Rewards can start from simple ones, saying a student?s response was good, why it was good or publicly mentioning the name of the student. Feedback also proves to be a crucial instrument. Timely feedback showing students where they performed well and how to improve helps progress. Students must also receive clear instructions and know what is being expected from them to be successful at the course. Some practical examples may be necessary. They struggle when left to figure out the expectations by themselves. In conclusion we can say that motivation is the backbone of learning. When students are motivated, they themselves and the teacher can perform their job better. Improving students' motivation is an essential effort in a teacher?s work. Additionally, the more intrinsic and deeper motivation students have the better the prospects for learning. So the teacher?s best results should be when rather than supplying immediate rewards and stimuli he or she emphasizes to the students that good learning and mastery are rewards to themselves.