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Motivation in the Classroom student motivation is an important cornerstone for the ESL classroom. If students lack motivation, they will not be excited to learn, see the purpose of their learning, or make much of an intrinsic effort to learn English. Generally, students enter a course with some level of motivation or excitement about learning the material. It is up to the teacher to maintain this baseline student motivation and to increase it throughout the course. As Ericksen stated, "Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability ... to maintain the interest that brought students to the course in the first place" (Ericksen, 1978, p. 3). Ericksen also discovered that solid everyday teaching does more to avoid student apathy than using only specific tactics to impact motivation directly. Therefore, one can conclude that as students learn more through solid teaching, their motivation to continue to learn will increase. While solid teaching is critical to student motivation, it is important to think critically about how to get students engaged and invested in their learning. McMillan and Forsyth?s research showed that it is critical to take student needs into account when planning and delivering lessons. First, the teacher should perform a thorough evaluation of what the student hopes to get from the course (i.e. the student hopes to be able to understand American movies or the student hopes to be able to converse with foreign visitors to their city). The teacher should then integrate the students? desires into the overall course curriculum. McMillan and Forsyth found that teaching that addresses student needs impacts student motivation even more than getting good grades. Over the course of the academic year, teachers should adjust their teaching tactics to reflect student ability. At the beginning of the year, teachers should structure lessons that make it easy for students to succeed. This will build student confidence and avoid unnecessary frustration. As the students gain confidence and time goes by, the instructor can introduce more difficult material. By scaffolding lessons in this way, students will be set up to succeed and remain motivated, even when challenged (Cashin, 1979). student motivation is also impacted by teacher feedback. In all cases, teachers should provide feedback to students as quickly as possible. If a student submits a test, paper, or other piece of work to be graded, the teacher should prioritize giving feedback to students as quickly as possible. If feedback isn?t given, students might perceive that the assignment was unimportant or the teacher didn?t care. Feedback is critical to maintaining and increasing student motivation (Cashin, 1979). Teachers should also use many different types of lesson plans and activities to keep students engaged and motivated. Teachers should bring in speakers, movies, role plays, debates, art, group work, and other such activities to keep students engaged and interested in the material. When students are engaged in these activities, they are more likely to be motivated (McMillian & Forsyth, 1991). There are many aspects of creating a motivating learning environment for students. At the cornerstone, teachers must have solid teaching practice. Their teaching should set students up for success, use student desires as a framework for lessons, provide feedback, and use a variety of learning modalities. When all of these pieces come together, students will be motivated and eager to learn. TS Works Cited Cashin, W. E. "Motivating students." Idea Paper, no. 1. Manhattan: Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development in Higher Education, Kansas State University, 1979. Ericksen, S. C. "The Lecture." Memo to the Faculty, no. 60. Ann Arbor: Center for Research on Teaching and Learning, University of Michigan, 1978. McMillan, J. H., and Forsyth, D. R. "What Theories of Motivation Say About Why Learners Learn." In R. J. Menges and M. D. Svinicki (eds.), College Teaching: From Theory to Practice. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 45. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991.
