Teach English in Heyangcheng Jiedao - Chongqing

Motivating studentsIntroduction Motivation in the classroom is of utmost importance because it influences how effective students learn. In every classroom, teachers are confronted with students who have different learning styles, interests, and motivation. It?s a challenge to kindle these aspects, making learning meaningful and fun. Establishing good classroom management skills and good everyday teaching practices can be an excellent start in creating a healthy and inspiring learning environment. Commonly, students will react positively to a well organized course that is being taught by an energetic, inspiring and empathetic teacher who, open-mindedly, encourages active student participation. Whatever level of motivation students bring to the classroom will be influenced, positively or negatively, by classroom ?climate?. To ensure that students can learn and grow it is important to: have open communication lines so that students and teachers are able to communicate their needs; have clearly formulated rules, posted in a conspicuous place, to give students a safe, dependable system in which to work; establish a sense of belonging because students who feel they 'belong' have a higher degree of intrinsic motivation and academic confidence; adopt a supportive, caring, and approachable teaching style that stimulates increased student interest, enjoyment, engagement and performance; keep a positive and uplifting classroom atmosphere as a cheerful and motivating environment will fuel the students? intrinsic need to succeed; and lastly an organized, tidy classroom, and a good seating plan are elements which help create an optimal learning situation. Types or Levels of motivation Some students are naturally enthusiastic about learning and are internally motivated to learn because they believe it is important, or they feel that what they are learning is significant. This intrinsic motivation originates from a desire to learn due to inherent interest, for self-fulfilment, enjoyment or to achieve mastery of the subject. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation comes into play when a student is compelled to do something because of external factors. It is motivation to perform and succeed for the sake of accomplishing a specific result or outcome. students who are very grade-oriented are extrinsically motivated, whereas students who seem to truly embrace their work and take a genuine interest in it are intrinsically motivated. Considering the fact that, not all students are internally motivated, many need their instructors to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them, they need external or situated motivation, which is are the environmental classroom conditions that the teacher creates. "Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability to maintain or stimulate their interest." Factors influencing motivation Although many factors, such as interest in the subject, perception of its usefulness, general desire to achieve, self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as patience and persistence are of influence on student motivation, teachers have a crucial role in maintaining or stimulating students' motivational level. The teacher's behavior and teaching style, the structure of the course, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with students all have a large effect on student motivation. The teacher?s enthusiasm, relevance of the material, organization of the course, appropriate level of difficulty, active involvement of students, variety of teaching methods, rapport between teacher and students, and use of appropriate, concrete, and understandable examples are essential elements to positively influence student motivation. Encouraging or stimulating motivation By capitalizing on students' existing needs student achievement levels will increase and so will their positive motivation. Practically, this could be allowing students to choose from among two or three topics or activities; making learning visual by attaching images to the ideas we want to convey; or by asking engaging questions which encourage student discussion. Creating learning activities based on topics that are relevant to your students', they will discover that there is personal meaning and value in the material, as well as that what they are learning matters in real life. Strategies include using local examples, events in the news, using pop culture technology, or connecting the subject with your students' culture, outside interests or social lives. Make students active participants in learning by stimulating active involvement in activities through group problem solving exercises, helping to decide what to do and the best way to do it, helping the teacher, or each other and sometimes getting physically involved. students can have increased motivation when they feel some sense of autonomy in the learning process. Use positive emotions to enhance learning and motivation. students remember things better when learning is accompanied by strong emotions thus when lessons are fun, exciting, or perhaps even a bit frightening, students will learn more readily and it will last longer. This can be achieved by doing something unexpected or outrageous, or by praise. Praise builds students' self-confidence, competence, and self-esteem. Mistakes should be viewed as acceptable and something to learn from, recognizing sincere efforts. Giving frequent, early, positive feedback supports students' beliefs that they can do well. Teachers should have high but realistic expectations for students. Standards should be high enough to motivate but not so high that they frustrate. students need to realize that achievement is attainable, which means there must be plenty of opportunities for success. Studies show that students achieve at higher rates when their teachers have high expectations for them. The level of difficulty should be slightly above their current ability level and should progress as the course progresses. students should be informed exactly what they must do to succeed. Reassure students and be supportive: listening, giving hints and encouragement. For example you could say, "If you can handle these problem sheets, you can pass the exam but if anyone has problems with this they can ask for extra help." Teamwork is one of the most important factors in motivating students. students are more attentive, display better comprehension, produce more work, when they work cooperatively in groups. Teamwork will boost productivity amongst the students and make for a more positive teaching environment. The use of varying teaching methods reawaken student involvement and motivation. Incorporate a variety of teaching activities such as role playing, debates, brainstorming, discussion, demonstrations, case studies, audiovisual presentations, and group work. Lastly and most importantly a teacher?s energy and enthusiasm are key factors in student motivation,because adding energy and enthusiasm to lessons will further enhance the learning process.