Teach English in Hunanlu Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

Motivating StudentsTeaching english as a foreign language is not only a matter of vocabulary and sentence structures. Teaching english should be accompanied by a great deal of motivation. This is vital since every student does not only rely on themselves for motivation but they also rely mainly on the teacher. Students will always vary. The teacher never knows what to expect until the actual day when class starts. The motivation should begin from that very first day. The teacher must have an introduction prepared that will break the ice and give students the proper motivation as they begin their journey in learning english. The first day of class is not the only day that the teacher needs to provide motivation to the students. This should be in the mind of the teacher as he prepares his/her lesson plan. The lesson plan should include an Engage phase which is the opener of the class. This can be acheived by having a positive attitude, a smile on the face and a up tempo tone of voice. After the Engage phase becomes the Study phase which is where the Teacher indicates what will be taught and how the student can apply it in their english writing and conversations. This Study phase can also contain motivation by making sure the lesson teaching is explained with a clear pronounciation. If the teacher does not speak with enough volumen or mumbles then the student will not feel motivated. The teacher must not forget to ask if anyone does not understand or if anyone has any questions. During this phase the teacher can provide the most motivation by dedicating some time to give positive feedback. After this phase is the Activate stage which is where the student puts in practice what they have learned. The motivation here can be accomplished by not interupting too much or giving corrections for tiny mistakes. During this phase the students will most likely work in pairs or groups. Therfore the teacher can also take advantage of this moment to give motivation by monitoring the students and showing the student that they´re available for support and encouragement in case the students begin to struggle. This is only one way to prepare a lesson plan. There are also other forms. More important than preparing the lesson plan is actually putting it in practice. The teacher can also look in to having a person accompany them in their class as an Observer. Their job would be to not only learn from the teacher but also give feedback in regards to what they´re doing well and where they can perhaps give a little more motivation for their students. There are also little things that a teacher can do that may not seem very important but in reality will have an effect on the motivation that the student feels. For example, the teacher should remember the names of the students. This could intimidate a student or make them feel bad. Unfortunately many students begin to participate less or not participate at all if they feel the teacher does not even care about their name. Another example is remembering students interests and trying to include them in some way throughout the class. The student will not think it´s coincidence but instead they will notice that the teacher has taken into consideration their feelings of being motivated and happy as they their english. Practice makes perfect. The teacher will understand more what it means to motivate a student and the results that this brings as they gain experience with a variety of students, ages and backgrounds. Therefore the teacher should not feel discouraged because this will be noticed by the students and could be contagious as well. The teacher should always stay positive and remember that the student would love to learn english but they will need the help of the teacher to not only guide them but also motivate them so they can reach their goals.