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Keeping your students motivated to learn can be challenging.
The hardest part is that you have many different types of personalities
and learning styles in your classroom that catering to everyone's
particular needs is hard for one teacher to accomplish. Even so,
there are ways that you can motivate students and keep your classroom
a happy place to learn.
Motivate with Reasoning
Students tend to become uninterested in schoolwork when they
do not understand what they are learning or why things are done
a certain way. Explaining things goes a long way in keeping your
students motivated. How would you feel if you were in a desert
lost? You would probably feel isolated and terrified. That is
just how some students feel when they are given work to do with
no clear direction of how or why the work has to be done. This
is a relatively easy thing to incorporate in your daily classroom
learning environment.
Motivate with Rewards
Who doesn't like a pat on the back for a job well done? Kids,
especially, work very well when they have a reward they are trying
to achieve. Small rewards might include something as simple as
balloons, a pack of gum, or a bag of marbles. Sometimes even a
sticker on a paper that says, "You Did It!" can make a student
feel good about herself. You might also consider having bigger
goals for students to reach together by offering a pizza party
for reaching a goal. Try using a positive approach with students
have not done well by saying, "You're getting there" or "You have
progressed nicely," instead of "That was terrible work, John."
Motivate with a Caring Attitude
Kids have a keen sense of knowing how someone feels. If you act
uninterested in the classroom, chances are your students will
act that same way. Give your students a reason to enjoy being
in your class by genuinely caring for them and wanting to make
their time spent with you meaningful. Take the time to get know
your students personally. Ask them questions like, "What do you
like best about school?" or "What do you want to do when you graduate
from school?" Call your students by name, whenever possible. Kids,
as well as adults, like to hear their own name spoken.
Get to know your students and take part in their life. They will
respond.
Motivate with Participation
Giving students the opportunity to participate in class helps
keep them interested in their lessons. If all you ever do is give
them material to read and a worksheet that follows, they will
cringe at coming to your class every day. Use times of discussion
to flourish their imaginations. Let them write on the whiteboard
when there is an opportunity to do so. Involving students in your
lessons will also help them to remember the things that they are
taught more easily.
Motivate with Visual Aids
Showing a movie in class or using an overhead projector helps
students understand what they are learning by seeing it in action.
Other ways to teach with visual aids includes the use of maps,
bulleted lists, charts, graphs, and diagrams. These make lessons
more interesting to students.
Motivate with Movement and Games
Who says you can't learn by playing? Playing games is a great
way to get students motivated. If they are moving, then you know
their brain is thinking. Playing games is particularly good for
reviewing material before a test or quiz. Consider games such
as:
- Baseball review
- Jeopardy
- Wheel of Fortune
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
- Pictionary
You can make your own game up by using ideas found on the Internet,
or you can buy pre-made games that come with rules and instructions.
The key is to be innovative with your lessons, and brainstorm
ways that you can keep your students motivated. It makes your
job easier and more fun, and the students will learn better when
they have the feeling that they want to learn.
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