Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need or expect their instructors to inspire, challenge and stimulate them. Unfortunately, there is no single magical formula for motivating students. Many factors affect a given student’s motivation to work and to learn. And of course, not all students are motivated by the approval of others, some by overcoming challenges. Capitalize on student’s existing needs. Students learn best when incentives for learning in a classroom satisfy their own motives for enrolling in the course. Some of the needs your students may bring to the classroom are the need to learn something in order to complete a particular task on activity, the need to seek new experiences, the need to perfect skills, the need to overcome competent, the need to succeed and do well, the need to fell involved and to interact with other people. Satisfying such needs is rewarding in itself, and such rewards sustain learning more effectively than do grades.
Make students active participants in learning students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating and solving. Don’t tell students something when you can ask them. Encourage students to suggest approaches to a problem or to guess the results of any experiment. Hold high but realistic expectations for your students. Research has shown that a teacher’s expectation have a powerful effect on a student’s performance. If in the course, they are more likely to be so. Set realistic expectations for your students when you make assignments, give presentations, conduct discussions, and grade examination. “Realistic” in this context that your standard are high enough to motivate students to do their best work but not so high that students will inevitably be frustrated in trying to meet those expectations. To develop the drive to achieve, students need to believe that achievement is possible – which means that you need to provide early opportunities for success.
Tell students what they need to succeed in your course. Don’t let your students struggle to figure out what is expected of them. Reassure students that they can do well in your course, and tell them exactly what they must do to succeed. Say something to the effect that “If you can handle the examples on this problem sheets, you can pass the exam. People who have trouble with these examples can ask me for extra help.” Or instead of saying, “You’re way behind”, tell the student, “Here is one way you could go about learning the material. How can I help?”
Be enthusiastic about your subject. An instructor’s enthusiasm is a crucial factor in students motivation. If you become bored or apathetic, students will too. Typically, an instructor’s enthusiasm come from confidence, excitement about the content, and genuine pleasure in teaching. If you find yourself uninterested in the material, think back to what attracted you to the field and bring those aspects of the subject matter to life for your students.
By: Ana Maria P. Calimbas | MT-I | Pilar Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
