Motivation in the Classroom

Students are motivated in different ways. Students are usually motivated themselves when they took the course as a choice. However, other students are made to take the course and therefore may need to learn to earn a reward or avoid punishment. It is the job of the teacher to make sure that the classroom is set up to ensure student success. The teacher motivates the student by using relevant material, creating a comfortable environment, and maintaining a good teacher- student relationship.

Not every student comes running to class excited to learn and enthusiastically participates in all activities and discussions. Nearly anybody can stand in front of a class and put words and sentences on the board, however, without knowing how to motivate the student it won’t work. If the student is motivated then he/she will perform much better in the classroom.

To motivate the student, the teacher must capture the student’s attention and develop the desire within each individual to learn and succeed. To do this, the teacher needs to use and create material that is interesting and relevant to the individuals being taught. If the student is able to relate to the material that he/she is learning, then he/she is more likely to take in the information. Not only will the student take in the information, but he/she will also concentrate on the task. The material given to the student should be challenging but not impossible to complete. Tasks that are too difficult for the student will lead to frustration and discourage further participation. In the classroom there should be constant positive feedback.

Praise students appropriately. If you are struggling to motivate a child, be careful to not praise him for a non-achievement. Praise him for a job well done. Rewards and praise should not be handed out left and right, instead, they should be selective and appropriate in order to motivate your students.

It is also important to create a comfortable environment in which the student does not feel threatened or intimidated. Feeling comfortable in the classroom will lead to increased student participation and student confidence. The classroom atmosphere should be inviting, open and secure.

There must be a positive relationship between the student and teacher. It is important for the student to trust and feel comfortable with the teacher. To promote a good student-teacher relationship, the teacher should be enthusiastic, caring, and positive. During each lesson, the teacher needs to give constant positive feedback encouraging students. Student participation and enthusiasm will increase if the teacher is personable and interacts with the students.

Every teacher desires to have a classroom full of self-motivated and enthusiastic students, however it does not always begin that way. The teacher should invest the time and effort to motivate all students. The teacher needs to learn about the students as individuals and their likes and dislikes. Not only do motivated students perform better in the classroom, but there are also generally fewer behavioral problems. If teachers can successfully motivate his/her students, he/she will notice an increase in classroom productivity and control.

Lastly I think two of the most important things are to remain positive and to be passionate about your learning techniques. Yelling and threatening students is not an effective way to motivate. Remaining positive and focusing on achievement will motivate students and help to create mutual respect for each individual and for learning. The more excited you are about something, the more excited your students will be. If you find the topic you are teaching boring, so will your students, so find creative ways to teach the most boring lessons.