Motivation in the Classroom

Motivation can be brought to the classroom by the students, but can also be brought in by the teacher.  Motivating students to focus and perform has become increasingly difficult.  Listed below are ideas for increasing the desire of students to work hard to achieve learning (Harris, 2010).

1. Explain.  Students often do poor on assignments or lack participation due to not having a full understanding of what they are doing or why they should do it.  If a student is unsure about what to do, they will rarely perform well.  It is important for teachers to explain why they teach what they do and why the subject or activity is worthwhile for the students to learn.
2. Reward.  Many students do not have strong intrinsic motivation to learn.  Teachers can assist with this by fostering extrinsic motivation by offering rewards.  Rewarding correct behavior and answers encourages students to repeat the rewarded behavior.  The rewards given should be small and appropriate to the level of the students.  Using extrinsic motivators over a short time can produce intrinsic motivation.
3. Care.  When teachers appear to be human and caring to students, students tend to respond with interest.  It helps students to see the teachers as human beings and not only as authority figures.  It is also important for teachers to be approachable which can lead students to trust and respect them more.
4. Student participation.  Students should be actively involved in their learning; this is a major key in motivation.  Standing in front of students and lecturing is not an effective practice when used alone.  However, when combined with activities, group problem solving activities, and critical thinking exercises learning is more effective.  By increasing student participation, students feel needed which can increase self esteem.  This helps students to feel as necessary, integral, and contributing parts of the learning process.
5. Teach inductively.  Interest can be maintained and motication increased if teachers begin by using examples, evidence, and stories first while arriving at the conclusions later.  This helps not only with interest and motivation, but can also foster skills of analysis and synthesis.
6. Satisfy students’ needs.  A primary technique of keeping students interested and happy is to attend to their need of satisfaction and power.  This can be achieved by allowing students to choose the activity they participate in or topics of their papers.  If learning has value for students, they are much more inclined to be committed to learning.  One way to do this is design educational activities that are fulfilling to your students.
7. Make learning visual.  Memory is linked to visuals images.  Teachers can use drawings, diagrams, pictures, charts, graphs, lists, and three dimensional objects to assist students in learning. 
8. Use positive emotions to enhance learning and motivations.  Individuals remember better when learning is accompanied by strong emotions.  A strong and lasting memory is associated with the emotional state and experience of the learner.  Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself in order to make a memorable point to your students.
9. Remember that energy sells.  Being energetic in teaching is a motivating factor in itself.  If teachers want to enhance students learning experience, adding energy to convey the ideas can further enhance learning.

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