Ideas to Motivate Young Learners
We all know that semesters can be long, never-ending chunks of time. So how can we keep our students motivated throughout the entire academic year?
Motivation eventually fades away if you don't feed it every day – it takes time, effort, and energy but is entirely worthwhile if nurtured correctly.
Here are a few tips to keep your students motivated until the very last day…
1. Be a Role Model!
Probably the most important tip… if you're excited to teach, students will be excited to learn. It's as simple as that! Your passion will no doubt inspire passion amongst your students too. A positive attitude will resonate and certainly be reflected.
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2. Get to Know Your Students
There are endless benefits to this one, but most importantly, you'll be able to relate your class materials to whatever it is that your students are interested in or have experienced. Students love to know that their teachers have a genuine interest in and care for them.
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3. Involve Students.
Give students control over their own learning by incorporating a variety of student-led and group activities. Students motivate and inspire each other by bouncing ideas around and taking an active role in their learning. Teachers should act as facilitators, helping to guide or direct learning in the right direction.
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4. Set Realistic Performance Targets
If you're only expecting your students to do the bare minimum, most won't seek to push themselves any further, either. Students love a challenge and will be highly motivated if they believe these goals to be attainable! Throughout the year, you can encourage students to set their own reasonable goals for each unit or subject and then design assignments that are appropriately challenging for the ability of the class.
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5. Connections to Real Life
Without connecting class material to everyday life, students won't believe that what they're learning is applicable to the real world. So, it's vital to explain how relevant the subject matter is and why we are learning it!
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6. Offer Incentives
This can be a controversial one, which is ultimately up to the teacher and their opinions on tangible rewards. Dojo points, small prizes, or whatever system you have in place for positive reinforcement and classroom management can sometimes make learning fun, and students will be motivated to push themselves in the right direction. Consider the personalities and likes of your students to determine an appropriate reward for your class.
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7. Change of Scenery
A classroom is a wonderful, constructive environment for learning, but there's no doubt that sitting at a desk all day can be extremely dull for some students. Give students a break from the monotony of the same four walls by switching up their environment, going on field trips, or simply sitting out on the sports field for class! You'll likely see engagement and focus increase.
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8. Tracking Progress
Last but not least, tracking a student's progress from the start of the semester will give the child an idea of how far they've come! This will motivate them to keep pushing hard – because, remember, hard work pays off!
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We'd love to hear any other ways you motivate your students in the classroom! Let us know in the comments below.