Getting your students involved and motivated

Marv20The aphorism states, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” But we can speed up the process:

Create curiosity
Curiosity is perhaps the greatest of all motivators. In Japan, students are first introduced to a problem or challenge. They grapple with it. Curiosity is naturally engendered. By contrast, in American schools the information to be learned or the skill to be practiced is generally presented without first creating interest.

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Share the “Why?”
Ask yourself why the lesson will be taught. Since people today are tuned to radio station WII-FM (“What’s In It For Me”), spend a little time talking about how the lesson benefits students now. When you find this difficult, put the discussion on the table for students to grapple with. You will be amazed at how resourceful they will be and how it helps them to buy into the lesson.

Apply to life outside of school
Students’ interest will increase the more you tie the lesson to long-term benefits and making life easier. Share how the lesson will help students make better decisions, solve more problems, get along better with others, or make them more effective. Share the following wisdom: “Wise people think long-term, not just for today.”

Teach students to ask themselves questions
Questioning starts the thinking process. When students ask themselves “Why?” and “How?” questions both alertness and interest increase. This process also assists in developing metacognition skills.

Use students’ self-knowledge
After sharing what you will be teaching, ask students how they believe they can best learn the information.

Develop a sense of personal responsibility
Remember the fundamental principle of motivation: Consciously or subconsciously, people motivate themselves. Each individual is responsible for learning, but it is the teacher’s responsibility to create the best possible climate for learning to take place. An effective way to do this is to give students an opportunity at the beginning of a lesson to indicate the expectations they have, the outcomes they expect, and what they are willing to do to achieve those results.

Use acknowledgments
Saying, “I think you know you did that well” fosters reflection and feelings of competence. Consider repeating a comment you have heard or that someone has told you: “Evelyn made an interesting comment, one that applies to what we’ve been exploring. I think it bears repeating.” You not only encouraged Evelyn, but you encouraged others to become more involved. You also demonstrated that you are open to feedback and that students’ comments contribute to their learning.

Encourage
One of the most effective techniques is to let the student know that you believe the student can accomplish the task. A word of encouragement during frustration is worth more than a whole lot of praise after a success.

Focus on growth
Emphasise that learning is a process and that no one can learn and be perfect at the same time. Doing something one way and not being successful is another thing learned. It is not to be considered a failure. Failure only arrives when trying stops.

Reduce competition and increase collaboration
Competition improves performance — but not learning. Some students will practice for hours spurred on by the competitive spirit in music competition, athletics, or speech contests. These students are motivated to compete. Competition can be fun, as witnessed by the hours youth invest in such activities. However, competition is devastating for the youngster who never finds himself/herself in the winner’s circle. Rather than compete, that student drops out by giving up.
Every time a teacher has students raise a hand to answer a question, students are competing for the teacher’s attention. Even in cases where there is only one correct answer, have students share with each other — rather than compete for the teacher’s attention. Sharing with each other involves every student. Even a shy student will talk with one other person. Most important, when students know the correct answer, their satisfaction is enhanced — rather than from recognition by the teacher.

Encourage self-comparison
Comparing oneself to others is natural. However, its foundation is competitiveness. Growth emanates from measuring one’s own progress. Comparing oneself with others too often engenders dissatisfaction. Since people are more apt to persevere when they feel good, success is enhanced when looking at one’s progress. A critical understanding for youth is the recognition that every person is different. Comparing oneself with others is like comparing palm trees to oak trees.

Build on strengths
Students who are at risk will become less so when they find and feel success. This is accomplished by building success, rather than on focusing on what needs to be improved. Too often, teachers focus on perfection. “Implement now; perfect later” should be the motto. After young people feel some competence, they are more willing to accept feedback. A simple approach to start is by marking correct answers in yellow, rather than marking incorrect responses in red.

Plan for improved relationships
Relationships are important to students. This is especially true for teenagers who come from poverty. Teacher-student relationships will be significantly enhanced when the three principles of positivity, choice, and reflection are practiced. (See the teaching model at MarvinMarshall.com) In addition to the teacher’s connecting with the students on a one-on-one basis, helping students connect with one another can be valuable. Periodically, give students an opportunity to socialize for short periods.

Offer choices
Regardless of age, everyone likes to feel in control. When we make choices, we feel we have control. Therefore, in providing two or three choices, students feel ownership of their decisions and thereby a sense of control. This feeling of control is a prime differentiation between a pessimistic attitude and an optimistic one. Giving students two or three choices also applies to home assignments. Offering three options is more effective than offering two.

Use variety
Employ visual techniques including charts, bright colors, cartoons, films, DVDs, overhead transparencies, and Power Point creations. Dressing the part of a character (teacher and/or student) qualifies. Audio techniques—such as playing music, rapping, or anything that has rhythm—add to both fun and retention. Remember how you learned your ABC’s? “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” is the tune for “The Alphabet Song.” A myriad of kinesthetic techniques can be used. Examples include using a hand to draw the spelling of a word in the air and students’ expressing a true or false response to a question by a thumb’s up or down. Other approaches include relating personal experiences to a learning buddy on the topic. A technique with older students is to give them a partially completed worksheet that they fill out during the presentation. This activity keeps them involved and also gives them something they can refer to later.

Get yourself excited
You shouldn’t expect others to get excited about what you are teaching if you’re not excited yourself. Telling a story, creating analogies and metaphors, showing how the lesson is meaningful or relevant, relating new information to previous leanings or to different situations is fun and engenders enthusiasm for both teacher and learner.

Use a student’s perspective
Think of yourself as a student while planning and teaching. Continually reflect on how you would react to the lesson. Ask yourself, “If I were a student, would I want me as a teacher?”

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Dr. Marvin Marshall


Dr. Marvin is an international staff developer and the author of the best-selling book, Discipline Without Stress, Punishments or Rewards: How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning. His approaches demonstrate how using internal motivation and non-coercion is far more effective and significantly less stressful than using threats, punishments, rewards, and other manipulations aimed at obedience. www.marvinmarshall.com