How do you motivate your students to reach their full potential?
While motivating students can be a difficult task, the rewards can be really worth it, because teaching a class full of motivated students can be enjoyable for both teacher and students. As a teacher, I try to do my best to make learning fun and inspire my students to reach their full potential.
Here is what I do to get my students excited about learning:
- I try to get creative, by changing around the structure of my lesson plan. I try to create a stimulating environment using videos and discussions instead of lectures, or movies and visual aids.
- I try to get the students involved and teach them responsibility by giving each student a job to do (tidying up the classroom, turning on/the computer and the smart board, working in groups and assigning each a task or role)
- I always encourage students; If I give them positive reinforcement, they are usually more likely to be enthusiastic about learning, as they feel their work is recognized and valued. I try to make them feel important by praising them for their contributions to the lesson
- I offer my students small incentives, like better grades to students who create an original multimedia project or coach struggling classmates in their collaborative or remedial activities. This kind of reward usually encourages students to work harder.
- I relate lessons to students' lives. It's important to demonstrate how the subject I teach (English for computer users) relates to my students and that they will use it in their career.
