WAYS TO KEEP STUDENTS MOTIVATED
Why are some students so eager to learn and ready to work? Why are others totally uninterested? Ability may account for part of the answer, but another significant factor is motivation. Students seem to be motivated when their successes are recognised, when they believe they can succeed, when class work seems related to their lives, when the teacher is enthusiastic, when there is something creative or unusual about the approach. You’ll notice other patterns, too. However, we can make it happen; we know that motivation is a secret to success for every student. Students respond differently to attempts to motivate them. Self-motivated students learn to gradually accept more and more responsibility, to communicate effectively with teachers and parents, and to identify and resolve conflicts. Here arc some ways to encourage self-motivation in students.
(a) Teach and practice several decision-making and problem- solving skills. Students must see die advantages of being prepared for predictable problems and planning to minimise difficulties whenever possible,
(b) Do not allow students to be negative about them or allow others to bad-mouth them. Such talk must be identified and avoided. Achievers cannot afford to focus on negative thoughts, feelings or attitudes,
(c) Share personal experiences that have led to success. Tell your students stories about how you felt when you were their age. Students can learn self-motivation by learning from odiers’ experiences,
(d) Actively discuss and investigate future careers, qualifications and the merits of various jobs. Students who can connect the process of lifelong learning to future needs can better understand the value of becoming prepared, (e) Help students visualise success. Ask them to picture themselves succeeding at things they want to do – acting in the school play, developing an exciting science project, competing for first-chair violin. Help them list, in writing, their long, medium and short-range goals.
[E] Expectancy refers to a student’s expectation that they can actually succeed in the assigned task. It energizes students because they feel empowered to meet the learning objectives of the course.
[F] Value involves a student’s ability to perceive the importance of engaging in a particular task. This gives meaning to the assignment or activity because students are clear on why the task or behavior is valuable. Cost points to the barriers that impede a student’s ability to be successful on an assignment, activity and/or the course at large. Therefore, students might have success expectancies and perceive high task value, however, they might also be aware of obstacles to their engagement or a potential negative affect resulting in performance of the task, which could decrease their motivation.
Three important questions to consider from the student perspective:
- Expectancy – Can I do the task?
- Value – Do I want to do the task? • Intrinsic or interest value: the inherent enjoyment that an individual experiences from engaging in the task for its own sake. • Utility value: the usefulness of the task in helping achieve other short term or long-term goals. • Attainment value: the task affirms a valued aspect of an individual’s identity and meets a need that is important to the individual.
- Cost – Am I free of barriers that prevent me from investing my time, energy, and resources into the activity? It’s important to note that expectancy, value and cost are not shaped only when a student enters your classroom. These have been shaped over time by both individual and contextual factors. Each of your students comes in with an initial response, however there are strategies for encouraging student success, clarifying subject meaning and finding ways to mitigate costs that will increase your students’ motivation. Everyone may not end up at the same level of motivation, but if you can increase each student’s motivation, it will help the overall atmosphere and productivity of the course that you are teaching.
Once a student will be motivated there will be a happy world all over
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