Wondering how to motivate students in the classroom? Essay examples like this one will help you find the answer! Learn here about lack of motivation in college students, the importance of addressing this issue, the role of a teacher in motivating students, and factors influencing motivation.
How to Motivate Students in the Classroom: Essay Introduction
It is not quite strange to see many schoolchildren and students eager to learn. However, many of these learners require or anticipate their teachers to hearten, challenge, and stimulate them to learn. In the contemporary learning environments, many distracters prevent the learners from effective learning both inside and outside classroom.
Thus, the ability of schoolchildren and students to learn effectively depends on the teacher’s capability to preserve the enthusiasm, which brought learners to their learning environment. It does not matter the level of motivation the learners bring into the classroom because the occurrences within the classroom affects motivation of learners, positively or negatively.
Regrettably, there is no solitary modus operandi of motivating learners. Among the very many factors that affect the motivation of learners, include interest in a given area, an aspiration to achieve, self-confidence, doggedness, expediency of knowledge and determination.
The motivating factors such as principles, wishes, needs and wants vary from on student to another meaning. For example, to some, endorsement of others is the biggest motivation, while to others, winning is a motivation factor (Barbara, p.1).
How to Motivate Learners to Learn
Motivation is an act of promoting power in students so that they engage in useful learning activities. In most cases, motivation falls into two classes: extrinsic and intrinsic. A new teacher can find these two types of motivation so challenging. However, as a person trained to impart knowledge into students, a teacher is the primary source of motivation.
For example, when a teacher gives a token to a troublesome student in exchange of reverential behavior, we call this extrinsic behavior. Research shows that teachers can motivate students by giving learners some tokens. Under extrinsic motivation, the teacher uses anticipation as a factor to motivate students.
On the other hand, intrinsic motivation involves the inner longing of a student to perform well and follow rules. Thus, intrinsic motivation does not rely on material things in order to motivate students.
Although material things can motivate students to learn, research show that it is not long lasting. Thus, teachers should develop intrinsic modalities of motivating students to learn. For example, in order to motivate students to learn, a teacher should praise students whenever they perform well or portray excellent behavior and ethics, particularly before other students.
Although this appears like an extrinsic motivator, it provides a positive feedback that is imperative in boosting the student’s echelon of intrinsic motivation. Thus, new educators should praise students effectively in order to motivate them to learn. (Brophy, 40-44).
Teachers should ensure that they create lesson plans that increase intrinsic motivation in students. For example, before engaging in a new concept, a teacher should take some time to dwell on the previous learnt concepts.
This will enable students to connect their individual lives with the reading materials. Additionally, teachers should use recognizable examples whenever they engage in new concepts thus, making learning so interesting to students.
Another way that a teacher can apply to motivate students to learn is by encouraging students discover new ideas and ask questions on what they did not grasp well. Sometimes, students fear asking questions in class fearing embarrassment. Clearly, this affects the intrinsic motivation of students negatively.
Thus, teachers should create a good classroom environment where learners feel free to ask questions that will motivate them to learn. Do not tolerate malevolent comments and nasty hilarity in the classroom, as some students feel embarrassed. Moreover, teachers should cultivate a sense of unity among students, which will enable them learn from one another whenever they get involved in learning activities (Brophy, 45-48).
How to Motivate Students: Essay Conclusion
Research shows that teachers have a positive impact in motivating students to learn. Thus, the motivation of students to learn largely depends on educators. From the instructor’s zeal to relevance of materials to organization of the course, teachers can motivate students to learn and achieve better grades.
Works Cited
Barbara, Gross. Motivating Students. 1999. Web.
Brophy, Jere. Synthesis of Research for Motivating Students to Learn. Educational Leadership, 45(2), 1987, 40-48.