Flexible TESOL Centers

Motivating studentsThere are many ways to motivate students to learn and participate in the classroom leading to increased students success. Each student is different and requires different forms of motivation. What works for one student, may or may not work for the rest of the class. When I asked students in India why they wanted to learn english, some of the answers I received were; “because I want a better paying job” or “because I want to speak with the shop keeper at the market.” In asking this question, I came to realize that the motivation for taking english varies from student to student. Some of the younger students came to english from a nearby slum area, because they didn’t have anywhere else to go in the evenings and we provided a snack after class. Understanding what motivates students can greatly increase how the teacher creates motivation in learning and success. One of the keys to inspiring students, no matter what their own motivations are, is to make the lessons varied, interesting and relative to their own experience/culture. The use of realia/authentic items in lessons also builds interest of students. Creating a lesson that shows relevance to real life situations is effective in encouraging students to talk about their own experiences and motivating them for future interactions. In addition to making lessons relevant, it is equally important to incorporate receptive and productive skills into the lesson to have a balanced approach that attempts to motivate all learners. A lesson that merely focuses on one approach will quickly lose the interest of learners. Another key to motivation is to personalize activities to make them more meaningful and memorable. By allowing students to show you what they have learned, it can provide an opportunity for praise and the feeling of success for the student. If used appropriately, the use of pair work/group work can also be used for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Language is often best learned through association and communication among students. Learners can assist each other while working on different types of tasks of both receptive and productive skills. While one student might be artistic, another might be good in expressing ideas verbally; and a third student might be more confident at role play and imitation. Pair work/Group work can provide a sense of community and an environment of trust and mutual confidence that they may not otherwise get in a classroom setting if the teacher is always up front talking. Every aspect of the lesson can be created to intentionally encourage students motivation, whether it be through positive reinforcement, correction techniques that build students confidence, use of relia/authentic items, eliciting ideas from students, seating arrangement and eye contact to name a few. Its about getting to know your students, and being creative in every part of the lesson to incorporate positive reinforcement and motivation. I personally want to make it a priority to develop additional skills to motivate my classroom to succeed and gain a love for learning.