Motivated
students are more excited to learn new things, produce higher quality effort,
participate in classroom activities and perform better in classes and on
standardized tests.
But how can you improve student motivation and engagement? Here are the top 10 strategies that you can use in the classroom to motivate students to study hard.
How to Motivate Students in the Classroom
How Do You Motivate Your Students to Become Active Learners?
Most of us
agree that the new generation of students is difficult to motivate to learn and
gain knowledge in the traditional ways we were used to before.
If the
student does not have sufficient motivation, whether intrinsically or
extrinsically for study and cognitive curiosity, the real goals of education
will not be achieved.
In this
regard, the teacher may play a pivotal role in encouraging and motivating his
students despite the difficult task.
Indeed, the
situation says that we need to create our own method to motivate each student
to learn. The most experienced teachers go through difficult times in their
search for a classroom that is enthusiastic and eager to learn.
A successful
teacher is someone who tries to develop himself and raise the level of his
class. Therefore, he will need some ideas to motivate students and to lure them
to love science and learning.
Here are
some ideas that you can use in the classroom to increase student motivation and
engagement.
Top 10 Strategies for
Motivating Students to Work Harder
Motivation,
both intrinsic and extrinsic, plays a significant role in learning and is a key
factor in student success at all stages of their education, and teachers can
play a pivotal role in improving this motivation in their students.
The
following are the top 10 strategies for motivating students:
1. Create a Safe Learning
Environment:
A safe
learning environment plays a significant role in academic achievement,
maintaining high standards, and fostering positive relationships between
teachers and students.
Students
need to learn in complete safety, as fear of failure and the consequences of
failure may lead to unfortunate stumbles in the long run.
Create
spaces where your students feel understood and appreciated for who they are? And
provide your students with innovative ideas and interactive learning strategies
to implement in the classroom.
It is
advisable, then, to encourage students and believe in their abilities to
overcome difficulties and to try again when failure, with psychological and
social support if necessary.
2. Get to Know Your Students
Better:
Getting to
know students is very important to teachers so that they can treat them with
kindness and respect.
If teachers
know their students well, the classroom will be more smooth, and helping
students to understand will be easier.
The point is
not to know the name of each student, but to know his hobbies, achievements,
likes and dislikes and strengths, weaknesses... This gives him high
self-confidence and positively affects his behavior in the classroom and thus
his learning process.
3. Encourage Students to Take
Responsibility:
Student
attitude can be the difference between actual learning and just doing the
tasks. Let learners control the way they learn, and let them choose the tasks
and homework they want.
Also, do not
forget that the classroom is a miniature society, so it is good for the student
to feel its importance in the classroom, so decorating the classroom and caring
for plants are all things that make him feel responsible and proud.
4. Help Students Set and
Track Goals:
Setting
academic goals involves developing an action plan designed to motivate and
guide students toward a goal or objective they wish to achieve.
Setting and
tracking goals is a great way to understand students' current academic status
and help students learn important life skills, and allows the teacher to focus
on determining a direction for the future.
It is
necessary to clearly define the objectives of the tasks assigned to each
student, as he needs to know what is expected of him in order to remain motivated
to complete the task in the best way.
Then try to
inventory a list of short and long-term goals and a set of rules that everyone
must fulfill or respect.
5. Encourage Teamwork in
the Classroom:
Teamwork is
one of the means by which we agree on its efficacy and importance, especially
for shy and quiet students.
Teamwork can
improve communication and social skills, such as active listening and effective
speaking, increase one's competence, help students learn how to effectively
express their thoughts and opinions in a group setting with respect and
confidence.
Collaboration
within a group can help sensitive students overcome their fears and learn to
deal with critique and solve difficult problems.
Everyone is
eager to cooperate, helping the group and completing tasks, so teamwork is
a good way for scientific subjects that depend on observation and
experimentation.
6. Adopt Modern Education
Systems:
It’s time to
change outdated teaching styles and adopt modern teaching methods.
The modern
teaching method is more activity-based and focuses more on teaching students to
improve their intellectual behavior using various new and innovative ideas.
As a
teacher, you cannot sit behind your desk and wait for an impressive result in
the classroom, students need constant renewal.
You can take
field trips, see documentaries, or just do a group search in the school library
... all of this is enough to motivate the learner and create an atmosphere of
fun and useful pleasure.
7. Encourage Healthy Debate
and Discussion in the Classroom:
Classroom
debate and discussion is important for learning in all disciplines because it
helps students process information rather than simply receiving it. The goal of
classroom debate and discussion is to get students to practice thinking about
the course material and get different perspectives on the topic.
Classroom
discussion increases students' enjoyment of the class and retains factual
knowledge, makes learning more interactive, and helps students develop skills
that cannot be taught in a traditional lecture format.
Some lessons
can be used to discuss some of the deficiencies and weaknesses that may create
a kind of frustration for the learners, so standing there and looking for ways
to overcome them is enough to give everyone a sense of hope and the possibility
of success.
8. Encourage Healthy
Competition among Students:
Creating
healthy competition in the classroom is a great way to motivate and encourage
students to try harder.
Competition
within the classroom can be a positive thing if it is used in a pedagogical
manner that serves the predetermined goals.
Encourage
students to create a healthy competitive spirit so that they can participate
and compete for the best, but do not pressurize them into winning.
In some
cases, students can be motivated to make a greater effort and excel through
educational applications or classic outdoor games.
9. Use Reward Systems to
Motivate Students:
Rewarding is
one of the most important means of motivating students, it does not require a
huge budget from you, a beautiful pen or a small box of chocolate may suffice,
words of praise may be more effective at times.
Students are
motivated to achieve and conform to appropriate behaviors when rewarded either
intrinsically or extrinsically.
What is
important is the child's or teenager's feeling of pride when receiving a reward
after completing a task and encouraging others to set the limits of the
superior.
10. Integrate Technology
into the Classroom:
Technology
is rapidly developing to enter all areas of life, making it more rapid,
efficient and practical. And school education is not an exception to these
areas, but technology is commonly used in the teaching and learning process
that is transforming the world of education.
We have
repeatedly talked about integrating technology in education and its positive
effects if it is used in an organized methodology. It is not necessary for the
teacher to dispense with the paper and the pen, but to try to benefit whenever
the opportunity arises from what technology provides in this field in terms of
programs, tools and educational applications.
Studies have shown that the deliberate use of technology in education has positive results on the student’s learning outcomes, in addition to helping the teacher to work comfortably and more efficiently.