Motivate Students: Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

Sometimes we as teachers forget about motivating students at all times during the day. It's a difficult job and it is easy to get into the same routine of lecturing and worksheet. We need to remember that even though it may be time consuming, it is important to motivate students. We want to look at how we can motive students while we are teaching. Not by just giving praise or stickers, but by using their needs and interests as a way to keep them interested in the lesson. Everyone wants to feel special and to feel like they are helping others, so including this in your classroom can be a great way to get students to become masters at the content you are teaching.












 
Some ways to motive students intrinsically:

• Have student helpers
• Allow students to make connections with each other
• Let students teach each other
• Get students to be excited for each other  
• Make what you are teaching relevant to their lives 
• Not just because they need it on a test!!!
• Encourage questions
• Do this by creating an inviting and safe classroom atmosphere. 
• Use the student's interests in your lessons
• Ask open-ended/non-threatening questions
• Create time for tangent projects
• If students become really interested and engaged in a math problem, let them keep working and talking about the problem. The learning that takes place during that discussion will be more valuable to them. 
• ‘Popcorn’ learning. 
• This is where the teacher divides the students into groups of 4 or 5 and gives them a topic or person to study. Each of the students then takes a sub-topic and researches it, then presents what they have found to their classmates in a way of their choosing.
• This way the students feel responsible for their information and want to help their fellow classmates learn the material