“Motivation is knowing
you are learning, growing, and succeeding toward your desired outcome while
sustaining positive momentum. Jaren
L. Davis
Most good students aren't born good learners.
Yes, individual personality plays a big part in a child's willingness to learn
and their overall disposition when it comes to schooling and education, but
most children who are good learners at some point had to become good learners.
More importantly, any student, who possesses the basic aptitude and receives
the right motivation, can become a good learner.
One of the biggest mistakes teachers and parents
can make when to developing students who are good learners is to limit
learning to the classroom. While the classroom will likely be the primary
source of instruction, intellectual, social and academic growth should extend
outside the walls of the classroom. If you want to really enhance a child's
desire and ability to learn.
One of the most
difficult aspects for a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. It
is also one of the most important factors to stimulate children's learning.
Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively. They won’t retain
information, they won’t participate and some of them may even become
disruptive. A student may be unmotivated for a variety of reasons: They may
feel that they have no interest in the subject, find the teacher’s methods
un-engaging or be distracted by external forces. It may even come to light that
a student who appeared unmotivated actually has difficulty learning and is in
need of special attention.
Here are few effective
ways or strategies to get our students excited to learn:
Encourage them:
Encourage
your students to express their opinions about what's right and what is wrong.
Create a comfortable environment where they can comfortably express their
likes, dislikes or concerns, if any. They should feel that their ideas,
thoughts and suggestions will be listened to by the teacher or facilitator.
Engage
them:
When
learning engages children in areas and subjects of interest, learning becomes
fun and children engage in learning. Engage them in positive activities which
they want to do like giving them different tasks of cleaning the board,
arranging the shelves, distributing notebooks, helping friends or classmates.
Engage them to explore topics which fascinate them. Help them in finding the
topics which they want to explore. That will give students a sense of ownership allows them
to feel accomplished and encourages active participation in class.
Make Learning Fun:
The use of games to
promote student’s learning has been done in the past to capture student’s
interest as all of us learn better when we are motivated (Bergin & Reilly,
2005). Most students have already learnt basics with computer games before
their formal computer education begins, and adequate computer games can attract
and motivate them to learn more about computers. Computer games as educational
tools also have an intrinsic motivational factor that encourages curiosity and
creates the impression to the students that they are in control of their own
learning.
Game-based learning is
also an effective motivation for team-based learning – which can be
particularly beneficial for children in a classroom setting. Students typically
try harder at games than they do in courses. Games are more engaging. There is
also the competitive aspect to playing games. Students are trying to compete or
win, on behalf of themselves or their team. They may strive to perform at a
higher level in an effort to earn more points for their team or because they
want the opportunity to play.
Game-based learning is a
great way for parents and teachers to introduce new ideas, grammar, concepts,
and knowledge in a way that motivates children to learn.
Recognition and Celebration:
Students
sometimes need some extra incentives and praise to keep up their hard work and
learning. Rewarding students for their great work and behaviour is one of the
best perks of being a teacher. Students feel valued and it shows positive
school culture. These colourful stickers can boost student’s motivation and
telling them that some time we need to work harder to achieve our goals.
Students feel rewarded
when their parents receive a positive phone calls by teachers or school
administration. They feel motivated and recognised when they see their work
displayed in their classrooms. Appreciation certificates can also do wonders in
motivating their small gestures of doing best in the class.
Focus on Daily Learning
not the Performance:
Instead
of asking your child how he did on his math test as soon as he gets home from
school, have him teach you what he learned in math today. Focus on what your
child is learning, as opposed to how he is performing. While performance is
important, focusing on his learning experience will (1) communicate to your
child that actual learning is more important than test grades, (2) results are
not the most important thing, (3) you're more concerned about him than you are
about his performance and (4) by focusing on his learning experience that day
you'll provide him the opportunity to put into his own words his lesson and solidify
what he's learned.
