Motivating Students
- Teaching Strategies and Ideas

Motivating Students

“Research has shown that good everyday teaching
practices can do more to counter student apathy
that special efforts to attack motivation directly”
–Barbara Gross Davis, in Ericksen, 1978

Motivating students to learn is always a challenge that all teachers face. Some students appear naturally enthusiastic in class but many others expect their teachers to challenge, stimulate and inspire them. Teachers routinely attest to the significance of motivating them, lamenting how easily students memorize rap songs rather than remembering directions for a simple assignment.

There are many factors that affect the students’ motivation to learn, such as interest in the subject matter, self-esteem, persistence and patience, and perception of the subject’s usefulness And no matter what factor may have affected the students’ motivation level, the fact is; motivating students is always the teacher’s task. It is the key components of classroom management and effective teaching.

Students who are not motivated to learn can learn very little or nothing at all, for they likely do not have the interest to get involved in the lesson. Since this reflects the teacher’s skills and abilities in teaching, teachers see the importance of increasing the students’ motivation to learn and among the best ways to do this is to spark the students’ interest especially at the beginning of every lesson.

There is no single magical formula for motivating your students, but there are strategies teachers can use at the beginning of lesson to foster increase in the students motivation level.

Students learn by doing, writing, creating, making, solving. Passivity dampens students' motivation to learn. Start with critical thinking questions. These types of questions do not have a right or wrong answer. Critical thinking questions encourage students to express their own opinions, and may also lead to a productive debate. Once the students are interested in the topic, it is a lot easier for the teacher to begin the lesson. Then, at the end of the lesson, the teacher can ask more questions to know whether the student's opinions have changed.

Use music or video in teaching. For example, you can introduce the topic slave trade and the Middle Passage I by playing the songs “Catch a Fire” or Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley. Music is also a great way to spark students’ interest. You can also use short clips from documentaries or movies at the beginning of lessons. Use movies correctly and make sure the introductory clips are related to the lessons. You can ask critical questions after showing the video clips.

Asking students to relate their learning to current events is also an effective way of motivating the students. Allow them to think about “why they are learning something”. You can also ask students to relate what they are learning to things that are important to them. This way, you can also get to know them and learn about what interests them.

Using technology or asking the students to use technology by creating videos, websites, podcasts, or brochures is a great way of motivating them to learn.

Motivating students to learn can be a difficult task for teachers, but it is a key element that determines effective teaching. The added bonus with eager and motivated students to learn is that you will also find yourself enjoying teaching.

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