Cost Combined TEFL

Motivation in the ClassroomIn order for any student or teaching programe to be successful, one vital ingredient is required - Motivation. Without it, students have no desire to learn and, therefore will consign themselves to failure. This assessment has been supported by numerous researches made in to the subject. * High motivation in students is linked to reduced dropout rates and increased levels of student success (Dev, 1997; Blank, 1997; Ames, 1992; Newmann, Bryk, & Nagaoka, 2001). * Intrinsically motivated students retain information and concepts longer, and are less likely to need remedial courses and review (Dev, 1997). student motivation, therefore, is a precious commodity within the classroom environment, but how do we achieve it? As teachers, it is our job to try and encourage our students to achieve success. We therefore must understand how to motivate our students. So, what can we do? There are several schools of thought on this matter but there are several factors on which they all agree. According to the Reeve study (1996) student motivation is influenced by both internal and external factors that can start, sustain, intensify, or discourage behaviour. Behaviour Breeds Behaviour Simply put, as human beings, we reflect the behaviour of those around us. In this instance, that means us, the teachers. If we appear listless, disinterested and bored, our students will replicate this behaviour. Conversely, if we appear to be engaged in the subject, vibrant, attentive and motivated, this pattern of behaviour will be transmitted to our students. Engage students in setting learning goals. Make sure that goals are challenging, but achievable. Encourage students to take ownership for their learning, and to reflect on what they have learned and accomplished. Make real-world connections. Help students see how skills they are learning can be applied to the real world. Use technologies for learning that students are already choosing to use outside of class. Recognize individual differences. Not every student will be motivated by the same thing. Give students individual feedback. Remind them that success often requires persistence and a willingness to overcome obstacles. Reward with care. students who are motivated only to avoid failure or to earn a certain grade rarely exert more than the minimum effort to meet their goal. Give prompt feedback and praise good work to help build students' self-confidence. Foster collaboration rather than competition among students. Encourage students to master skills at their own rate, for their own benefit, rather than competing with classmates. Recognize developmental differences. student engagement in school tends to decline as students get older (Anderman & Midgley, 1998). By middle school, peer influences have an increasing effect on motivation. Therefore, as the school or educational organisation allows, accurate streaming of the pupils is beneficial to motivation. If students can be place in classes with other students of similar development levels, lessons can be planned to their abilities and levels, therefore inviting a classroom atmosphere of development. Like minded students can act as a form of motivation for each other. By noting the methods in which students can be motivated and incorporating these into their lesson plans, a teacher can improve the motivation of the students in their charge, and, as research has shown, propel them to higher levels of achievement. That is, after all is said and done, the reason for being a teacher.