Motivation Revisited

What my students taught me about keeping the class motivated

http://community.eflclassroom.com/forum2/topics/motivation

D. Deubelbeiss

Why

do

babies

never

lack

motivation?

Let’s Start With A Challenge

The puzzle of motivation

What is motivation?

Motivation ……….. to moveThe values, beliefs and conditions

that cause one to learn.

Good Teaching

Relationships

What this means ……• Learn about your students• Begin lessons with small talk• Slow down. Teach simply, simply teach• Personalize the curriculum • Class feelings before fundamentals• Focus on community

Nothing breeds success like success

What this means ……..• Slow down• 3Rs. Repeat, review, recycle• Sequencing• Set achievable, “visible” goals• Formative assessments• Celebrate, reward, emotivate• Know the difference between

praise and acknowledgement

Expectations

What this means ……• View each student as having

potential• Instill a growth mindset• Explicitly show you care about

students• Set stanards and accountability

Team work

What this means …….• Team building exercises• Foster class identity• Pay attention to the personalities

in the class and groupings• PPD – Problem, Purpose,

Destination (St. Neot’s Margin – Colin

Wilson)

Make it useful

What this means ……• Know thy students’ needs• Authentic materials. • Have a rationale, purpose • Real world tasks. • Get out of the class! or bring the world to you!

Why?

Get out of the wayQuote about

What this means ……• Rethink your own role• Don’t over teach• Put the responsibility for learning

plainly in the hands of students• Allow student leadership /

teaching

Activity

What this means …….• Rethink the space of the class• Rethink how you deliver the

lesson• Plan activities where there is real

practice• Install – Activate – Experience• Blended learning, increase

student time on task

Ask your students

What this means ……• Take time out to talk about the

lesson and how it went• Provide a way for students to give

you ongoing feedback• Talk to students outside of class• Participate in the wider school

Structure

What this means …….• Use an agenda• Have consistent parts to your

lesson• Reinforce and use routines• Provide students with clearly

defined roles

davidde@nipissingu.cadavid@englishcentral.comhttp://teachers.schooloftefl.com