Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Create a positive and safe environment
• Method 2 of 2: Challenge students
• Tips
• Warnings

Teaching is not easy and motivating students can even be very difficult. Whether you're teaching in a high school or with a group of adults, getting students to work and learn on their own can be quite a challenge. However, there are tons of ways you can make learning more fun and exciting. Do you want to know how to best motivate your students?

To step

Method 1 of 2: Create a positive and safe environment

1. Understand what makes motivating students so difficult. The problem with students is that they are exposed to countless people who want to teach them something. All these people do their utmost to stimulate them, to make them think, to get them to work and to make them people to be proud of. Because of this overwhelming stimulus and influence, many students find it difficult to find their own identity and consciously distance themselves from people who try to influence them.
   • Once they are aware of the influence that many people want to exert on them, students usually move to a strategy of only admitting the people they find worthwhile. As a result, they select only a few influences and in itself this is a great approach. However, a problem can arise when students become impressed with someone who is a bad influence on them.
2. Make a positive impression. If you want to motivate students, you will have to prove that you are worth listening to. You cannot achieve this overnight, but by standing out in a positive way, you can slowly win over the students. You will have to grab their attention and hold it. Some ways to make a positive impression on students are:
   • Be outspoken. Communicate your opinion in a clear and appropriate way. However, try not to talk too much or to present your opinion too strongly. It is best to appear informative and intelligent; as a person who gives his opinion honestly, but is not arrogant or self-centered.
   • Be passionate about what you want to teach the students. A clear look, a grin and a dose of suppressed enthusiasm work wonders for students. Even if they are not interested in your field at all, you can convince them with your teaching style. The fact that you show your love for your profession so clearly also ensures that you come across as sincere.
   • Be energetic. Enthusiasm is contagious and it's a lot harder to get bored when your teacher is super fanatic. Make sure you have the energy to represent both yourself and your field in a positive way.
   • Make sure you look well-groomed. To make a good impression, you will at least need to look well-groomed. Make sure you dress slightly better than the average person.
3. Go the extra mile. Do more than you are expected to do. If a student finds it difficult to submit his work on time, offer him or her some extra help. Show the student how to do research, how to best write an essay or paper and give examples of good work by other students. That way you will learn a lot and you can properly assess whether the problem is caused by the student's attitude to work or whether he really has difficulty with the assignments.
   • Be considerate, answer all questions and make sure your students understand all the curriculum. Make it clear which parts will be repeated and which will not. Then ask them if everything is clear and only move on to another topic until this is the case.
   • There is of course a difference between going the extra mile and letting yourself be used. Make sure you offer help if necessary, but also dare to say no if students go a little too far in asking for extra attention.
4. Offer additional information about your field. If you want to make your students even more enthusiastic, you will occasionally have to deviate from the curriculum. For example, keep students informed of recent developments within your field. For example, if you are teaching chemistry, you could 1) bring an article from a science magazine to school or 2) give the students a summary of the article and explain to them what it is about.
   • Remember that your job is to arouse the interest of the students, not the curriculum.
5. Provide homework that makes students think. Organize a project that is educational and fun.For example, you could have students write a play about a chemistry topic and perform it for young children. You can also write a book together and then have it printed to donate to the school library.
   • Make sure your idea is original; you must be able to carry it out during class and supervise the project intensively.
6. Have a good sense of humor. A good sense of humor can help you engage students in class, make the teaching materials come to life, and also make students like you. If you are constantly serious, it is difficult for students to confide in you. Although you don't have to be a clown, a good joke from time to time can positively influence the atmosphere and motivation of your students.
7. Show that you are an expert. If you want students to listen to you, it is important that they feel that you know a lot about your field. You have to show that you are talented and that you are not only a teacher, but that you are also good at what you do. It's almost like you're constantly on a job interview. Be humble, but don't hide your knowledge. Be proud when you talk to students about your experiences. If you know interesting people, invite them to give guest lessons. Try to make such a guest lesson an interactive experience so that students have plenty of opportunity to find out a lot.
   • If your students have the impression that you don't know your field, they will be lazy doing assignments. They think that you do not notice that they have not read the teaching material properly.
8. Pay close attention to students who need a little extra help. If a student looks unhappy or sick, it is best to take them aside after class. Try not to make too much of a drama out of this, but ask, for example, how the student is doing while you wipe the board clean. If a student doesn't want to talk, don't force them to. Simply say that you thought for a moment that the student was not doing well and then let him or her go. The fact that you are concerned is often enough.
   • If a student who is having problems notices that you notice this, it will motivate him or her to work harder. If a student thinks that you don't care whether he gets good grades, he will also make little effort.
   • Consider bending the rules if a student is struggling. If a student doesn't turn in their homework on a regular basis, something is probably wrong. That doesn't have to be big, but it is a sign that the student needs help. Try to offer this by, for example, giving the student some extra time for an assignment or adjusting the assignment slightly. Make it clear that you cannot always do this, but that you are making an exception. This instills confidence in the student.
9. Ask students to give their opinion. If you involve students in class, they will be more motivated than if you simply tell them something. So ask what students think about a political issue, a literary text, or a scientific experiment. Take their opinions seriously and make them feel free to express themselves.
   • Remember there is a difference between a healthy discussion and an oversimplified argument. Make sure students explain their views well and that they have evidence to support their views.
   • If you are a math teacher or teaching a foreign language, there may be less room for opinions or discussions. In this case, try to provide relevant information to initiate a conversation. High school students are unlikely to have an opinion on Spanish verb conjugation, but they may have an opinion on how to learn a language.
10. Encourage lively group discussions. Just trying to convey information for weeks can get pretty boring for students. If you want to keep your students motivated and have fun learning, a group discussion is a great way to get them involved in class. Ask questions of specific students. This ensures that they will better prepare for lessons.
    • Students will not only want to prepare better, but will also prefer to come to class if they feel that their opinion matters.
11. Get to know students before you start handing out compliments. If you immediately praise a group you have just met, it will seem insincere and students will immediately lose their respect for you. Only give compliments when they are deserved and when you sincerely believe that someone has done something right.
    • For most teachers, every student is the same, but for a good teacher, every student is unique.
    • Avoid the "Some of you" speech ("Some of you will become lawyers, some of you will become doctors, etc"). Better save it for one of the last lessons and make sure to give personal examples. For example: "Ryan is going to cure cancer, Kevin is going to be richer than Bill Gates, Wendy is going to give the whole world a beautiful haircut and Carol may be even richer than Kevin ...".
    • Add some humor to your speech and show that you have gotten to know the students. State your expectations; after all, not only have you tried to impress them, but they have done the same to you.
12. Show students how your field affects the world. Expose them to things they have never seen before and tell them about the problems of the world, the country and the people. Once you have gained their trust, students will be happy to listen to you. They may not always agree with you, but at least they will want to make an effort to understand.
    • You may find it difficult to motivate students because they don't understand how your field, be it literature or history, has anything to do with their lives. Try to teach them how what they learn does have an impact on the world, for example by bringing a newspaper or a book review. Show them practical examples and they may suddenly understand a lot better why the profession matters.

Method 2 of 2: Challenge students

1. Make your students "experts". You will be amazed at how motivated students can be when you let them present a topic individually or in groups. Because of such an assignment, they feel a great responsibility to be an expert in their presentation, be it "The Catcher in the Grain" or electron configuration. Students will work more enthusiastically and so this is a very good way to deviate from the curriculum.
   • Having students present something will also motivate their classmates to learn. If students only hear their teacher say something, it can get very boring after a while. Seeing a fellow student in front of the class is a nice change.
2. Encourage collaboration. Working together in groups can be a good way for students to get to know each other, to help each other and to motivate each other. When a student works alone, he is likely to feel less stimulus than when he is learning with fellow students. Collaboration is also a good way to deviate from the curriculum.
   • Another way to motivate students is to organize a competition between different groups. Whether this is a game competition or another activity, the fact that there is something to be won or lost is a good reason for many students to go the extra mile.
3. Specify extra work that can be used to score extra points. Extra work can help students gain a better understanding of the curriculum and increase their grades a little. For example, have students write an additional book report on a beloved book. The assignment is fun, but at the same time educational and students have the opportunity to pick up their grade.
   • You can also submit work that requires something extra from students. If you teach Dutch, you can, for example, give extra points to students who go to a lecture in the area and write a report about it. Have students read their report so that other students learn and become motivated to do more.
4. Offer choices. Students will be more motivated when they have a choice. This gives them the feeling that they can choose what they learn. For example, let them choose who they work with or on which topic they write an essay. This way they have some freedom, but at the same time you can keep the structure of the lessons.
5. Provide helpful feedback. If you want to motivate students, your feedback will need to be thorough, clear and meaningful. If they see where their strengths lie and what they can improve, they will be more motivated to learn something than if there is only a number and one line of feedback on their papers. Take the time to show students that you care about their grades and their learning process.
   • If you have time, you can schedule feedback sessions with students to discuss their progress. With this individual attention you show that you care about the students and that you want them to make progress.
6. Show what you expect from students. Give students clear instructions and examples to demonstrate what you expect from them. If students don't know what to do, they will be less motivated to do their best. Clear instructions and a teacher willing to answer questions can help boost their motivation.
   • Take the time to answer questions after you explain an assignment. Sometimes students may act as if they know everything, but if you ask clear questions, you will find that there is often still quite a bit of uncertainty.
7. Keep the curriculum varied. While it may be easiest in your field to teach only lectures, students are more motivated if the program looks a little more exciting. Organize activities, involve students in class, show videos and provide a dynamic program.
   • A clear program in which it is determined in advance what will be covered at certain times can be very motivating for some students.

Tips

• Make your involvement look like it goes without saying. Whether you're having a conversation, teaching, listening, tidying your desk, or reading something, make sure it looks like it's going on by itself.
• Don't punish every little thing. Your students should notice that it is important that something is learned and not that the teacher has any particular authority.
• Don't risk the teacher-student relationship. Don't come across as a girlfriend, but keep your distance.
• Do not speak slowly or say words too clearly. This gives students the impression that you think they cannot handle a normal pace.
• Don't be too considerate.
• Keep your insecurities or emotions to yourself. Don't show if you're having a bad day and don't let students see if you're angry or irritated. Students need an example on which to build. So don't tell them about your personal problems, but come across as strong.
• If you tend to speak slowly, consciously try to increase the pace slightly during your lessons.
• Don't laugh too much and don't laugh at the whole class. Smile at specific people every now and then.

Warnings

• You will not be able to motivate everyone. Remember that. However, make sure your students understand that you only want to motivate them to become good citizens!