A demotivated student does not listen, does not make effort, loses interest and therefore has difficulties when it comes to learning. Thinking about this, we are sharing these five key steps to motivate students and awaken in them the desire to learn, a challenge that great teachers face every day.
Table of Contents
Find what you are passionate about
It can be a specific topic, a learning method, a workspace. It is about looking for that which ignites the spark of motivation, something that catches your attention and awakens interest in learning. Listen and meet your students to discover their passion and also help them to recognize it.
A good tool is the application of the theory of multiple intelligences in the classroom, which allows putting into practice differentiated didactic strategies. Here you have ideas and resources to try it in class.
Raises learning as a discovery
Encouraging students to participate, creating expectations with an attractive goal and involving them in the learning process is key to motivating them. Project work, for example, is a great option and, in addition, by collaborating and researching in teams with other students, you can contribute to increasing your motivation. The 20-Time initiative, which proposes students to devote 20 per cent of school time to their own personal projects, is also a very interesting idea.
Focus content from practice
Whenever possible, relate the learning to the close reality of your students, so that they are able to see the usefulness of what they are learning. This way it is much easier for them to get involved and be interested, and they will consolidate what they have learned in a much more effective way.
For example, review chemistry with everyday experiments teaches physics at the amusement park or show the most fun and practical side of mathematics with challenges and puzzles of everyday life.
Use ICT
Your students are digital natives and ICTs attract their attention in a natural way. You can take advantage of this interest and lean on new technologies to present the topics in the classroom, complete the contents or work them in a different way.
But above all, encourage your students to use them to learn: document, practice what they learned, expand knowledge, carry out projects and experiences. In our blog, you have many resources for all subjects and topics.
Practice positive reinforcement
A demotivated child may also be disappointed and discouraged because it is difficult for him to keep up with the class, does not improve his grades or does not solve class work well. You can help break that vicious circle of motivation-failure through positive reinforcement and support for positive behaviours or attitudes, to value more than results.
In this way, you will be encouraging your students to keep trying, learn from failures and seek solutions without surrendering. Recognize the work of those students who find it harder to advance and reward the effort. You can use the reward systems that are applied to gamification, such as ClassDojo or Open Badges.
