7 Essential Student Motivation Techniques That You Must Use

A teacher must be able to motivate his/her students to have them maximize their potential. Motivating your students is essential so that the learning process becomes an interesting, gratifying and continuous experience.
Teachers must keep the motivation for learning alive and growing in their students. From a very early age, children have that curiosity to explore everything around them. Teachers have a responsibility to their students to motivate them and develop that curiosity into a desire for knowledge.
There are so many ways for you to motivate your students but here are 7 methods or tactics that I have found very effective.
1. Trust and respect are so important if you want to build a strong foundation with your students. Provide a positive learning environment, show a concern for their issues and problems, an interest in their accomplishments, and hopefully they will show you the same considerations.
2. Everyone likes to make their own decisions, create their own personal choices, and have control of their lives. Students are no exception. So, as much as possible, give students more control. Allow students to choose (within reason) their own ways of completing assignments, learning new or complex tasks, etc. Having control of your own rights, is a very resourceful motivational technique.
3. Relate assignments and class projects to real life situations. A common complaint of students is "What good is learning this, I'll never use this again?". In today's world, with all sorts of technology available, computers, the Internet, You Tube and other forms of video that can be brought into the classroom, it's easier and easier to put some excitement into your lessons and project assignments and keep your students challenged, interested and motivated.
4. Implement a reward system. Teaching strategies that offer praise and involve a reward system have proved to be extremely beneficial in motivating students. Teaching in primary grades is quite different than in junior grades and the reward system and prizes will differ. For example, points can be awarded for achieving different tasks and awards such as free time, parties, or other simple prizes (from the dollar store) are great motivational tools. Just make sure that your students realize that the reward system is a reward for finishing a task not for just participating!
5. Classroom team building activities such as classroom games play an important role as student motivational tools. Other team building activities such as classroom meetings to discuss things such as hobbies, vacation plans, class parties and trips, are great for developing friendships between students and building students' self-esteem. These activities will also draw in your unmotivated students as well.
6. Another WIN-WIN for both teacher and students, is allowing them to help you out with many of the classroom jobs. Young and older students love to help the teacher and offering this as a reward, motivates them to try harder and do better with their work. It's a bonus for you too, since there's less for you to do.
7. Classroom displays help to make your classroom a stimulating and motivating environment in which to learn! Displaying their work for others to see, motivates students to learn, work and provide good quality results. Remember too, that it is important that students play a important part in decorating the classroom. When students feel ownership of their classroom, it motivates them and creates a positive learning environment.
Two important thoughts to keep in mind as you finish reading this article. Always display care, concern and encouragement for your students, and never give up on any unmotivated students or they will give up on themselves. It's a WIN-WIN for everyone involved!

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Honey Krumholz has taught elementary school for 33 years. She is now a college supervisor and mentor to student teachers. She presents seminars on teaching strategies at York University in Toronto. Visit her website and get her effective teaching strategies on a wide variety of topics, for example, her strategies on classroom awards

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