Seventy-Five Quick Tips for Motivating Students

This post first appeared as an article written for a great tutoring organization: mytowntutors.com.

 

Although it’s only common sense that motivating students is a complex activity that needs plenty of time, thought, and effort to succeed, this list can serve as a quick reminder of some of the most important aspects of motivation. While many of these brief tips may only be common sense, when used with care and deliberation, they can make it easier for us to encourage our students to want to work hard and succeed at the tasks we set before them.

1.      All learning must have a purpose. Teachers and students should work together to establish long-term goals so that the work is relevant to students’ lives and driven by a purpose.

2.      Students need the skills and knowledge necessary to complete their work and achieve their goals. Help students achieve short-term goals to develop the competencies they need to be successful.

3.      Specific directions empower students. When students know exactly what they must do to complete assignments, they will approach their work with confidence and interest.

4.      Students want to have fun while they work. Teachers who offer enjoyable learning activities find that students are less likely to be off task.

5.      Offer activities that involve higher-order thinking skills. Students find open-ended questions and critical thinking more engaging than activities involving just recall of facts.

6.      Curiosity is an important component of motivation. When students want to learn more about a topic, they will tackle challenging assignments in order to satisfy their curiosity.

7.      A blend of praise and encouragement is effective in building self-reliance. Teachers who offer sincere praise and encouragement establish a positive, nurturing classroom atmosphere.

8.      A combination of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards increases student focus and time on task behavior. When used separately, both types of rewards motivate students. However, when teachers combine them, the effect is much greater.

9.      Involve students in collaborative activities. When students work together, motivation and achievement both soar.

10.   Start with assignments that your students can achieve with ease. Success builds upon itself. When students see that they can accomplish what you ask of them, they will want to continue that success.

11.   Celebrate often with your students. After all, their successes are your successes. You do not have to dedicate lots of time to formal celebrations. A simple posting or display of good news, a class signal that allows classmates to acknowledge each other in positive way, or a quiet word with individual students will all establish a positive tone.

12.   Be as consistent and as fair as you possibly can. Students of all ages are quick to react negatively when they detect even a small hint of suspected unfairness. They will shut down quickly when this happens.

13.   Post motivational signs, mottoes, and other messages to encourage students to give their best effort.

14.   Reward effort as well as achievement. It is important to make sure your students see the link between success and effort.

15.   Create a risk-free environment in which students can risk trying new things without fear of failure or ridicule.

16.   Tell your students about your confidence in their ability to succeed. Tell them this over and over.

17.   Teach your students how to set measurable goals and how to achieve them. Model this for students. Set goals as a class and have students set small daily or weekly goals until it is a habit and part of the culture of your classroom.

18.   At the end of class, ask students to share what they have learned. Often, they are not aware of how much they have really actually achieved until they have the opportunity to reflect.

19.   We all know that open-ended questions and assignments can serve as sparks to deepen critical thinking skills. They can also serve to motivate students to work hard because of their intrinsic interest and risk-free nature. Open-ended questions and assignments are a respectful way to demonstrate your faith in your students’ ability to tackle tough work.

20.   Teach your students how to handle the failures that everyone experiences from time to time. Help them understand that they can learn from their mistakes as well as from their successes.

21.   Formative assessments can be helpful tools for those teachers who want to empower their students to believe in themselves. Use a variety of assessments to help students evaluate their progress and determine what they need to accomplish to finish assignments.

22.   Offer the entire class a reward when they meet an agreed-on goal.

23.   Use tangible rewards such as stickers or new pencils.

24.   Write positive comments on papers.

25.   Change an onerous chore into a pleasant one by allowing them to work on it together.

26.   Hold a weekly contest.

27.   Ask your students their opinions by surveying them from time to time.

28.   Provide an authentic audience for your students’ work.

29.   Display their work.

30.   Have students work on solving a real-life problem.

31.   Incorporate their interests as often as possible.

32.   Chart small successes so that students can see that small successes create large ones.

33.   Encourage students to compliment their classmates.

34.   End class with an intriguing riddle, poem, or question.

35.   Take photos of your students working.

36.   Have students teach the material to each other.

37.   Bring in interesting objects for students to use as part of a lesson.

38.   Play games.

39.   Arrange for students to mentor younger students

40.   Provide opportunities for peer tutoring.

41.   Teach a different study skill each day so that students will find it easier to do their work well.

42.   Use visual demonstrations such as graphic organizers or illustrations to make the work easier to understand.

43.   Time students as they think for thirty seconds before responding to a question.

44.   Give them puzzles to solve.

45.   Slowly give clues to the answer to a question one clue at a time.

46.   Have students wear fictional name tags related to the lesson.

47.   Have students sort items into categories. Take the time to get to know your students as people.

48.   Use a kind voice when speaking with them.

49.   Set up your classroom where you can walk around to every desk.

50.   When a student speaks to you, stop what you are doing and listen.

51.   Be clear about your role as a teacher who will enable students to achieve their dreams.

52.   Use humor. Laugh when funny things happen in your class.

53.   Show your appreciation for the good things your students do.

54.   Stress that you won’t give up on your students.

55.   Allow your students to get to know you. Often our students are convinced that we sleep in the teachers’ lounge all night and eat only lunchroom food. They need to see your human side.

56.   Agree with your students as often as you can.

57.   Move your desk to the back of the classroom if you can. This small action signals a student-centered attitude on your part.

58.   Call parents or guardians when good things happen.

59.   Share your feelings with your students and allow them to share theirs.

60.   Use positive language with them. Be careful not to appear overly negative or critical.

61.   Take notice of the special things that make each student unique.

62.   Stop and chat with pupils anytime: when you are monitoring their progress, in the hall or cafeteria, or even when you are away from school.

63.   Create opportunities for success every day.

64.   Speak to every student each day. Include everyone in class discussions.

65.   Make pens, paper, and extra books available when students need a loan.

66.   Set aside an afternoon or morning for “office hours” when you can provide extra help for those students who need it.

67.   Offer small perks whenever you can.

68.   Be sincere, generous, and tactful in your praise.

69.   Keep students busily involved in interesting work.

70.   Talk with students when you notice a change in their behavior or attitude. If a normally cheerful student, for example, seems distracted or upset, there’s a good reason for the change.

71.   When students confide in you, follow up on it. Ask about how they did on the history test that was troubling them or check to see if their grades have improved in math class.

72.   Be concerned enough for their futures to help them set long-term goals.

73.   Involve pupils in projects that will improve the school or community.

74.   Stress that you and they have much in common: goals, dreams, and beliefs.

75.   Focus on students’ strong points, not on their weaknesses.

 

 

Ten Quick Review Ideas for the End of the School Year

By this time in the school year, many of us are out of fresh ideas when it comes to reviewing for exams or standardized tests. While you may already know some activities that will appeal to your students, you may want to break up the routine just a bit. Try some of these activities to increase retention and have fun at the same time. Ask students to:

1. Use individual whiteboards to write and then share responses to questions.
2. Have students make three dimensional graphic organizers with main ideas. See who can make the most complete graphic organizer within a set time limit.
3. Divide a paper into several blocks and write a review fact in one of the blocks. They then ball up the paper and toss it to a classmate who adds a different fact. This continues until all blocks are filled.
4.  Create flashcards and study them together. Quizlet.com is a great online site for this activity.
5. Write captions to photos, cartoons, and other illustrations about the topic.
6. Play board games based on the topic or create and play their own board games.
7. Tell classmate two facts. That classmate has to repeat them and add two more. Continue around the room
8. Hold a contest to see who can write the most about the topic within a time limit. Share with the class.
9. Create their own “legal cheat sheets” to use during a test.
10. Have students record a series of facts or other important information on their phones and listen to the facts over and over until they know them.

 

Want to Motivate Students? Make Success Attainable

It only makes sense. If students do not believe that they can be successful, why should they even try? One of the most important actions that we can do as teachers is to make sure that our students know that they can succeed at the tasks we ask them to complete. Sometimes the roadblocks to accomplishments are ones that are easy to manage, while others may require a bit more time and effort on our part.

            No matter what the obstacle is, though, teachers who want the best for their students will make school success something that is achievable for all students. Here are some actions that you can take to help students feel that their success in your class is something that is within their reach.

• Teach students to pay attention when you are giving directions. Good listening skills and the ability to understand and follow directions will enable students to proceed with confidence because they will have a clear idea of what to do and how to do it correctly.
• Offer plenty of models, samples, and examples of finished products so that students know what their own work should be. If you also offer examples of incorrectly done work, your students will also be aware of the mistakes that they need to avoid.
• Offer detailed rubrics when you make assignments so that students are aware of the criteria for success.
• When you make assignments, be sure to discuss the best study skills and time management tips that will allow students to make good choices when they begin working. Teachers who take the time to help students figure out the most efficient ways to do their work make it easy for students to do well.
• Even if students are not officially working together on a project, provide opportunities for them to consult each other or periodically check each other’s work. Allowing them to do this often clears up mistakes before they become permanent ones.
• Make sure students know how to seek help from you while they are in class or even after class. Making yourself available at appropriate times to help students can really make a difference for those students who may be struggling with an assignment.
• Break down larger projects into smaller increments with specific mini-due dates so that students are not overwhelmed.
• When you are working with student formative assessments, take the time to offer specific encouragement instead of just praise or error catching.
• Check to be certain that all of your students have the resources they need to do their work. If a project calls for online research, for example, students will need access to a computer and printer. Even something as insignificant as the lack of a pencil can make it difficult for students to do their work well.
• Be prepared to allow students who need extra time to complete an assignment to have that time. Be flexible and work together with them to determine an acceptable deadline. Sometimes just a bit of extra time is all that students need to really do a good job on an assignment.
• Use the electronic resources available to you to share information and notes about class on a classroom blog or Website. Be careful to keep your postings about such important information as homework, classwork, grades, and other requirements updated regularly.
• Appeal to your students’ learning style preferences whenever you can so that they can access the material as easily as possible.
• Offer assignments that allow students to present their work in different modalities so that they will be motivated to work well. Vary the types of finished products you require whenever you can, also. Allowing students to have a choice in the type of final product they need to produce will encourage them to work to completion.
• Show students how to take good notes for your class and how to maintain an organized notebook. Keeping up with notes and papers  is an important skill that can make it easier for students to succeed. Experienced teachers know all too well the frustration of watching students search overstuffed book bags for missing papers.
• Design assignments so that the difficulty level of the work begins with items that are easy to manage and then progresses in complexity. This encourages student confidence and willingness to persist at completing the assignment.
• Provide appropriate enrichment and remediation opportunities as often as you can. Both offer students a chance to improve skills and develop knowledge.
• Make frequent checks of student progress so that students are aware of what they need to do to succeed.
• Encourage students to reflect on and self-assess their own work. Students who engage in metacognition about their assignments and work habits tend to be more successful than those who do not.