Why would we possibly need a list of the top 10 strategies for increased motivation? Well, let’s be real, December is officially upon us. With the Christmas Holiday season on the horizon, classroom teachers are beginning to pull their hair out. How can I motivate my students to make that final push before going on break? While this particular season might be more challenging than normal, there are some strategies that teachers can use. Strategies that can be used not only through the month of December, but throughout the school year. Here are my top 10 strategies for increased student motivation.
1. Know Your Students
I am sure this goes without saying, but knowing your students is much more than simply memorizing their names. At our very core, human beings need to feel known and loved. We meet that need by making genuine connections with others. Students need to know and feel that their teacher truly cares about them. They need to know that their thoughts, ideas, and interests are valued. They need to feel appreciated. When students feel they are cared for – when they feel appreciated and respected – it creates an atmosphere of safety. Safe learning environments are key to motivating student behaviour, and we’ll explore that in further detail shortly.
Safe learning environments are key to motivating student behaviour
Making those connections with students also helps us to become familiar with their past experiences and be able to identify their interests. This can be beneficial on a number of different fronts. Most notably would be the ability to pull in those interests and incorporate them into lessons. Not only does that assist in making a lesson more relatable but more interesting as well.
A few years ago, I had a student who had a very distinct passion for horses. One of the reasons why her family had chosen the option for online schooling was because of the flexibility in scheduling. My student spent much of her day at a ranch learning to care for horses and to ride.
Using Student Interest In Assignments
There was one assignment in science we did that year which really stands out in my memory. We were studying a unit on light and students were tasked with researching an animal and learning how their eyes worked. The reason it stands out is because of an email this particular student sent me when it had been completed. She expressed her gratitude for being able to research her favourite animal and shared how she was able to learn things about a horse that she hadn’t known before. I also found that the research she did was above and beyond my expectations. Never underestimate the impact interest in a topic can have on student performance and motivation.
In my online classes, I like to begin each session with simple, informal discussion. Sometimes I ask the students about their weekend or I will share a silly story about an event in my life. We will talk and laugh with each other before moving into the curriculum. These types of interactions between student and teacher are invaluable.
2. Be Excited
Excitement can be contagious! Your passion and excitement for what you’re teaching can help to motivate the students in your class. When you’re excited about teaching, your students will be more excited about learning. That’s not to say that you need to be a bubbling ball of energy at all times. That would be an impossible expectation. However, it’s important that with each new school year we find ways to renew ourselves so the passion we have for educating young minds doesn’t get lost. Kids have an uncanny way of picking up on how the adults in their lives are feeling.
Sometimes, finding excitement in a lesson can be as simple as changing up your location. A change of scenery can be beneficial for both teachers and students. Take a field trip, plan a student exchange with another classroom, schedule an excursion to the school library or computer lab. Our brains love novelty and a quick change of scenery can be just the thing students need to stay engaged and motivated.
3. Manage Anxiety
Studies have shown that anxiety in students is on the rise. Not only that, but there also seems to be an increase in the lack of coping skills. Students who are in a state of anxiety are not capable of processing new information and even recalling previously learned information very well. Managing student anxiety is imperative for effective learning to take place.
I have found that anxiety in students is one of the most misunderstood issues by teachers. This could be due to lack of exposure or a lack of knowledge about the topic. To be honest, I have been in staff meetings where teachers have made ignorant comments regarding anxiety in their students. It just makes me want to cringe every time.
Both my son and I live with various levels of anxiety and that personal experience has definitely impacted my own teaching practices. The great news is, there are specific steps teachers can take to help reduce and manage anxiety in their students.
- Provide a threat-free environment
- Provide structure
- Be understanding
4. Provide A Threat-Free Environment
Probably one of the most important of these top 10 strategies for increased motivation is when teachers create a safe, supportive environment for students. These safe, supportive environments are much more likely to help students get and stay motivated.
We have students that walk into our classrooms with a variety of different backgrounds and home situations. For some of them, school might be the only stable environment. We can have students dealing with trauma, anxiety, or any range of learning challenges. This is also where knowing our students can be highly beneficial.
In addition to creating a physically safe environment, students benefit from being taught that failure is not always a bad thing. I speak more in-depth on this topic in another blog post entitled, “Student Failure As A Strategy For Independence.”
Some students find the idea of not doing well on an assignment so anxiety-inducing that they completely shut down. These students are often perceived as being lazy or procrastinators. Nothing could be further from the truth. The emotional toll that anxiety takes can be massive. We need to be a safe space for these students. Shifting mindsets on grading practices and incorporating the philosophies of mastery learning can help to set the stage for an environment that feels less threatening. Catlin Tucker, a seasoned teacher and blended learning coach, has some excellent thoughts on this topic that she shares HERE.
5. Provide Structure
Students want and need to know what is expected of them. This would apply to both behaviour expectations and assignment expectations. It can be very frustrating for students to try and complete assignments without having some guidelines on expectations – or even for expectations to change. Be clear with students about what you’re looking for and trying to evaluate. Use rubrics wherever possible to clearly outline how tasks will be graded.
When students feel like they are constantly guess about what they are to do, it can kill their motivation. Years ago, when my son was in elementary school, he had a teacher who was inconsistent with her expectations. It didn’t take long for my son to become extremely frustrated with school. Because he didn’t know what expectations were going to be followed through on or not, he came to the point where he just gave up altogether.
"What's the point? It doesn't matter how hard I try, she's just going to change what we were supposed to do so I fail anyway."
6. Make Goals High But Attainable
As much as students will groan and complain about being challenged with their work, the truth is, a challenge is what they need. When schoolwork is too easy, students will lose motivation easily and not always put much effort in. Likewise, when the work is too difficult, students become frustrated and give up on trying.
It’s important that we encourage students to push their limits. It must be done in a way, though, that students believe the challenge to be within their reach.
To help reduce frustration, incorporate a process of feedback and guidance.
In my language arts classes, students are responsible for completing a weekly paragraph. The assignment takes them through the writing process of brainstorming, drafting, revising & editing, before completing a good copy. Many students were wary of this task. They were worried that they weren’t good enough writers and that they wouldn’t be able to write something every week.
As part of the process, students were instructed to get feedback from me on their edited rough draft before moving on to the final copy. This simple addition provided students with teacher feedback prior to the submission of their graded copy instead of getting the feedback after a grade was assigned.
7. Provide Opportunities to Improve
Students, particularly those who struggle with school, can often feel frustrated and end up with negative self-talk. It can be draining and not motivating at all. This next item in our top 10 strategies for increased motivation is something that most teachers do naturally every single day. Every student can benefit from a teacher who provides opportunities to improve. These opportunities can take on many forms, but it boils down to giving students regular feedback on their weak areas with specific steps on how to improve.
In my classes, I like to provide a chance for students to practice their skills, experience failure and then grow without the threat of a grade hanging over their head. I delve into many of the details of how I have set up my classes, with mastery being my ultimate goal, in my post, “Journey To Independent Learning” HERE.
8. Provide Opportunities For Success
All students can start to feel frustrated and lack motivation when they’re struggling or not getting recognition that others in class might be. Provide a range of activities that allow students with strengths beyond academics to feel successful and valued.
All too often, grades become the benchmark for students in determining their worth. We need to make sure that we provide praise and recognition for skills that don’t necessarily receive a grade but are just as valuable as writing a good essay or understanding fractions.
We should also remember that there are many ways students can show us what they know. Give them some autonomy and you might be surprised with the results – which leads into the next strategy.
9. Provide Student Choice
Allowing students to have choice in the ways that they demonstrate their learning is a powerful motivator. For example, allowing students to choose the topic they research for a history assignment or allowing them to decide which practice questions to complete can give students a sense of control over their learning. This can be an excellent motivator when they feel like the master of their own destiny.
One easy way to incorporate student choice into the classroom is to use Google Tools to create choice board options. This can be used at the end of a chapter or unit to provide options for different demonstrations of knowledge. In addition to providing choice, it can also allow teachers to include scaffolding items when necessary. If you’re interested in learning more about using Google Tools to create a choice board and how it can be effectively used in the classroom, register below to attend my Google Slides webinar later on this month.
Don't miss out on any upcoming webinars
This training will change everything you ever thought about Google Tools and how they can be used inside a classroom. Be the first to know when new training dates are announced!
10. Encourage Self-Reflection
Most students want to be successful. The truth is, a large number of them don’t really know what they need to do in order to be successful. Rounding out the top 10 strategies for increased motivation is encouraging students to reflect on themselves and the way they’ve learned in the past – previous successes and challenges. Have them critique what they feel their strengths and weaknesses are.
At the beginning of each school year, I have one-on-one appointments with each of my students where I guide them through this process of self-reflection and then I have them set one SMART goal for the term. I follow up with them at the beginning of each new term to evaluate how things went and then choose another goal (or an updated one) for the term ahead.
There we have it – the top 10 strategies for increased motivation. Do you use any of these strategies to motivate your students? Maybe you have other strategies in your classroom. Let’s continue the conversation down below in the comments. What has been your most effective strategy for motivating your students?
