Classroom motivation can make or break a class' success. If the students are unhappy and do not want to be there, then the instructor tends to be wasting his or her time. To encourage students to be motivated and do well, consider the following strategies:
Convince students that they can succeed in the class with frequent, positive feedback.
Assign tasks at the right difficulty level
. - neither too simple nor too complicated.
Keep the students involved in the material by making it relate to their lives.
Maintain a positive atmosphere where students can express their beliefs and desires.
Enable students to feel that they are important as part of the learning environment.
Cash in on students' personal needs for the information because it relates to their lives.
Encourage active participation by questioning; never tell what you could ask them to explain.
Hold high but attainable and reasonable expectations for students.
Clarify exactly what it is that students are expected to know, do, achieve, etc.
Help students design achievable goals.
Allow students to know how they will be evaluated; clearly spell out every expectation.
Offer students some choices about the material to be covered.
Vary teaching methods - alternate lecture, group activities. games for review, projects, debates, role-playing, demonstrations, guest speakers, brainstorming, in-class writing, etc.
Increase the material's difficulty gradually, allowing the first classes to feel very successful.
Positively reward students, if only with praise - not only to them, but also their parents or peers.
Keep negative feedback constructive and very specific.
Include exam questions on readings not covered in class to make sure they keep up.
What keeps students motivated in their own opinions?Instructor enthusiasm, relevance of the material to their own lives, course organization, a difficulty level that matches their abilities, variety, active student involvement, rapport between teacher and students, and the use of concrete and understandable examples.More reference links: http://college.cengage.com/education/pbl/tc/motivate.html http://www.netc.org/focus/challenges/student.php
