Motivating students is difficult at the best of times, but arguably the younger the pupil the more difficult it is to hold their attention. What is more, creating an interactive environment for young students is vital as it prepares them for later education, and sets them on the right path of studying. As a result, teachers try many alternative methods of teaching to promote positive reinforcement of doing work and homework, however, finding the correct format to do this can be tricky. This is because each child is different and as such has a preferred way of engaging with a topic and learning. Furthermore, each method has its obvious pros and cons which are important to take into account when creating motivational material for your classes.
One of the primary issues with motivating your students is actually being able to do it – engaging a class en-masse can be very tedious as not every child is inspired to do the work. This is where different types of motivation come in: extrinsic motivation comes from external factors, such as wanting to please others, while intrinsic motivation comes from within the child – they want to please themselves. Taking these two very separate forms of stimuli, let’s examine some of the possible ways you can instigate motivation, and the good and bad that comes from them.
A tried and tested form of motivation, albeit questionable, is bribery – being given an offering that influences your behaviour. For example, you could bribe your class to engage more by giving out sweets. However, while this may sound good in theory, a lot of problems can get flagged up, such as parent’s displeasure at teachers giving out sweets and biscuits, and not to mention it doesn't promote a healthy relationship with food. It's a rather divisive means of motivation that can cause disagreements amongst pupils and their family.
Teachers can also try realia (everyday objects used as teaching aids) motivational means, such as these stickers. The reason this type of reward scheme can be motivational is because it gives your student something to work towards, something to collect and show off to their fellow pupils and friends and you can even design your own stickers tailoring them to your class and students, here’s some ideas to get you started. However, herein lies a potential problem – keeping the peace and ensuring your students whom aren't receiving stickers don't feel left out. At any age, children, teenagers, and even adults, can easily develop self-esteem and confidence issues if they feel excluded, therefore it is important to get the balance of how often stickers are given out, and for what behaviour. Remember: if you reward just one type of behaviour, you're at risk of alienating the rest of your pupils, so try and expand on your positive reinforcement criteria. Realia can encourage healthy competition between your students, and gives them something tangible for their progression and learning.
In addition to rewards, having interactive lessons, such as reliving historical events, helps to keep the class enthusiastic; repetition can lead to boredom, so try to make sure you mix your class up so that their senses are engaged with. Visual learning can help contextualise situations, and help your students see a topic from a whole new perspective.
Ensuring your students are switched on, engaged, and interested in learning is one of the key aspects of teaching. To be successful at it, and to give children the chance to reach their full potential, you need to apply motivational tools that encourage them to learn. Although finding the right formula can be tricky, the benefits are great.
