Motivate students to have interest

How can I motivate my students to study? What can I do!?

Imagine you are now back in your student days; what will interest you to a topic that seemed uninteresting? 

Here are few ways we have identified, thought-through, and clarified;

1) Build a pleasant learning environment

When the student feels comfortable in the class, they are more open and carefree. 

Their attention can go to two ways: the first is to be distracted by talking to peers, the second is to participate in the class, and we want the latter. This can be done by;

i) set simple ground rules in the class and seek mutual agreement with them

ii) allow students to voice their opinions related to the class activities

iii) ensure there is at least once a two-way 

communication in each session

2) Hit the right common ground

When you mention their favourite korean boy band or the characters in their game, do you observe their sudden shift in attention to you?

Hitting the common ground helps in building your rapport with the students. This makes you approachable, and they are more open to sharing and voicing their opinions in class activities. Their participating rate will be higher as well!

3) Praise achievers

Imagine you put in the effort to finish a task, and someone praise you, will you feel good? This is the exact feeling we want the students to have. We want them to think that their efforts are recognised. This helps them to be more confident and grow their interest in the class activities. 

It would help if you also showed concern for students who have improved in their results.

4) Observe first and feedback

As we deliver the class, we should have gathered some information about the behaviour of the students. It is our responsibility to intervene if the student is not following the lesson. You may validate by directing questions to the student and see if they are paying attention.

It is important to identify students who sit alone quietly and ignore the class. Then, find an opportunity to understand and see if the student needs help. When you succeed in resolving their issues, you are helping and motivating them to pay more attention in class.

5) Track and feedback

When students feel noticed, they tend to do better because they want to meet the expectations of those who care for them. 

As a teacher, tracking student's progress is important as this shows you are noticing them. Providing healthy feedback shows that you are communicating your active observation on them and gives great affirmation to the student, and any advice is more susceptible to them hereon.

A student will care about the class when they sense that their teacher cared for them.