Motivate your students!

Motivating students is one of the greatest challenges teachers face. While it is true that as teachers we have little, if any, control over external factors that influence our students’ behavior and engagement, we do play a vital role in shaping what happens in our classroom. In fact, our choices can make a positive or a negative impact on student motivation.

Some important points instructors should pay attention to in order to keep learners motivated:

Course Design Students respond positively to a well-organized course and meaningful syllabus.

Set the tone early in the semester Your syllabus should clearly state your learning objectives, course goals, and student expectations for the course.

Vary your teaching methods Incorporating problem-based learning, collaborative learning, experiments, and the

Use of technology such as blogs allows for greater student interaction and the opportunity for students to practice newly acquired skills and knowledge.

Give students options in the classroom give them a sense of autonomy and help them develop skills for self-directed learning.

Create assignments that are appropriately challenging It’s important to consider your students interests, background knowledge, and abilities when designing coursework.

Make your lessons relevant Research suggests that students display greater enthusiasm and interest for a course if they can relate the content and course activities to their daily lives.