Determine why your students are not motivated. There are different reasons why students may lack motivation, such as having low self-esteem, problems at home, a learning disability, health issues or depression. Be sure to evaluate each student’s situation and try to find out the main reason for the lack of motivation.
Your end of the course business plans assignment seems great! Students are motivated by the big picture. Applying what they have learned to goals that are within reach really give them steam to push harder.
I provide "real world" scenarios from my own experience in the business world, or from current events that the students can relate to.
Building relationships is a key to motivation.
Jim,
How do you do that with your classes?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Tie the learning to real world application.
This is a great motivational tool. I find it very hard to motivate my students at times. Often times I find them getting so hung up over grades and points alone and not taking the time to even care about what they are actually learning. I'm definitely going to use this in my next class.
Mirela,
You are right about there not being a formula to motivate students. It is student by student effort. We just have to keep trying until we find what works for that specific student. We don't get them all but that doesn't keep us from trying.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Unfortunately there is no single formula that can help instructors in the attempts to motivate their students. Teachers should be able to transfer their enthusiasm to their students; to use lecture-relevant material; prepare the class and dominate the organization of the course; have students actively involved in the course; allow students to express their concerns and opinions relevant to the lectures; etc.
Richard,
I teach a foundational course as well so I can really appreciate your comments about engaging the students in content they see as being relevant. You have a number of strategies that you are using that really work well in getting them to see the application of good communication to their future success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I teach English courses, and some students are not as self-motivated when it comes to writing or literature courses. I try to show them how relevant writing and literary analysis can be in their own lives, so I often ask a simple question during the first class, such as "How many of you have ever written a cover letter?" I point out how employers in professional careers take writing ability and competence seriously. I also have them write personal narratives in the beginning to build their confidence, and I will host quiz games to replace boring reviews of material.
Showing examples or helping them know how the work can help them in their careers is motivating.
Martha Moore
Shannon,
Jeopardy works well for me. I use a variation of Family Feud as well. This puts four people against four people so I am involving more people at one time. My variation is "Content Feud--Do you know your stuff?". Another thing I do is to have the students come up with some study/review strategies that they think will work with the class. These can be a lot of fun as well as effective. Be creative and change things up. You will quickly see what works best with your students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Praise, rewards,always positive reenforcement. Small weekly goals that can obtain.
I like to use jeopardy as review for quizzes and exams. Dividing the class into 2 teams makes it a bit more competitive and engaging for the students. Across the board have you found this to be successful for most or do you have any suggestions on thing that may work better or as well ?
Students are likely to be motivated if they can see how succeeding in the course will have a direct correlation to their success in the industry.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching is motivating and inspiring a student who never believed they could succeed. We have many students who are the first in their family to attend college. They have a strong desire to accomplish, but many times don't have the requiste skills to be a top student. My goal is to motivate the student by having them prove to themselves that they can be a star in the classroom and in life. We have constant case discussions where everyone's opinion counts. We perform mock trials. We take pre-tests at the end of the chapters where the highest scorers get extra credit. We have class presentations where all the student's applaud their peers. The learning environment should be fun and educational. Many students have approached me to let me know they've gained confidence throughout the course and that their new-found confidence is spilling over into other courses. That is a wonderful accomplishment for a student.
I've found that 'feeding the fire' on something that they're already doing well helps to give them confidence and motivation to improve on what they're lacking.
i try to breK MY STUDENTS INTO GROUPS BEING AWARE of the different personalities in each group. Once they have had a chance to go over the material and present their information to the other students we discuss it as a class. I find that the groups and the individuals in that group are not only motivated by their desire to impress their fellow students with their knowledge but develop a friendly "competitive nature" to challenge the other students to equal or outdo their efforts. As a side bar, I have picked up some "nuggets" that help keep me current with what my students describe as "street creed".
I try to involve the students as much as possible in the classroom. For example, if I am showing them clip art I ask them what type of image I should use as the example.
