Engaging not motivating
Students come to class with motivation. It is our role to engage students in learning. This will reinforce and enhance their motivation. Student motivation begins with the desire to change or improve their lives. This is one of their expections when they come to us.
Yes they do come motivated often in the begining however no matter how engaging the class is, often the trials of life eat away at that motivation. I think giving them reminders/facts on why they are here both from internet and new sorces is also valuable along with an engaging class.
Engaging--yes! This is so helpful to staying motivated! I also love to remind the students of where they are at in the program....to reflect on where they have been and where they are going. To encourage them to stay strong in the course. To see how this course here and now has its place/relevancy and is important for the next course and their overall accomplishing their mission! To set a personal goal or two for this course and to set out to see them accomplished.
While most students do start out their courses fully motivated, often they begin to lose that motivation as they get further through their courses. It seems counter intuitive that the closer to their goal they get the less motivated the are but that is often the case. Keeping them engaged certainly helps, but they do need reminders often of why they signed up in the first place.
Students will lose their motivation for a variety of reasons. Often time "real life" gets in the way. They realize that it is more difficult than they thought to work full time, go to school, and take care of their family. Or they may start to fall in with the wrong crowd at the school. Really there are so many reasons. It is up to us and all the staff that deals with students to help them to constantly keep up the motivation. They need to keep their eyes on the goal and keep working hard towards it. Even if it is difficult and often tiring to balance their work/school/home life, it will be worth it in the end. Nothing worth doing is easy, and the payoff is well worth the work.
I believe this is true. They should see in the instuctor as an example of success an experience.
