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7 Effective Student Motivation Techniques That You Should Know

By: Honey Krumholz As a teacher, one of your most important functions is to motivate your students to explore and learn. Teachers should try to instill in their students, the concept that learning is a lifelong adventure, but it can be a fun, satisfying and productive experience.
We all know that from a very early age, children have an unbounded curiosity and love to explore. Teachers must build and stimulate that curiosity using a variety of teaching methods and techniques to continually motivate their students.
There are many different approaches and tactics that you can use for student motivation but these are my top 7 methods that I have found to be extremely effective.
1. Trust and respect are so important if you want to build a strong foundation with your students. Provide a positive learning environment, show a concern for their issues and problems, an interest in their accomplishments, and hopefully they will show you the same considerations.
2. Allow your students to make as many of their own decisions and have control over what they do and the way they do it as possible. We all like to have a say, make our own decisions and have control of our own lives, so treat your students in this manner as well. (Obviously, you still have the final say). Believe me, this is a great motivational technique.
3. People in general and young students in particular need to feel that whatever they're learning has a useful application in life. So, keep your students motivated by trying to associate anything you teach, class projects, assignments, etc. to a real life situation. The advancement of computer technology,the Internet and applications such as Powerpoint should provide many opportunities to keep your students motivated, involved and attentive.
4. Create a reward system in your classroom and you and your students will both benefit. It's a WIN-WIN situation. Your students will benefit by the simple prizes they can win (fun pencils, stickers, hi-lighters, etc.) or rewards such as free time or classroom parties, and you win by having attentive and motivated students in your class. Of course rewards will differ for students of different ages, but there's always something for everyone. Be sure to remind them that rewards are only given to those that complete their work or assignments and not to those who just participate.
5. Classroom team building activities such as classroom games play an important role as student motivational tools. Other team building activities such as classroom meetings to discuss things such as hobbies, vacation plans, class parties and trips, are great for developing friendships between students and building students' self-esteem. These activities will also draw in your unmotivated students as well.
6. Another WIN-WIN for both teacher and students, is allowing them to help you out with many of the classroom jobs. Young and older students love to help the teacher and offering this as a reward, motivates them to try harder and do better with their work. It's a bonus for you too, since there's less for you to do.
7. Most kids love to show off to their peers, teacher and parents. So let them by displaying their work in the classroom. It makes them feel that the classroom belongs to them and it's great for motivating them to work harder and produce better results. Displaying your students work around the classroom will also create an inviting atmosphere in which to teach and learn.
Let me end this article by telling you of two things you should always remember. First, in order to build student motivation you should always put a positive spin on things. Second, always encourage your students and never give up on them. It's amazing how that makes you feel as well!

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Honey Krumholz has taught elementary school for 33 years. She is currently a college supervisor and mentor to student teachers. She presents seminars on teaching strategies at York University in Toronto. Visit her website and get her effective teaching strategies on a wide variety of topics, for example, different games for classroom motivation.

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