Motivational Strategies in Classroom’s Teaching

By Srun Chantha,

Siem Reap, Cambodia (November 14, 2009)—“In what way can I motivate my students to learn and enjoy their learning? How can I make my teaching become successful?” These may be very common questions that most teachers usually ask. To ensure success in teaching, a teacher should be earnestly aware of conditions that facilitate the learning process of students. On one hand, teacher plays a role in setting up physical environment that is pleasurable and comfortable for students to learn. This involves physical conditions in the classroom such as lighting, ventilation (getting air in and out of the room), and room appearance.On the other hand,teacher also plays another crucial role in determining the psychosocial climate that has great influence on students’ learning performance.And this has to do with motivational strategies of teachers to get students involved in their learning process.

To begin with, teacher should encourage learners to be active. In this sense, it means teacher should provide learning environment in which students have more opportunity to interact with one another in classroom thus they will learn better when they feel they are part of what is going on and when they are personally involved. Learning process actually flourishes when there is less teacher control and talk. Teacher should have a balance between Teacher Talking Time (TTT) and Student Talking Time (STT). Teachers should not talk too much otherwise students might get bored listening to teacher talking for the whole session. For that reason, students should also be provided enough elbowroom to explore and internalize behavior that is productive and satisfying. Students need certain a mount of time to express ideas and learn from the other students in the class. Bear in mind that,“learners are not passive receptacles into which the teacher can pour in the right values and answers” (Lardizabal et al. 1991, p. 20).

Another motivating strategy that teachers should take into account is to recognize the individual’s right to make mistake. Certainly, making mistake is an integral part of the learning process. Lardizabal et al. stated, “Growth and change takes place when error is accepted as a natural part of the learning process” (1991, p. 22). Students need the opportunity to explore new situations and ideas without being admonished for mistakes which are fundamental to the activity of learning. In the case that students make errors, teacher can admonish students in an indirect and a positive manner and a teacher has to be careful when correcting. If we do it in an insensitive way, we can to some extent upset our students, damage their confidence or discourage them for the next response.For example, a student studies English and is asked to produce a sentence of past simple. The response of the student may be “I go to Angkor Wat last week.” This sentence is not correct and it is kind of demotivating if a teacher tells the student that it is wrong. Thus the encouraging way the teacher should use is that teacher corrects student’s sentence indirectly by repeating “Oh you went to Angkor Wat last week.” And teacher can continue to ask follow-up question like “Who did you go with?” and so on and forth. If students make correct sentence, the teacher should response positively and praise them verbally for work well done.

Ensure that classroom expectations for performance and behavior are clear and consistent (Skinner & Belmont, 1991). Help students understand the criteria for individual assignments by giving them examples of high-, average-, and low-level work and then providing an opportunity to discuss how each piece was evaluated (Strong et al., 1995).Furthermore, frequently remind students about the course assessment such as attendance, assignment, homework, monthly test, midterm exam and final exam. As long as the students are well informed about this, they will have purposes in mind why they are learning and it makes them have more desire to study.

Make students feel welcome and supported. Most students in particular young adults need to feel that teachers are involved in their lives. Therefore, teachers should take time to get to know students, talk to them individually, and "express enjoyment in [your] interactions" (Skinner & Belmont, 1991). Teachers should offer help if requested by students. Knowing students’ name is of importance to make them feel welcome and motivated to learn. When the teacher calls the students by name to provide answer in the class, they fell that the teacher cares about them and is involved with them. This would cause them to involve in the class activities set by the teacher.

Another motivating method for teachers is to make students have purposes in mind. This can be achieved by the class discussion to alert the students about the importance of the subjects they are going to learn. Usually, this can be done at the orientation day.Teachers at the outset of starting term should spend some time to explain students why they should study the subject and how important the subject is for them. Also encourage students to set their own goal. When knowing the reasons why they should study the subject, they may have ideas in mind to work toward their learning goal.

Promote mastery learning. "When a student completes an assignment that does not meet the expected criteria, give her or him one or more opportunities to tackle the task again, with guidelines on how to achieve the desired result" (Dev, 1997, p. 17).

Tell the students that their assignment needs further improvement and give some future assistance to the students in order for them to succeed their work and task.

Provide homework, task or assignment that students can cope with and relate to their real life situation and ensure that tasks are neither too easy nor too difficult. Successful completion of easy tasks does not lead to a sense of competence of students and the tasks that are too difficult discourage their sustained effort. Thenevaluate student work as soon as possible after project completion, and be sure that feedback is clear and constructive (Strong et al., 1995). Get students to discuss on topics they are familiar with or interested in so that they will be happy to be involved in the discussion and encourage them to look for work associatedwith the subject they are learning. Another important aspect teachers should take into consideration is to break large tasks into a series of smaller goals (Lumsden, 1994). Doing so can prevent students from becoming overwhelmed and discouraged by lengthy projects or tasks.

Evaluate students based on the task, not in comparison to other students. Some teachers publicly compare students with one another, assuming that such comparisons motivate students. Procedures such as displaying students’ grades, showing student assignments, or sharing in other ways the accomplishments of successful students decrease rather than increase the motivation level of low-achieving students.

Have students help with some jobs in the classroom. Having students help with some of the many jobs that need to be done in the classroom will not only make your life as a teacher easier but classroom jobs are also a great student motivational tool. The jobs can include delivering handouts to students, erasing white board, arranging the chairs in the classroom, collecting students’ assignments, helping teachers assemble LCD projector, etc.

Doing unique activities, creating situations where they can work in small groups, creating anextrinsic reward system are other motivational strategies teachers should use. But please keep in mind that the reward system should be treated as a reward for finishing a task not for just participating. Moreoveruse extrinsic rewards carefully. If extrinsic motivators are to be used, they are most effective when rewards are closely related to the task accomplished. Also, rewards should only be given when they are clearly deserved. Giving a prize for minimally successful work sends the message that minimum effort is acceptable, and the reward then becomes meaningless (Brooks et al., 1998).

Teachers should use a variety of teaching techniques that give students alternative ways to learn and at the same time permit a variety of forms of evaluation. Cooperative learning gives students the opportunity to interact and work with their peer to accomplish a goal. Teachers should group students in a way that they can learn from one another. Therefore, teachers should design a variety of classroom arrangements for learning, such as cooperative and individual activities, so that students experience several sources of evaluation and begin to examine their own competence in no threatening ways.

To put it in a nutshell, motivation is really the most important part of lesson. It is a part where you get the students involved in your teaching process. What is more, knowing how to motivate the students will enable teachers to teach effectively. Last but not least, I like to say that in order for the teacher to teach effectively, he or she must learn the effective ways of teaching. Keep in mind that “effective teachers are not born, but they are made” (Lardizabal et al. 1991).

1

BuildBrightUniversity / Srun Chantha