Teacher Madness: Part 2
How to Keep Your Students Motivated
In Part I of this teacher madness series, the importance of motivating yourself was discussed when your teaching practice becomes routine, you have low energy, and you need to recharge. You can read more about how to give yourself some Motivational T.L.C. here.
In Part II of this teacher madness series, we will discuss how to keep your students motivated during these times.
Often we forget that our students have times when going to school becomes another stale activity or “boring” to them. The 6.5 hours they spend at school, day after day learning can take a toll on them as well.
The addition of the dark days of winter with bad weather ranging from snow, ice, extreme cold, or constant rain doesn’t help either. The inability to get outdoors or see sunlight throughout the day, depending on your geographic location, can bring a rise in behavior problems.
As Spring approaches, more challenges can appear in the form of stressful state-wide testing needed to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) on your school’s report card.
Focus and motivation take a back seat to learning and it becomes a struggle for students and teachers, alike.
So, how can you keep the learning fresh, exciting, and upbeat during these times?
Give your students some motivational F.U.N. to get them through this dry season of learning and help them make it to the finish line at the end of the school year.
Student Motivational Tip #1-F: Fun Activities and Games
Nothing gets students motivated more than finding ways to make their learning more engaging. Lesson plans with engaging strategies are extremely important.
However, taking that same material you are teaching and presenting it in the form of a game or a fun activity can bring new energy and fresh perspective to the learning, especially during the heavy testing season.
How can you take your math, reading, writing, or content specific lessons and present them in the form of a fun game or activity?
You will be amazed at what you can do with a deck of cards or a set of dice to boost math instruction in a fun way.
Boards games and puzzles are great ways to build reading skills, higher order and abstract thinking, social-emotional learning, and group dynamics.
Integrate interactive technology with your content specific subjects using Kahoot. Kahoot is a game-based platform that can help make learning fun through games and trivia quizzes. Many teachers that I mentor, especially at the middle and high school levels, integrate Kahoot into their instruction.
Student Motivational Tip #2-U: Unannounced Surprises
Have you ever had that feeling of excitement well up in you when you bought something online or at a store and there was a hidden bonus that came with your purchase?
Maybe, it was that feeling when attending a concert or event and a surprise guest shows up expectantly.
Unannounced Surprises can be a great way to change up the monotony in your classroom and stir up some energy in the learning for your students. Here are a few ideas to consider when bringing in unexpected surprises to your classroom.
Guest Speaker: There’s no better way to bring a different flavor into the content you teach than by bringing in a guest speaker to share their view or perspective on the topic at hand. Guest speakers can be people or professionals in the greater school community, within the school itself, parents, and even other students.
Sometimes acres of diamonds are in our very own backyard and often times they are free and readily at our disposal.
Project-Based Learning: Project-based learning is a great way to take a topic of study that you have been teaching on and have students take a deeper dive in learning through a short-term or long-term project. I once found a project-based learning resource online that helped me enhance my teaching of multi-step algebraic equations to my pre-algebra class of high school students with learning disabilities. It helped me differentiate the instruction while making the learning fun and challenging at the same time.
Motivational Quotes & Clips: Just like teachers need a dose of inspiration that centers on “Why” we teach, students need that same encouragement to help them understand the importance of school and their own self-worth and value as well.
Google inspirational student quotes and clips and choose a few to begin or end your classes. Allow time for discussion at the end and let students know they matter and you are there to support them in their journey.
Student Motivational Tip #3-N: New Environment
Our classroom is usually our home away from home and it is for students as well. During dry, unmotivated seasons, the physical environment we teach day in and day out can begin to feel restraining and restrictive to us and our students.
Redesigning the current class environment or temporarily moving to a new space are both ways to motivate and engage student learning in a new way.
First, consider a room redesign that may mix up the groupings and seating arrangements of your students. Some may not like it and others will. Involve them in the process and make it a fun activity.
Have them create a new design for the room. Then, have them pitch their ideas to the class. The best group or individual design wins. You can make the decision or the class can make the decision with a secret vote.
The goal is to engage your students in the process and then follow through with it.
Another way to mix up your teaching is by finding another space to teach in or for the learning to occur. Field trips, if they can be arranged, are great ways to enhance learning outside of the classroom and physical school building.
Within the school building, you may arrange for a class to do an activity in the library, technology lab, or a conference room. If the weather is good enough, perhaps go to the football field, track, or a grassy space outside that can be your classroom for the day or for a portion of the day.
In closing, keeping students engaged when they are experiencing their own “groundhog days” is a challenge we all face at some point during the school year. When this occurs, implementing some motivational F.U.N. can be the remedy needed to spark the inspiration your students need to continue the learning process and finish the school year strong.
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Antoine McCoy is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher working with children with mild to moderate disabilities. He has taught children in all grade levels (K-12) in Public and Private Schools and has worked with homeschoolers. He currently is working as a new teacher mentor supporting teachers, especially those working with students with special needs.
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