Ornstein Effective Teaching

Tips for Teachers 1.1

Strategies and Methods for Motivating Students


The teacher has the responsibility to help the learner feel and be successful. Students should not be bored, but be interested in their schoolwork. Below are some basic applications of theories of motivation for producing learner success in school.

1. Be sure students can fulfill their basic school needs.Provide time to discuss academic and social expectations, responsibilities, and behaviors.
2. Make sure the classroom is comfortable, orderly, and pleasant. A student's sense of physical and psychological comfort is affected by such factors as room temperature, light, furniture arrangement, pictures and bulletin boards, and cleanliness.
3. Help students perceive classroom tasks as valuable.Learners are motivated when they believe the tasks they perform are relevant to their personal needs, interests, and goals.
4. Be sure tasks are suitable for students' capability. If the tasks are too difficult, students will quickly become frustrated and lose self -confidence. If the tasks are too easy, they will eventually become bored and lose interest in the work.
5. Recognize thatstudents have different levels of anxieties and need for advancement. Some students need extra time, support, or help because they seem to be unmotivated. Most of this behavior is a defense mechanism brought on by previous failure, lack of stimulation, or poor self -esteem. Other students are reared in environments that result in stress and the need to excel.
6. Help students take appropriateresponsibility for their successes and failures. Students need to be taught they cannot excel in all activities, and students who do not adequately perform in one area can improve with effort and also excel in other areas. Build on the strengths of students; work around (don't ignore) their weaknesses through support and encouragement.
7. Help students set reasonable goals. Encourage students to setrealistic, short-term goals. Discuss the need for planning, and practice, and persistence.
8. Provide variety in learning activities. Changes in instructional activities help students pay attention and renew interest. Younger students and low-achieving students need more variety to avoid boredom.
9. Use novel and interactive instructional methods. The idea is to get students to ask:“Why?”, “How come?”, and “What will happen if I do x, y, or z?" The goal is to get students interested and then to think. Most important, avoid too much “teacher talk”; it leads to a bored, passive audience.
10. Use cooperative learning methods. Get students to participate and work together. Have them work as a team so one student’s success helps other students to succeed. Cooperative learning alsoreduces stress and anxiety, especially among low-achieving students.
11. Monitor students' work; provide feedback. Knowledge of results, notes on homework or written assignments, even nods or verbal, praise are information that students receive and need for purposes of reinforcement and recognition.
12. Provide ways for improving. Comments about skill performance and on how to improve areimportant because they allow students to make corrections, avoid bad habits, and better understand the content of the subject.

CHAPTER 4

INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING

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Pathwise Criteria Relevant to This Chapter

Becoming familiar with relevant aspects of students' background knowledge and experiences. (Al)
Articulating clear learning goals for the lesson thatare appropriate for the students. (A2)
Demonstrating an understanding of the connections between the content that was learned previously, the current content, and the content that remains to be learned in the future. (A3)
Creating or selecting teaching methods, learning activities, and instructional materials or other resources that are appropriate for the students and that are aligned...