About This Lesson
As educators, it can be quite challenging to keep our students focused on the material we are trying to teach them. With so many kids glued to their phones and having their brains rewired by the instant gratification of social media, its no wonder why so many kids are having a hard time staying motivated in class.
However, what I have discovered over the years are some simple tools and techniques that can really help overcome this obstacle:
1. Rewards vs Punishments
While many teachers like to resort to punishments as a way to motivate students, I have learned that the best way to do so is by rewards. Now I am not talking about bribes as I truly believe those only work in the short term. I am speaking of association.
What I do is have my kids talk about the value of education and schooling. Each day, I have a student stand up and talk about why he or she sees the value in school and getting an education. What this does is act as a reminder for them and I find that they align with their own intrinsic motivation which is much better than me having to keep on them.
2. Asking For Feedback
Another great technique I discovered was the important to get feedback from my students about what they want to see happen in the classroom. Very often teachers get so caught up with their own way of doing things that they forget to engage the student.
Sadly, many teachers think they would be giving over control to their students if they did this which could not be further from the truth. Once I get my students engaged and involved, they seem much more interested in what we are doing in the classroom because rather than it being “my class” it is “our class” which means they are much more invested.
So if you invite your students to participate on how the class is run, you will find that they will be much more motivated to learn.
