Students' performance and outcomes can be greatly impacted by teachers' use of motivation in the classroom. So parents and instructors who want to help their children succeed in school should be aware of the aspects that affect student motivation.
Why Is Motivating Students in the Classroom Essential?
When children are motivated, their focus and behaviour are maintained, and they have the extra energy they need to complete assignments. As a result, it's useful for extending the duration of some tasks. There are numerous ways in which students' behaviour, preferences, and performance can be influenced by motivation in the educational setting. Motivation, for example:
assisting us in focusing on the things that need to be done,
we can accomplish these things in a shorter amount of time while maintaining our attention for a longer period of time,
improve your ability to focus and reject distractions
our ability to keep and preserve information
Persuade others of the relative ease or difficulty of jobs.
Motivation is the most crucial factor in spurring us to do action. Parents, instructors, and students all have a role to play. The best outcomes can be achieved with the correct blend. Without it, it may be difficult or even impossible for certain people to complete the task.
1. Class and Curriculum Design
When there is order, children thrive; when there is disorder, they struggle. Students feel more at ease when they realise that classes have a set framework and that the curriculum and class materials have been planned in advance.
One of our most basic desires is to have a sense of safety. Students can better concentrate on their studies when those conditions are present in the classroom.
Classes and curricula must be planned carefully by educators if they want to make pupils feel more safe. Preparation for all class materials should begin well in advance. A course or class's objectives might be stated by the instructor at the start of the semester or the class.
Personality and Behaviour of Teachers
The way a student feels about their teacher, whether it's fear or dislike, can have an impact on how they approach the subject as a whole. Students' motivation in school can be lowered if a teacher shows a preference for some students or uses disparaging and degrading language.
The opposite is also true: pupils' desire to learn can be increased by the use of kindness, optimism, positive comments, and encouragement.
3. Instructional Strategies
When teachers employ a variety of instructional strategies, students are more likely to remain engaged in their studies. As a result of this, students are less likely to become bored. Providing the option of working with a certain partner might also be advantageous.
Different learning styles are common amongst the students in a particular class. In order to better fulfil the needs of their students, a teacher should use several teaching strategies.
4) Parental Behaviors and Involvement
The intrinsic motivation of children can be influenced by a variety of parenting behaviours. Among them are:
encouraging the child's interest in the subject matter
by way of getting to know them better and finding out about their day,
actively taking notes,
assisting with the learning of new skills or tasks,
attending meetings with one's parents,
Encouraging the completion of homework or preparation for an exam by children.
Reading is another practise that has been shown to enhance motivation. Reading aloud to and with young children accelerates their progress toward literacy. However, a student's later academic achievement can be determined by their reading comprehension ability.
5. Family Problems and Uncertainty
Motivation can be negatively impacted by a lack of security at home, just like it can be negatively impacted by a lack of security at school.
Children who have both parents in their lives tend to fare better in school. Academic performance can suffer as a result of family strife and instability. Here are a few examples:
divorce,
when one or both of one's parents have passed away
not sharing a home with one's biological parents,
not being able to communicate with one's biological parents,
a pattern of often changing residences,
Therefore, schools may need to provide additional assistance to pupils in such cases.
Interactions with coworkers
As children get older, so does the impact of their classmates on them. Problems and disagreements with classmates can impair a student's self-esteem, raise his or her stress level, and decrease his or her interest in school.
Peer conflicts, bullying, and other difficulties can be avoided by keeping an eye on them.
Proper Instructional Context
Another aspect of the learning environment that has an impact on student motivation is the temperature of the classroom. Schools and colleges have distinct rules and regulations in place to create a certain atmosphere.
Students who thrive in a safe and supportive learning environment are better able to meet their fundamental needs, such as food, and are better able to form good social connections.
There is a correlation between too many classes and a learning atmosphere that is overly serious. Creating a lively atmosphere in the classroom can help students stay motivated and achieve better results. Additionally, making time for recreation and relaxation is a smart move.
8. Ongoing evaluations
In spite of the fact that standardised assessments might raise the bar for academic achievement, they can have a detrimental impact on students' motivation if they are used too frequently and with too much stress. In places like Finland, primary school students do not take any tests. Despite the absence of testing, Finnish children are more successful academically.
In addition, it is normal for pupils to lose interest if assessments are excessively difficult. This does not provide students a sense of accomplishment and eventually diminishes their drive in school. As a result, instructors must experiment with and use a variety of assessment approaches that can accommodate students' varying learning styles. It is necessary to achieve the concept of flow, in which the student is sufficiently pushed but does not find it too difficult or easy. These pupils have shown the most improvement.
Distractions are becoming more widespread in today's children, thus a positive feedback and incentive is essential to overcome them. Military commandos aren't exactly known for their ability to handle stressful situations like these, but a comparable training programme can help students become more aware of their emotions and take control. The US military's VUCA training is a good illustration of how training may help people cope with uncertainty. Covid 19 is just one example of how we need to better prepare our children for the future. When it comes to future benchmarks, adaptability and flexibility will be key.
Finally, the adversity quotient, which deals with life's unexpected events and stress, is high in some people from an early age. When it comes to some, they'll need to be taught from an early age. Exams are like battles for soldiers these days, and our children need to be prepared to do better than their peers.
