How can we motivate teenagers?
"Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability ... to maintain the interest that brought students to the course in the first place” (Ericksen, 1978, p. 3). Some students in the classroom are inner motivated to learn, some others are not so motivated and need some help from the teacher. That is why it is our responsibility to encourage and motivate them to learn.
Many factors affect student's motivation to work and to learn, as Bligh(1971) and Sass (1989)mentioned : interest in the subject, , general desire to achieve, self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as patience and persistence. And, of course, not all students are motivated by the same, needs, desires, or wants. Some of your students will be motivated by the approval of others, some by overcoming challenges.
One of the Strategies that Teachers must use can be the followings:
- To emphasize our teaching in student’s real needs: Students are really motivated when the learning inside the classroom fulfills their interests. Some of the needs students may have and show them to you, are the needs to acquire certain thing in order to accomplish other tasks or activities they are interested in. Satisfying such needs is rewarding in itself, and such rewards sustain learning more effectively.
To make students participate: working collaboratively with students might be completely helpful for both sides: teachers and students. Teenagers and all students learn better by doing, experiencing, making mistakes, talking, etc. not just by staring at the teacher. They’ll feel they are really participating when the Teachers gives them the opportunity to really give their opinions.
Ask students to analyze what makes their classes more or less "motivating”: As a teacher you need to be aware of students’ interests. As you are working collaboratively you need their opinion in order to improve your lessons and make them motivating enough to your students.
Hold Realistic goals for your students: To set realistic goals is extremely important to keep students motivated. If they have some goal extremely high, the ones that they cannot achieve in a short period of time or they are not qualified to achieve yet, those goals could cause a strong frustration and they’ll feel not good enough so the consequence will be that they are going to demotivate themselves. That’s the reason why we have to set them realistic goals, in order to make them feel capable in achieving their own goals.
Avoid creating a competition environment: We have to avoid students comparing each other’s performance at school. This event causes an inappropriate learning environment and children start not getting along with all their classmates. We know that, as we are working collaboratively, each member of the group need to be helpful and willing to help and tolerate each other. Working as a team can really make the learning process easier and nicer.
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