Why and How to Motivate Students?

motivate students

In a time when a global pandemic is sweeping through nations all around the world, it’s becoming even more and more important to find ways to keep your students going. Motivation is key to making that happen.

 With kids shifting to e-classrooms full-time, many are finding it hard to cope. Add the general anxiety that some might be feeling at the moment which could be brought on by current events. Some of that could be a reaction to how their parents or families are affected by the pandemic. Now more than ever, these kids need your help.

Here’s how you can motivate and inspire the students in your classes at a private primary school in Kuala Lumpur to reach their full potential.

Encouragement Works

Get kids excited about learning by encouraging them. Approval and positive reinforcement from teachers make them enthusiastic about their lessons. By recognizing and valuing their efforts, you make the children in your class feel important. You make them feel they matter and that’s a powerful emotion. It might seem like simple encouragement to you, but they can go a long way to motivating your students not just for a lesson or class. Your words can impact them for a lifetime. With a simple ‘good job on your assignment,’ or ‘nice work on that project,’ you can motivate your students to be better versions of themselves.

Involve Them

If you notice some of your students having a hard time not falling asleep in class, you’ll need to find a way to engage their attention much more effectively. Try involving them in-class activities. Give them tasks. That will teach them responsibility. It will also get them involved, which will improve their engagement levels. Another way you could do this is to ask each of the students to read aloud sections of the class readings. That will give each one a sense of ownership, leaving them feeling accomplished and having done a good job. It’s a small thing, but you’re trying to build up their engagement levels. Amidst a global pandemic, every little thing helps in trying to encourage active participation in your online sessions.

Give Out Incentives

Setting expectations and making reasonable demands don’t always do it. If you want to increase their engagement, an extra push in the right direction wouldn’t hurt. Try giving out incentives. They don’t have to be huge, though. Small incentives can make learning fun. And they can be enough to motivate the students. If you want to celebrate wins, though, you could always award a big incentive to students who stand out or who’ve performed particularly well in your class. Rewards give the kids a sense of validation and motivate them to work with a goal in mind.

 Use Competition

Positive competition can also motivate students to try and work harder to excel in their lessons. Make sure you create an environment that’s alive with friendly competition, though. Try out group games or give opportunities for your students to show off their skills and knowledge.

Change it Up

Sitting in a desk all day for five days a week can take a toll on your students, especially kids who love the outdoors and are transitioning to e-classrooms for the first time. A new setting or watching a film that takes the kids off to the countryside or somewhere they’ve never been can improve motivation too. Test that out to see how it impacts your classes.

 Motivated students to work better. They’re much more excited to learn, and they absorb lessons better. These are just some of the reasons why you’ll want to motivate your students.