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Motivation
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Wed, 03/11/2009 - 07:34
Let's begin by defining what we teachers mean by the term "Motivation"? What does this word mean to you as an EFL teacher?
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 07:31
#2
I agree with you and I think you have mentioned a very important point which is that we teachers should be motivated to encourage our students and motivate them. This teacher motivation is contagious. It will start a fire in our students so to speak. And it is a first step toward learner autonomy. Rania
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 09:06
#3
Yes, also engagement is another key word. I have often seen conservative teachers putting all the blame on students for being low motivated but it is not only students can not learn or they do not want to learn because they do not find the subject relevant to their lives& needs, or not enjoyable at all. This brings me to another important point: the prior knowledge of students...
Sirin
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 12:14
#4
I think we should try to meet students' learning abilities.
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 12:55
#5
hi there ... I reckon there are two ways to be motivated
intrinsically - something within you which wants to do something, there is an urge and a passion which keeps you going against all the odds
extrinsically - you get something concrete like a certificate/a grade/praise .... this also motivates some bods
the former is the most powerful and it's our job as teachers to find what makes our students tick re. ELT ... what's in it for them? Cos for most the thought of a future job just isn't in their immediate horizon ...
what do you think?
bfn, W:)
Sat, 03/14/2009 - 10:57
#6
Dear Wendy
I share your vision of motivation and agree that intrinsic one is more powerful, but sometimes external one, eg, need in passing an exam or credit can play a greater role or sometimes even wake up an intrinsic one. That is why one of the teacher's task is to be aware of the both of them and to find a balance between them. How do you think:
What ways can be used for this?
Sat, 03/14/2009 - 13:57
#7
Dear Wendy, dear all,
I strongly believe intrinsic motivation is the strongest of the two (extrinsic/intrinsic). This kind of motivation becomes a part of you in a way, and it makes you learn for the pleasure of learning. If a student is intrinsically motivated, his possibilities of succeeding in what he's doing will definitely increase.
As to extrinsic motivation, what I read made me think of a quote by E.M.Forster:
"As long as learning is connected with earning, as long as certain jobs can only be reached through exams, so long must we take this examination system seriously; if another ladder to employment was contrieved, much so called education would disappear, and no one would be a penny the stupider"
Would there be a decrease in motivation if students didn't have to learn in order to get something concrete (certificate, job, money....)? What do you think?
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 13:28
#8
Hi Wendy, I agree with you, intrinsic motivation is more effective in the long term. Also rewards and punishment can be negative factors in developing intrinsic motivation. Engaging learners in the topic, bringing real life issues to the classroom, creating interactivity and telling them the benefits of the activity/task are what we can do. Btw, when you click here, you will see learning pyramid which states how we best remember.
Sirin
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 14:47
#9
Hi! My name is Silvia and I am one of the moderators of the forum "Testing, Evaluation and Assessment". I am very interested in your area as well so I will be frequently poking my nose into this forum, if you don't mind :). I fully agree with your contributions, especially with what Sirin said about motivation and engagement.
Motivation is a key aspect for many special interest areas, I believe.
I left a quick comment on my forum about the relationship between "testing, evaluation and assessment" and our students' personal motivation. I would be happy to know what your ideas about this topic are, according to your experience.
Silvia.
Thu, 03/12/2009 - 22:40
#10
Hi Silvia,
Welcome to our forum. We can also explore alternative assessment approaches over anxiety and stress in traditional testing when you start a discussion forum under Testing&Assessment.
Sirin
Fri, 03/13/2009 - 13:46
#11
Dear Sirin,
It would be interesting and stimulating to explore the theme you're suggesting.
I'll start a new disussion forum under Testing, Evaluation and Assessment in a minute.
I'll meet you there!
Silvia
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 20:54
#12
Dear all,
We have discussed teachers' motivation and autonomy; students' learning abilities and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation so far. Adding my personal reflection, what do you think are the key ingredients of an enjoyable and memorable lesson, when you think of learners' and teachers' motivation?
Sirin
Sun, 03/15/2009 - 22:09
#13
Hi all;
Infact it's the main goal for all the teachers to create an enjoyable envorinment in classroom!If you can make it enjoyable, it will also be memorable automatically. All the students will enjoy the lesson so they will be motivated..Even they will be sorry when the lesson ends. According to this idea, let's think how can we establish an enjoyable lesson! In the light of my experience, I realized that if the students feel free to communicate with the teacher, lessons are more enjoyable! Let the students speak..Another aspect is;if the students are self-confident in class, they participate the lesson and lessons become more attractive.Here the teacher is very effective, in order to feel them self-confident. And then the topic of the lesson is important..It should be related to real life and especially from the student's world..By this way the students can comment easily and they don't feel far to the subject..The materials that the teacher uses are also very addictive.They immidiately ataract the student's mind..
We can add many many more but I think these are the most important points..
Angellotti
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 10:42
#14
You are absoultely right. We should allow our students to talk. Not only that but we also should give them enough space to think and formulate opinion about the content of what they learn. I mean ideas. rania
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 11:03
#15
Keeping TTT, teacher talking time low really increases rapport because then teachers will listen more. Sirin
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 12:13
#16
Hi Sirin, Rania and all,
Teachers should be invisible just orchestrating, guiding, facilitating tasks . All the learning must be done by students themselves. What do you think??
Rachid (moderator of Literature, Media & Cultural Studies Area.)
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 20:15
#17
On one hand I agree with you Rachid..Teachers shouldn't be the center of learning but they should be 'at the center' of teaching! They should guide the students calmly in order to feel them participate the lesson easily.By this way students can be more creative and they can take part in learning..I believe this kind of learning is always more permanent!!
Esra..
Tue, 03/17/2009 - 21:02
#18
Hi all!
I believe that all depends on what age/level we are teaching+ the nature of the lesson+ how far the student is familiar with it, etc...! Let's not forget that there are times when SS should be receptive but at other times they should be productive (that applies to the teacher as well)
Imagine a conductor stepping onto the stage finding that (his/her) musicians don't have the instruments needed...!
Cheerio;)
Tarik Boussetta
Wed, 03/18/2009 - 02:41
#19
Hi Isra, Tarik and all,
Good teachers in my opinion are those who provide their students with the adequate tools and let them do much if not all the learning / teaching. Rmember the chinese adage saying in this respect: "Teach me how to fish but do not give me everyday a fish". As teachers, we ought to train our students to completely rely on themselves. Today , we are with them, but tomorrow none is going to be with them. They should be involved in a risk-taking process so that self-autonomy can be realised. Make students feel that they are responsible, mature and reliable and believe me few of of them will disappoint you.
Yours,
Rachid
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 23:11
#20
We always talk about students' motivation. Teachers can also have low motivation, what do you think? I don't like the image of that pretty good teacher all the time. Isn't there any space for teachers to be disappointed, unhappy, tired, hungry, slow or sleepy? Well, I just be sincere.
Sirin
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 10:57
#21
I agree with you. We are human beings after all!!! But what I mean is that some teachers are always unmotivated, uninterested, and burnt out. This is the image they portray and unfortunately this is contagious and conveys negative vibes. My friend's son reported that his teacher "never smiles" and "doesn't care". It is Ok if we have a bad day or two, but not all days are bad days!!!
Sun, 03/29/2009 - 16:02
#22
Hi Rania,
I totally agree with you. Unmotivated teachers would slow me down. Last year I met some primary school teachers who had never sang a song or played a ball game in their classrooms before. This is really interesting.
Sirin
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 17:22
#23
Hi, I also agree with you. I think motivation in the teaching-learning process is a positive attitude of the individuals who belong to it. It is very important to know what goals want to achieve our students for us to apply the correct teaching strategies, but it is also important for us as teachers, to find out the way to be motivated. I think if teachers are unmotivated, students will also be. We transmit our negative attitude to the others and I believe that routine is one of the reasons why we sometimes show a lack of motivation. Jained
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 00:13
#24
Hi,
I have been following this interesting debate and I have to say that I agree with most of your thoughtful opinions. I strongly believe one of the most important pillars in education is Motivation. Without motivation, whether is intrinsic or extrinsic nothing can be achieved.
The truth of the matter is that most teachers do their best to seduce learners with interesting material and thoughtfully worked lesson plans. I would deliberate lie, if I don't say that at the end of my lesson I hope to see some light of knowledge in my learner's eyes. In order to achieve this, I do my best to motivate my students to feel interested in the lesson by offering something that would suit their needs. But furthermore, I have to recognize motivation is something that runs deeply in the mind of the learner. Sometimes they have it and sometimes is just not there. I guess this happens because motivation only exits if the learner has a reason for attempting to acquire a second language. This leave no doubt about how important is how learners see themselves as a person and a learner. If he feels he can learn, chances are he will succeed in his efforts. If he feels he can't, he won't learn. Remember, we all come from different walks of life.
From my teaching experience, I believe is also crucial to value and appreciate how important is to motivate ours learners to believe in themselves. One good method is by energizing their behavior with security, identity, a sense of belonging, purpose and personal competence. (Mallow's Pyramid). Just imagine how highly significant is for any learner's performance if the teacher acknowledge the student with positive attitudes and a "Yes-You-Can" spirit.
If a child's self-esteem can be enhanced, any type of motivation will ignite his desire to learn more.
Cheers
N.B.
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 10:45
#25
In an attempt to encourage students to read and write, or work through any suggested task, we as teachers need to set up with our learners a number of common goals and objectives. This will ensure their responsibility for what they are attempting to learn, a first step toward learner independence. However, we as teachers need to extend our role into a wider one of being guides, leaders, and advisors. The old belief that teachers impart all knowledge is no longer valid, as our role has evolved and should now focus on providing strategies to enable students to handle new tasks. This would also require us to organize and manage well the class learning environment. As a first step, teachers need to encourage peer respect, especially student opinion. Students need to listen to others. In this way, we can gradually encourage student self and peer evaluation. Rania
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 15:09
#26
Hi Nat,
Your saying "Yes-you-can-spirit" reminded me a classroom activity I always play with students. The name of the activity is The Death of "I can't" by Raffini, J. 150 Ways to Increase Intrinsic. Here are the steps:
The Death of "I can't"
Aim: to build the feelings of competence in students and create intrinsic motivation
Procedure
1. Write the statement "I can't" on the board and ask students to take a clean sheet of paper. Ask the class to write out all the things that they can't do by using the "I can't" statement. Give the students several minutes to write all the things they can't do.
I can't speak English
I can't stand my brother
I can't concentrate on the lessons
I can't motivate myself
2. When most students finish their writing, ask them to put their lists in a small box on your desk. Close the box and tape it shut.
3. If you are doing this on a sunny day, instruct the class to leave everything on their desks , to be as quiet as possible and to follow you.
4. Keep the group moving to a remote area of the school property where you previously dug a small hole. When the
class arrives at the hole, ask them to form a circle. Place the box in the hole and then read a prepared eulogy to the following:
"Ladies and Gentleman, we are gathered here this morning to bid a farewell to a dear friend, someone whom we have grown to love and trust over the years, whose companionship we will miss dearly. It is with great sadness that we bid this farewell, for our lives will never be the same again. Yet, as sure as night follows days, our lives must go on and we must learn to live without our dear friend. Goodbye, "I can't."
Remark: As the class continues with its regular schedule during the next few days "I can't", when confronted with a new assignment or task, all you need to say is, "I'm sorry, he is not with us any more".
Enjoy,
Sirin
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 15:38
#27
And,
I would like to quote the example of horse taken to the river to drink, "unless he is willing to do his part (lower his head to reach the river and take in some water), the horse will remain thirsty. Here we may add that the project will also fail if the horse is not thirsty at all. In other words, motivation is prerequisite for learning and responsibility development". Scharle Agota, Learner Autonomy.
Sirin
Sat, 04/18/2009 - 06:34
#28
Fully agree with your quotation on horse (I also keep it in my mind), but can we as teachers create something special to encourage 'this horse' to drink the water, i.e. to learn English, even when s/he is not thirsty?
I think it may be possible. Why not to show that 'the water where the horse was led' is tasty, sweet etc.? Why not to put the tasks motivating use of English and as the result encouraging learning? Or to create friendly atmosphere in the classroom to encourage sharing and learning?
Sure we as teachers can contribute to our learners' desires and motivate them to learn, but how? Do you agree that here much will depend on the learner type and his or her learning style?
Students are not all motivated in the same way, so it is our job to analyze expectations, set goals, vary methods, reward, feedback and follow-up; therefore, teachers' motivation is crucial, at that point. Students would respond to a well-organized teacher. A motivated student would be enthusiastic about learning by inspiring and challenging teacher in the same way.
Sirin