Motivating Students

Match Minis - The Motivated Classroom

Student motivation can be a struggle at times. This short video makes some really interesting points for teachers. First, it points out that if the students know the teacher cares, then they will try harder to please him serving as a motivation. Secondly, it points to the fact that students need to be working towards a goal in order to experience motivation. The goal may be college admissions, honor roll, or simply understanding a concept, but there must be something they are working towards. In the Christian school, it is important to point out that we should be constantly using the gifts that God has given us to work toward His will for our lives. While other things may serve as temporary motivation for Christian school students, this really should be the ultimate motivation.

There were several things in the video that I really liked and hoped you will take note of as you watch. The first was that of posting goals like increasing the class average on a quiz or even overall. The second was acknowledging when someone in the class demonstrates one of the class values. While the teacher in the video acknowledges this through words, I could also see using Padlet or some other type application (sticky notes on a bulletin board might work just as well if there are no technology tools available) to allow the teacher and students to acknowledge these types of behaviors. The third item I really enjoyed was the idea of using things like "Graph y = x² with your mouth" for telling a child to smile. This is a really creative way to make the child think about what is being asked  of him as well as reinforce a math concept.

As the video says "Love the Journey!"

References:
The motivated classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://www.matchminis.org/videos/for-teachers/92/the-motivated-classroom/