Teach English in Songgang Zhen - Aba Zangzu Qiangzu Zizhizhou —

A teacher has to occupy many different roles inside their classroom. There is arguably nothing more vital to a student’s success than a teacher who knows how and when to take on these roles in order to grant the students the maximum amount of opportunities to learn English and more importantly, to teach them how to keep learning on their own. A teacher can be a mentor, a leader, a facilitator, a model, or an organizer. However, a teacher’s most important role within the walls of the classroom is being a motivator. Finding ways to motivate students to participate in class and become enthusiastic about learning English not only makes for successful students with better results, it is also extremely rewarding for a teacher. Children, especially teenagers, are often much less motivated than adults in regard to learning. Often, it is not their choice to participate in the class they are taking, but rather, the choice of their parents. Therefore, a teacher must show them how gratifying it can be to learn a new language. A classroom full of motivated students also leads to easier teaching. If the students become motivated enough to take the learning into their own hands, the teacher will have to spend less time encouraging to transition quickly between activites and repeatedly reminding them to pay attention and stay focused. This will ultimately lead to rapid progress among the students in a class and longer-lasting language skills. There are various methods to increase motivation in the classroom. One way is to get the students interested in the topic being discussed or lesson being taught, which leads to higher concentration and participation. For example, a teacher can ask the students questions to find out what interests them the most. Then, the teacher can use this by implementing the class’s interests into activities and lessons and in turn, the students will become more interested in the class and the English language. It can be harder to motivate students to learn language points they will by default find boring, such as grammar. However, by incorporating activites such as role-play or information gaps, these concepts suddenly become more animated and the students become more receptive to them and their applications. Another way a teacher can raise motivation through activities is to supplement workbook practice with teacher-made practice sheets. Adjusting these to the hobbies and interests of a class makes completing language point practice less trivial and more entertaining. Although tests are not typically what comes to mind when thinking of ways in which to motivate students, they are very useful tools when used correctly. If progress tests are administrated weekly, students will be more likely to resist slacking off and focus on improvement. Upcoming tests will also have students often reviewing old material and will make them more likely to voice questions on language points they have not yet fully grasped. Furthermore, the results of a test will motivate all students, from those who did perfectly to others who may have struggled. A good test result always increases morale and pride within a student and may help solve self-esteem issues related to the new language. A bad test result will push the student to focus on their weaknesses, ask more questions in class, and study harder. However, the most important way to use tests to encourage motivation in students is through positive feedback. Even by providing simple comments such as “Good job!” on parts that students did well on makes them feel validated in their progress with the language. The motivation students has largely depends on the teacher. An instructor who always has a positive attitude, compliments good work, and is attentive to correlate student interest with activities will drive the students to respond with the same energy. The more hard work and effort a teacher puts into a course, the more effort and motivation they will receive back from students.