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Motivating students to develop in the target language is rather complex. In many cases, students face difficulties in learning English and can be demotivated to learn. Certain strategies can aid students in adopting more positive attitudes and become more motivated in the learning process. Learners often are not motivated to learn English because of the focus on writing skills with uninteresting materials, dull learning experiences and indistinct links between the course and how it will benefit them in the future. Learning a foreign language involves more than just learning new skills or rules; it involves altering self- imagine and adopting new social and cultural behaviors. It is imperative that students have a sense of clarity and purpose to stay motivated when learning a new language. When students realize that the purpose of learning the target language is not only for studying, but also for effective communication and practical purposes, they are more motivated to learn. Teachers should motivate learners by choosing topics that interest the students and setting up relevant and interesting activities to engage the class. For young learners, playing games and being interactive will be far more motivating than verbal instructions, but for teens, it may be more beneficial to have them relate to pop culture. For Business students, you wouldn’t want to discuss animals at the zoo, but rather focus on topics related to their business. If you follow the ESA lesson plan, it will also aid in maintain motivation. Engage with the students when they arrive in class, openly discuss something relative to what you will be learning today and then give them the time to study and feel comfortable with it. Students who are comfortable with the language tend to be more motivated as well. Group activities can encourage students to communicate amongst each other without putting them on the spot to answer in front of the class. It also allows the weaker students to feed off the stronger students and these activities can increase knowledge, fluency and familiarity with the language. When a student feels more confident, they are more likely to participate and more probable to use the language outside of the classroom as well. Recognizing your students work and being enthusiastic about their participation and improvements is a great way to keep them motivated as well. It could be a good idea to hold weekly awards in the classroom, organize prize draws or post work that was well done on a bulletin board. Depending on the country you work in and what the school allows, you could do field trips as a reward, e.g., if you are teaching a group of young learners about the animals in the zoo, taking them to the zoo to see those animals would be rewarding. The instructor’s attitude and enthusiasm are key in keeping engaged students and encouraging them to stay inspired. If the teacher comes into the class every day smiling and excited to be there and using words of encouragement, the students will be a lot more excited about being there than if the teacher is moody and putting the kids down and using negative dialectal. Moreover, the best technique to motivating students is to put them first. Engage them in setting their own goals for language learning and provide activities for practical and relevant purposes. Only through maintaining a motivational and happy environment will students be successful in both their academic and personal lives.
