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It was not that long ago that I was a student myself, so I know all too well how important motivation in the classroom is! I have experienced excellent teachers who have had the skills to make their class focus on what they are talking about. What is more, they seem to have a knack for delivering information that is memorable. I have also been subjected to teachers who have a wonderful way of lulling the entire class to sleep, in fact there have been times when I have spent the entire hour struggling to stay awake, let alone take in what they are saying. Teaching is an art form, if done well. It is about making the material interesting, ensuring the tone of the class is vibrant and the energy high. It is of course a fine line. I have found that good humour is a great way of keeping students engaged (and awake!) But of course it also has to be relevant, which is why it is such a balancing act. The more a teacher engages with their students, the more they too will give back in terms of interest. There have been a few movies that highlight this phenomenon - just think of School of Rock! I believe that motivating and engaging a classroom of students is one of the keys to successfully teaching - after all I could be outlining some fundamental grammatical concepts, only to find that barely anyone is listening - which would be a total waste of everyone’s time. It is all about taking the students with you on the learning journey which means stopping every now and then to make sure no one is straggling behind or that anyone starts a yawning epidemic! Classroom environments can often be at fault. If the room is too hot, poorly ventilated, badly lit or too cramped, students and teachers will suffer. Taking lessons outside a classroom can often be very beneficial however that of course depends on how many students are involved - small groups are always preferable at any rate. Ensuring everyone is taking in the information requires stopping frequently to ask questions, checking it is not the same 4 people who are always answering and getting everyone to respond or at least react is important. Of course a lot will depend on the ages of the students. Young children will mostly be hankering to be elsewhere whilst adult students - who generally will have paid for their tuition out of their own pocket - will be very keen to learn and therefore participate. With children, introducing games into the classroom is a real winner and when teaching a language this can work really well - it might be more difficult to teach maths or physics this way but languages are perfect for playing all sorts of fun games through to have a good sing along. Finally - I would like to point out - that motivating the students is very much the teacher’s responsibility - get that element right and the rest should fall in place - helping students to love learning is the number one lesson!
