Teach English in Liulou Zhen - Jining Shi

Motivation in the classroom flows from the teacher out to each student in the class. It can be positive or negative and can impact the student for many years to come. Respect, authenticity, honesty, vulnerability, genuine concern and communication are vital when seeking to motivate ESL/EFL students. Creating a safe and fun atmosphere in the classroom is conducive to success for the student. Laughter is a key player in putting a tense situation at ease, relaxing and relieving the stress of the moment, letting our guard down and laughing at ourselves. The types of lessons and the materials taught can affect motivation in the classroom. It all begins and ends with the teacher - how we view ourselves, our students, our position and profession as a teacher. What motivates us to prepare the best practical lessons to positively impact the student? Does our motivation come from passion or from money? What rewarding system is used to help motivate students? Motivation is multi-dimensional. Thinking back on my school day experience, I can recall only a few teachers, mostly in high school, who motivated and challenged me to do my best in their classes. Their names are stamped forever on my brain. How much more today is there needed a passion, an intense desire on the part of the English-speaking teacher, to motivate the ESL/EFL student? From my professional experience teaching in both public and private schools, my respect for the students, my own attitude, my desire for their success in my class, my passion for what I was teaching, motivated many to continue in successful learning. My motivation for some, not all, was contagious, infectious. They caught my passion and took it to new levels. On the other side, when I did not respect the students, when my attitude was negative or harmful, my lack of motivation was just as contagious and set them up for failure. I regret these times and have come to learn and understand that the problem was not the student, but it was me and my lousy, judgmental attitude. This disrespect toward a few students affected how I taught the rest of the class. I was the driving force for failing to motivate any of these students to learn and love the subject I was teaching. The teacher’s enthusiasm and excitement for the subject they are teaching can also be a determining factor for the classroom atmosphere. When the atmosphere is one of safety, freedom, non-intimidation, positive motivation, the students learning soars. As a teacher I may be teaching important learning material, but if the atmosphere is cloudy, confusing, intimidating, closed, disrespectful, I might as well save my breath, pack it up and go home. This type of classroom atmosphere will instantly kill any hope of positive motivation among the students. I’m thinking of the two different videos I watched on the unit dealing with ESA teaching methods. One of the things that stood out to me was the atmosphere the teacher created in both videos. One being negative, the other positive, the difference between night and day. One thing I have learned in my years of teaching students in America, is that I want to motivate the student to learn the subject, not motivate them to like me. My teaching, my motivation, my attitude is about them, not me. I am there for them. If I cannot influence and motivate them to learn a new and somewhat scary language, then I have failed. If it’s all about me, I have failed. What a monumental challenge I’m faced with to positively motivate students to learn the English language! The ultimate success or failure of the students I teach lays squarely on my shoulders. What an awesome, humbling and challenging task! Another important factor in positive motivation in the classroom is laughter. I love funny. Not making fun of people, but funny things we do and say. People are funny in any and every language and culture. Situations are funny. I want my class to be a fun class. The more we can laugh, the more fun it will be. I enjoy making fun of myself or doing something silly to get people to laugh. Laughter breaks down many barriers and puts people’s emotional guards down. They relax and can learn at an easier, more natural pace. In the classes I have taught in the past in America, the more the students laughed, the more they remembered. Motivation was at its peak in these classes, they thrived. If the students are laughing or are remembering something that I said or did that was funny, they will come back to class next time with even more motivation to learn the English language. The materials and types of lessons I prepare for the class, are also key to producing positive motivation among ESL/EFL students. Variety, creativity and practical lessons will ignite a desire and passion to learn the English language. Fun games, small group projects, partner assignments, video recording of students, creating a magazine ad or a comic strip, an interview with fictitious or real characters, producing a tv or YouTube commercial, giving a speech on an important student topic, ordering food from a menu in a restaurant, asking or giving directions to a specific place, withdrawing or depositing money at a bank, buying or selling a pet animal, all of these and more are effective motivational techniques I would personally use to teach English to students. A final area of motivation would be to show case the students progress in speaking, reading and writing the English language. There would be an end of the course talent show where the students invite families and friends to watch them shine. Rewards would be handed out at the end of the performance to every student in various categories. The evening would end with an informal dinner. Talk about motivation!