Teach English in Yandian Zhen - Liaocheng Shi

Although motivation isn't always thought of as an essential part of an ESL syllabus, it is a crucial part of any ESL course. Ways to increase and maintain it should be considered regularly throughout the course. Students with higher levels of motivation are more likely to study outside of and beyond the classroom. They will retain more information and try to get more out of activities. When students are motivated to learn they are more likely to associate the class with positive emotions. This not only makes for a better classroom environment, but positive memories of ESL classes mean that students will be more likely to continue their English education after the class is finished. For these reasons motivation is one of the most important aspects of teaching an ESL course. The importance of motivation in ESL courses means that teachers should be aware of possible reasons a student might be unmotivated. This way the teacher can avoid producing those reasons in their own classroom and identify them if they are already there. Students may be unmotivated for multiple reasons. These include a lack of interest in the topic, having other priorities that make focusing on the class difficult, and feeling stressed or overwhelmed in the classroom. Another popular reason for a lack of motivation in students is a lack of confidence. If a student is afraid of failure, they may not want to try at all to avoid that possibility. This is especially common in adults, who are more sensitive to failure than children. However, young children may lose confidence if a teacher is overly negative, as children are typically more sensitive to criticism. It should be noted that adolescents can also be sensitive to criticism and the perceived need to perform due to imaginary audience, which is a characteristic of their current stage of development. Another reason for a lack of motivation is that a student may not see the point of the course. This is more common with younger students, as they are more likely to have been forced to take the class. However, adult English students can also lose sight of the point of the course if it is presented wrong. For example, many adults have a preconceived notion of how the class will be taught. If the syllabus deviates from that idea of a "good" class, they may not think that they are getting anything from the course. Any of these reasons can cause a lack of motivation in an ESL class, and as a result it is important that teachers are able to identify and work past them whenever possible. There are multiple tactics, both preventative and corrective, for increasing motivation during an ESL course. Students who are uninterested in the course can be drawn back in to the lesson with references to their own interests. It can be beneficial to discuss student interests as an "ice warmer" during the first lesson. That way the teacher can incorporate those interests into future lessons. Another way to increase student interest is to do varied activities, all presented with high levels of positive energy. This is especially important with young learners, who need shorter, more varied activities to stay motivated and focused on the lesson. The type of activity at different stages of the lesson is also relevant to motivation. This is the reason why it is recommended that each lesson starts with an Activate stage; a class is more likely to get motivated when they start out with a fun, relaxed activity that gets them speaking in English, rather than flying straight into a Study session on complex grammatical structures. Another way to maintain motivation in students is to combat preconceived notions of the class structure or likelihood of failure. For adult and business students, it can be helpful to explain the purpose of activities in relation to English learning, especially if the activity may be something they won't expect from classes they have previously taken. It is also important to make sure that students don't have unrealistic ideas of what language learning looks like. For example, sometimes students, especially adults, who are learning English as a second language will try to directly translate from their first language. This can actually hinder learning by making it difficult to pick up on the unique flow and idioms of a language. Another way to keep motivation high in the classroom is to focus on what a student is doing correctly rather than only mentioning what they've done wrong. Praise and positive affirmations can keep morals high and students motivated. It's especially important not to single students out in front of a class when making negative criticism. Even when it's constructive, the experience can be demoralizing; it may be better to mention your constructive criticisms to a student in private or during solo work. Motivation can also come from brainstorming reasons for learning English on the board during the first class, fostering friendly competition between students (especially younger ones), and finding ways to work around their personal lives when possible. An example of the last point would be having a student engrossed in a biology project for another class describe that project in English; this way they could do dual work and think through that project through multiple classes while learning new vocabulary relative to their interests. Motivation flourishes more in low stress than high stress environments; make sure students have time and opportunity to prepare before presenting in front of the class. It can be difficult to combat stress caused by personal problems. A teacher can give students extended deadlines or alternate options for work when needed. Any English practice is better than none at all. Above all, be compassionate and supportive no matter what. Although motivation may not be revered as the core of an ESL course plan, it is a crucial component of ESL learning and should be considered during any course.