Wednesday, February 22, 2012
behavior
As teachers we encounter many challenges. One very interesting challange is motivation. With good student motivation teaching is a breeze and life is good. If your students think they shouldn't have to be here and learning is boring then behavior problems start. What are some ways to get students motivated in class? How do we turn that frown upside down!!
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I always liked to start my day with a brain teaser; something that really got their minds going. Students knew that if they didn't participate in the classroom discussion then they wouldn't be able to find out the answer to the brain teaser. This was also I great way to control any behavior problems, because not knowing the answer was torture.
ReplyDeleteI've also made my students get up and to a dance, show them a quick video, or give them some music so they could get pumped up for the lesson!
Being a teacher of Special Needs students I often have to deal witht he motivation of my students in a completly different way than a teacher of "General Education" students. I often have to incorporate "reward time" for my students into their daily schedules several times a day in order to keep them working.
ReplyDeleteWith "General Ed." students it basically comes down to figuring out what "IT" is that drives them or makes them tick. I know we as teachers pull our hair out trying to figure that out at times but once you find it things become so much easier.
I have to admit that this might also be an area I find troubling some times as well, being able to find that certain something to motivate my students(or even some of the soccer players I coach for that matter). Too bad it is not just something we can sprinkle on them each day they walk into our classrooms and solve the problem.
I have found that most of my students like a challenge or to engage in competition. If we have been working on an exceptionally hard unit, I like to put a review together as a game of "Connect Four" on the SmartBoard. I usually pit them against each other, boys against girls and the fun ensues. The children know that they will be challenged and they study harder and listen better whenever we play games instead of filling out the typical study guide. Friendly competition is my favorite form of motivation.
ReplyDeleteHands on activities are real motivators. Everybody’s favorite day is lab day as long as you let student’s know that the lecture is preparing them for lab they’re all ears! My goal is to spend as much time as possible in the lab to help make science relevant and fun.
ReplyDeleteI rely heavily on informal assessments. Although I do give standard tests on a regular basis, I make sure to assign plenty of projects and assessments that count heavily toward their grade, but don't rely heavily on memorization and/or studying. For instance, instead of just giving a test on a topic, the students will create or perform something. Not all students are great at taking tests and this gives method provides some diversity. Often times, the students get really excited about projects, whereas they get bummed about tests.
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