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Motivating Your Learners. Trainers: Ingrid Khourchid and Claire Ross. Overview. Establishing need in the learner Achieving motivation in the classroom Dealing with difficult behaviour. What motivational problems do your students have/ do you have with your students?.
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Motivating Your Learners Trainers: Ingrid Khourchid and Claire Ross
Overview • Establishing need in the learner • Achieving motivation in the classroom • Dealing with difficult behaviour
What motivational problems do your students have/ do you have with your students? Think of language, skills, topics, activites etc
Can you remember a teacher who made a lasting impression and motivated you when you were young? What characteristics did he or she have? What were you like as a child?
“Teachers need to demonstrate that they can empathize with the concerns and preoccupations of their learners but without condescension and without themselves trying to be teenagers or young learners.”
My learners are motivated because • they want impress their friends. • they want to be praised by their teacher. • they want to go to an English speaking university. • they want to pass the school year. • they want to understand films, surf the net, listen to music
Mariam’s story • “ I studied English for six years in school. By the time I left school. I still couldn’t speak it. A few years later when I moved to Singapore with my husband, I started to study English again. Within a few months. I became quite fluent.”
Sami’s story “I fell in the river when I Was walking home one day. I learned to swim in ten seconds!”
Is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs relevant to the classroom? Think about your learners’ fundamental needs: Physical, security, social, self-estemm
Meeting learners’ basic needs Learners’ need to feel: physically comfortable. safe, both physically and mentally. they belong in the group. activities are appropriate to level, culture, environment.
Where does motivation come from? • Extrinsic The external goal (eg getting a good grade on an exam ) is the driving force
Where does motivation come from? Intrinsic The internal motivation (eg being curious and actively engaged with the language) is the driving force.
Achieving motivation in the classroom Do you think… • the teacher should set targets that are easy or difficult to achieve or somewhere in between? • learners respond best to having a set routine in lessons. a routine which is occasionally broken or lots of variety? • learners respond better to cooperative or competitive games? • learners can be motivated using the same strategies?
Achieving motivation • Selecting suitable materials including adapting the course book where necessary. • Establishing good rapport with and between students. • Fight sleepiness not sleepy students. Relate topics to country Make task authentic eg project activity If topic material inappropriate, DON’T use it Use SS names frequently Give frequent praise Vary interaction patterns Look for ways of including movement to increase attenttion span
Every problem has a solution • Read your assigned motivational problem and task • With your partners think of and write useful classroom ideas • Work with your new partners to exchange ideas
What is a discipline problem? “any action that undermines the cohesion of the class”
Reasons for discipline problems • Boredom • Lack of interest in the subject • Lack of motivation to learn • Peer pressure to misbehave • Lack of respect for the teacher
This stage involves conflict within the group and its leader. This conflict is perfectly natural and it is only after it that the group cam get to the performing stage in which all the best work is achieved Group Dynamics Theory Forming Storming Norming Performing Mourning
Why do some students simply “switch off”? • Someone else is answering • Another group is giving feedback or presenting • They have answered their question and then teacher goes on to ask questions in a predictable sequence around the room • A question or task is too easy or difficult
How can we keep students engaged? • Cross check answers around the room • Nominate rather than ask students to raise hands • Capture your students’ attention with your eyes, voice and posture
Thank you all for attending Go well