I have found many effective ways to motivate students toward high academic achievement. I believe the most successful lessons first of all ensure that all students get involved with the activity. Planning reinforcement activities is also essential. Planning a variety of open-ended activities is also important because it allows students with different skills to demonstrate their abilities. I also motivate students by making the learning process fun. In my classes students often plan and present skits, write and perform poetry or raps, play educational games, debate and discuss dilemmas, and often have the opportunity to collaborate with one another. I also familiarize myself with television programs and music students are interested in so I can use the structure of some of these programs or song lyrics to create a class activity that more readily engages my students.
If I see that a student is struggling, I also am sure to discreetly convey my concern to the student and offer to meet with them to provide extra instruction. I have found that conveying my sincere interest in the progress of unmotivated students has helped them understand the importance of applying themselves in my class. A final method I use to motivate students is incorporating technology into my lessons as much as possible. I have found that students are much more interested in writing an essay or researching a topic if they are able to use the computer to do so. I have also designed assignments that require the use of technology. For example, I planned a lesson on the importance of World War II leaders where students had to create mock Facebook pages for these leaders. Allowing students to use technology were familiar with was successful in motivating them to do their best. Almost all of my students went above and beyond the requirements for the assignment because they were interested in technology and also because the assignment was open-ended. Students had the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and demonstrate their high academic achievement.
