Motivating Students

Teaching is challenging because a teacher does not only teach students but also motivate them to participate learning and to succeed. It is not an easy task because not all students are well motivated to study. In my class in Indonesia, I often find out that only a few students speak English in the classroom while other students are unresponsive. However, it is not fair to blame the students for the unsuccessful learning. I realize that the students’ minor participation in learning English can also be caused by inappropriate techniques, activities and materials applied by the teachers. Therefore, I reflect on my teaching techniques, the materials I use, and the activities I apply and make some improvements in order to encourage my students to be active. I work hard and I do not want to give up teaching them because it is my responsibility to facilitate them with enjoyable and meaningful learning. I have to be a motivator for my students.

Actually, there are many ways a teacher can do to motivate students to engage them into learning such as giving reward, compliments, encouragement, innovative teaching techniques and activities so that students will not feel bored and frustrated. That is why being an ILEP fellow is beneficial for me because I get loads of ideas especially on how to apply methods and techniques in teaching and motivating students. It is fantastic because I get things that I really need as a teacher that I have been learning from lecturers in Host University and my partner teacher in host school where I am doing internship program.

As an ILEP fellow, I have been doing internship at Statesboro High School for about two months. My partner teacher is very smart, great, talented, loving and caring teacher. She can present the lesson well and she is a good storyteller as well. In addition, she is also good in managing class and she is even good in handling students. I am sure I can learn much from her about techniques and classroom application in teaching English as well as encouraging and motivating students.
She motivates students by giving rewards such as giving candies, ice cream, and chocolate. When the students feel tired and bored to go on learning activities, she usually wakes them up by taking some candies and distributes them to students. To motivate students to do assignment on time, she sets the timer and the students have to get things done when the timer rings and the fastest student will get rewards and compliments which can motivate them to do better.

When students have problem or do wrong things, she usually advises them softly by not discouraging them. She does not scold students rudely using high tone of voice but she sits face to face with them and speaks with them just like their mother advising them. She always emphasizes students that they have to study well and pass the exam with flying colors. By doing so, students will get better job in the future, they will get more money, which will become incentive in their lives. Sometimes, if students do not do the right things in the class, she tells students that she will call their parents. This action will stop students for not doing mistakes anymore in the class.

She told me that she also motivates students using game, music and songs but so far, I have not seen these activities in the class. I expect her to do these activities in her future classes. Once, she played movie of “The Pursuit of Happyness” and the students felt excited. After watching film, she assigned them to write journal about it. To motivate students to come to class on the next day, she did not play the whole movie at once but she played it in three sections, which took her three days to play it.

As mentioned above, many ways a teacher does to motivate students in learning. It much depends on the character of teacher and students. Using different techniques in teaching is one of the ways but unfortunately, I found my partner teacher applies the same monotonous techniques everyday. She delivers lesson by lecturing without pair work or group work. Students keep sitting at their desk until the end of the class and no discussion or debate activities. I also saw students sleeping during the class and she usually wakes them up by tackling their faces with a tool made of feathers. Even, one of the students complained her by saying why they had to do the same thing every day. However, she is a great and wonderful teacher who can manage the class well. I know every teacher is unique and has different ways of teaching. I have been learning a lot from her.

Consequently, teaching is complicated because it does not only include teaching the lesson but also motivating students. It is not a piece of cake, which can be done in simple way, but it requires experiences, skills, and hard work of a teacher. Teacher’s attitudes, behaviors, and characters also play important role in the success of motivating students, which blend together with emotional intelligence. By having these potentials, a teacher will be able to motivate students successfully in different ways.