The ways of motivating the unmotivated pupils

Unmotivated and uninterested pupils certainly affect the latters’ learning as well as shake their chances of succeeding in life.

As teachers we are tasked to ensure that not one of our students develops this kind of attitude in class.

By continually reminding ourselves that a huge part of success in education, and in life for that matter, is the students’ drive to achieve and succeed, we can help them fight boredom and insolence.

The following are three of five motivational ideas that you can implement in your classroom to boost your students’ drive to be successful.

1. Publish pupils’ works. Seeing one’s work in print or posted on the Internet as part of a classroom website can be truly motivating. This will allow pupils to have a goal to work towards and they can see and share the results of their hard work with others.
2. Use Supporting Material and Props. Bringing manipulatives and props into the class can be truly motivating. Some history teachers have been known to dress up as characters from history like Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt which is always fun for pupils and teacher alike. However, even just bringing in items like foreign money that can be passed around or posting pictures around the classroom about the topic at hand can be interest building for pupils.
3. Provide Specific Rewards pupils Can Work Towards. Come up with one or more rewards that pupils can work with. Maybe you agree to allow them 10 minutes of free time on Fridays or you will provide them with popcorn during the next lesson specific movie. Whatever it is, come up with what the students need to do to achieve the goal and stick to your plan.
4. Provide Choices for pupils. Whenever possible, allow pupils to have some choice in what they are learning. For example, if you are having the students write an essay, you might give them a couple of broader topics to choose from so that they can pick something they are more interested in. Another area of choice can come in the method of presentation for projects. The pupils may choose to create a website, a PowerPoint, or a song. The ability to demonstrate learning through choice and a variety of methods can be very motivating for students.
5. Have pupils Work towards Individual Goals. Have pupils come up with one or more specific goals of what they want to achieve in your class. You can attach a grade to these goals in terms of how much effort they put into achieving the goals.
6. Get pupils Involved in Contests. Find contests, publishing events, scholarships, and events that pupils can participate in and work towards outside of the classroom. Maybe you have all your pupils send a submission for a story to a local magazine. By connecting what you are teaching in the classroom to something that carries real world rewards, you can help increase pupil involvement.