[Artemiza]

Hi guys!

I got a questions that's really burning my mind...

When it comes to motivation, to what extent it depends on the teacher to motivate students to learn?

I'm teaching teenager student in a junior high school... they're just don´t care for the English class :S they dont even want to make the minimun effort to understan what im trying to teach them, they just say "I dont understan" "I dont know English" and they close their mind...

What can i do??

[EngliPatrick]

Get a hammer and crack their head open...their mind will be more open after that!

Or, you can find out what they like outside of class and try to turn those things into some type of English activity in the classroom.

[home alone]

Quote Artemiza

Hi guys!

I got a questions that's really burning my mind...

When it comes to motivation, to what extent it depends on the teacher to motivate students to learn?

I'm teaching teenager student in a junior high school... they're just don´t care for the English class :S they dont even want to make the minimun effort to understan what im trying to teach them, they just say "I dont understan" "I dont know English" and they close their mind...

What can i do??

i have the same problem and do not know what to do

[missdolly]

It is the teacher's duty to explain why the students are studying. If students know the reason and value of studying, they will be more motivated.

[Eric18]

Learn more about your students, and tailor your lessons to their interests, needs, and ambitions.

How? Here's a simple, classic technique.
Ask a question on the attendance sheet every day.
What is your favorite movie?
What was the last song you heard?
How do you deal with stress?
What's your ideal vacation destination?
Can you share a personal slogan?
What's your favorite English word or expression?
Who speaks the most fluent English in your family?
Where will you use English in two years?

Sometimes, naturally, I use the attendance sheet to re-enforce classroom lessons. How will you improve your rough draft? What is a mistake that you will avoid in your next presentation? Please share three academic verbs, etc.

Finally, I would suggest allowing students to help create the course content. For instance, you require they read an article in English from a magazine, newspaper, or website. You choose a minimum length, and establish a simple worksheet. Ask them about the article (author, source, length, date), the main idea, and why they chose it. You could add 5 new vocabulary words, and ask them to evaluate the article. Give the students a chance to share their article in small groups as you circle the class checking their homework.

Will this technique always work? No. But it tends to be quite effective with high school, college, and adult students. Give them space to bring their interests, passions, and concerns into your classroom.

As Erich Fromm, a great 20th century psychologist and social critic, noted, "education is helping the child realize his potentialities." Learning English sometimes opens new doors - both physical and psychological.

[ozlemezo]

We are the ones...

It is really teachers' duty to be able to draw the students' attention. They are students and always try to avoid responsibilities such as making an effort to pay attention to what we are saying. If they are so insistent in this behavior, so why dont we insist on our duties and make the lessons enjoyable to them? we should make use of flashcards, games, even the rubbish that they love to spent time with. It is just that easy to draw their attention ; to make use of what they like and to embed them in our teaching methods as a game, as a dialogue, as a picture or as an activity with role playing or sth else.. It is just up to our desire for teaching and creating the natural desire for everyone to learn.. This is why we are teachers and why we have the power to change the world..