Top Ten Ways to Motivate Students

Wouldn't every teacher love to motivate students to achieve their true potential? This article gives great practical advice for achieving just such a goal.

Responsible adults, our legacy to our children consists of three things—giving them clear, positive character development traits, an understanding of how to set and achieve goals, and an awareness of how they can take personal ownership for their education. Children need to learn that success takes time; success takes planning and a strong desire; success takes setting and achieving goals; success involves helping others. Below are some thoughts on how to help them.

1. Motivate students by Minimizing “Bummer Words” that can stop you before you start - no, can’t, won’t, never, maybe, and if.

2. Motivate students by Stressing the “I’ll Make It Happen” words: “yes, I can, and I will. “

3. Motivate students by Doing the Basketball Shuffle:

a) Write “It’s in your court NOW” on a basketball.

b) Put the ball in a neutral, yet easily seen, area (i.e. the kitchen) for the first two weeks of the new school year. This signifies to the parent and the student they need to work together to get the off to a good start.

c) After the second week put the basketball in the student’s room indicating in a positive, yet physical way, that the student is in charge of his/her success in school. The student can “pass” the ball back to the parents when asking for help.

d) If the student “passes” the ball to the parent, then the parent must display the ball in a prominent place until the student receives the help he/she needs. They may then “pass” the basketball back to the student.

e) The basketball becomes a fun, visual, and practical way to show the student they have to take an active role in their education.

4. Thank You, Ben Franklin: With your child develop thirteen character traits you want to work on together. This might include honesty, fairness, self-control, etc. Take one character trait each week and concentrate on improving in that area. Agree to help each other improve on the chosen trait. At the end of the week go on to the next character development trait on your list. Continue the process until you complete all thirteen weeks of character traits. Option: Start over again at the top of the list and go through the list again. (Note: This is what Ben Franklin did week after week for fifty-seven years.)

5. Motivate Students by Stressing the Importance of Goal Setting: By learning how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles in the classroom, students will take more personal ownership for their education. When students learn these life skills they will embrace your efforts to help them succeed. Note: No Vision = No Direction

6. Motivate Students by Explaining Accountability is a Two-Way Street: Often we hold the student accountable for doing well in school. As parents, we have to be accountable to them also. If we say we will help them with their homework, and/or raise money for the PTA, etc., we have to make those activities a priority. As responsible adults, we have to model the behavior we want our children to display. It is extremely important to get positively involved with your child’s teacher and school.

7. Motivate Students by Asking The “BIG” Question: At least three times per week have your child write down this question – “Did I give my best effort to today’s activities?” If they answer “yes”, great. Reward them. If they answer “no”, then have them list two things they will do tomorrow to improve their effort. NOTE: It is extremely important that they write the message down because it will imprint those words in their minds. They will learn that they are responsible for the quality of their effort. As a responsible adult, this is an exercise that you should also do to show your child that you want to continually grow and improve.

8. Motivate Students by Stressing The Importance of Helping Others: Our children live in a rapid paced, MTV world where they are bombarded with media messages that define success as “bigger, better, faster,” and “you can have it now – and not have to work hard to get it.” Many of our children are growing up in the world of instant gratification, and shortly they will be entering the world of hard knocks. Help your child learn the importance of helping others.

9. Manage Your Time or Be Mismanaged By It: Let’s say your child starts each day with 24 gold coins – one for each hour of the day. If they knew that at the end of the day, they could keep the remaining gold, how would they “spend” their gold coins? The remaining pieces are theirs to spend any way they like. They do not have to spend them for sleeping, eating, school, etc. The intent of this activity is to encourage your child to think outside of the box, to ponder what is really important in their day. Are they spending their time wisely?

10. FOCUS = VISION + GOALS + ATTITUDE + ACTION These five words will help students grow up to be healthy, productive, caring adults with a good self - image and a positive outlook toward their future.

When students take educational ownership they take personal responsibility to do something meaningful and positive to change their lives. With ownership comes dignity and self-respect. With educational ownership students realize there may be challenges in their path but they will not allow them to become insurmountable roadblocks to their future.