Tools+for+Motivating

TOOLS FOR MOTIVATING STUDENTS
The best way to motivate students is to set up a situation where students feel intrinsically motivated. Here are 5 things to consider when you set out to do this:


 * 1) __Know the needs of your students__: When students are given the opportunity to achieve the goals they want to achieve or that they came to the class to achieve, then they are much more likely to work hard and and enjoy learning.
 * 2) __Allow students to be active participants__: People learn best by doing, so the less lecturing or talking at your students the better. Any learning you want your students to understand should be embedded in activity. Doing, making, writing, designing, creating, sharing and discussing are all possibilities to achieve this.
 * 3) __Help students to set achievable goals for themselves__: If students come to your class with a vision or a goal for their future, help them to set a goal for the class that will take them a step or steps closer to their own goals. If they do not have any goals coming into the class, then help them to set goals. Goals and a vision are important to enjoy the process of learning because a purpose in learning makes it more fun or interesting.
 * 4) __Enthusiasm is contagious__: If you are enthusiastic about the subject you are teaching and teach through what you love, then students will become naturally enthusiastic as well.
 * 5) __Avoid intense competitiveness or dependence on extrinsic rewards__: As much as people would like to believe that exterior rewards are what motivate us, after a while those kinds of things lose their meaning and then what is left? So, games and rewards can be fun on occasion, but the more you use them the more you take away from the longer lasting learning that comes from an intrinsic need. In a way, extrinsic rewards can cheapen the learning. Also, competitiveness can produce anxiety and interfere with students ability to work with others and collaborate in their learning.

Once you have set up an atmosphere of trust, collaboration and learning in your classroom, or while you are doing this, students can also learn skills to motivate themselves:


 * **Set goals**: The easiest way for people to achieve something is one step at a time.
 * **Finish what you start**: If you get in this habit, it's amazing what you can accomplish.
 * **Interact with others who have similar interests**: There's nothing like sharing something you have accomplished with others who have similar goals and interests to you.
 * **Learn how to really learn**: learn to be more and more dependent on yourself and less on others to direct your learning.
 * **Know yourself**: If you know yourself and your natural talents and interests it can make leaning a lot easier when you can relate it to that.
 * **Know what inspires you**: If you can find things that strike a special chord within you, you can use them to motivate yourself to create.
 * **Take risks**: understanding that we learn from our mistakes, and not being afraid to make them is one of the most freeing things in the world. Anything worth learning is worth taking risks for.

// "By focusing on clarifying your thoughts you are better able to set Clear, Concise, goals using the SMART goal setting formula. Your career and your personal life will flourish when you have identified workable goals in each of these categories because you have included only the areas of greatest value to you. Relationship goals, family goals, spiritual goals, physical development goals, health and nutrition goals, financial goals are all area's which you consider in the goal setting process."//