Make Class Communicative

One way to encourage your students’ intrinsic motivation is to make class communicative.

Part of the joy of language is using it to communicate. Language learners get a rush when they can successfully translate their thoughts into words and get their points across.

For some students, their goal is communication in business. For others, their goal is to communicate during their advanced studies at an English-language university or college. Still others want to explore the world and will use English to travel and connect with people all over the globe.

The more we encourage our students to communicate in class, the more motivated they’ll be. They’ll see that they’re accomplishing their goals even as they’re learning, and the success and achievement will make them readier to learn.

Make English Practical

People don’t like doing things that are pointless. They want to know that there’s a purpose behind what they do even if the activity is as simple as digging a hole. You can stress purpose in your activities when you keep them practical

Project based learning is great way to keep things focused on reality, since it starts with a true-to-life problem and asks students to solve it. In project-based learning, students work through a series of steps to come to a solution to that problem. This series of steps may include: listing the information necessary for coming to a solution, breaking down the different steps they’ll have to take to solve the problem, gathering the necessary information, coming to a conclusion and presenting their solution.

Forge Relationships

Generally speaking, people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. That’s why forging relationships with your students is so important. Particularly if you’re teaching international students, you may be the only English speaker they see or speak with on a regular basis. Supporting your students is something you need to do before you can motivate them

Give Feedback

Always consider feedback carefully. The right quantity and quality of feedback is important for forging the right relationships with your students.

It’s also great to celebrate achievements on a regular basis. This doesn’t mean rewarding every action your students perform. That type of extrinsic motivation will only serve to demotivate them, or it will feel disingenuous.

Motivating students is a part of every teacher’s job.