Motivating difficult students
It is always a chllenge to motivate students that do not want to be there.
That is one the most difficult challenges we face as instructors. I try to find something the student can relate to that may help motivate them.
Yes, I try to tweek the assignment so that it fits into the realm of the student's world. Once the assignment has personal meaning, then it has relevance to the student.
Sometimes the younger students don't realize how much work it takes to get into a field, I find that it is especially true for creative fields.
This can get them down, but I try to keep their goals in site, and remind them in every class how the work and projects they are doing now will help get them closer to their goals.
Hi Oriole,
What are some of the strategies that you use to keep students focused on their future so they don't get discouraged?
Gary
I try to encourage students who may not have the support at home that they are worth it to get their college degrees. I also think different assignments handed out help keep students motivated to try out new challenges.
I discovered that the good students also need support to stay focused and on the right path.
Yes, it cetainly is. But I remind my students this just makes you one step closer to your goal. All experiences are good experiences; educationally that is!! I try to motivate them to see the bigger picture.
I think students appreciate real world application. It brings the subject matter to life and helps them understand the importance and value of the task. It makes it more interesting if you apply it that way.
I find that to keep them motivated,you must try to keep fresh ideas going back and frth with the students. Start discussions of interest about subject being discussed or do ssomething hands on to get them involved, like taking an item apart to discuss how it works and then put it back together. This will keep them motivated and also give them a sense of accomplishing a task and getting knowledge from that.
When you find what interests the students you can use that as a motivational tool to enhance their performance.
