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On Motivation

A primary capability of teachers is to know how to make students feel motivated to learn. When this is effectively accomplished, the teacher will find it easier to introduce more difficult aspects of the subject without losing the attention of the students. This matter has several aspects:

Factors that Demotivate. The first is the need to be sensitive to factors that prevent students from developing an interest in the subject or the class. These factors can be tiredness, personal problems, a negative attitude towards the subject matter, fear, the weather, and many others. As much as possible the teacher must be sensitive to the state of the students at the start of each session, and then try to address as much of these as is convenient or possible. For example, if the students are tired after having gone through three hours of consecutive classes, then an interesting physical activity or a game can enliven them again.

The factors that prevent interest can be mental, emotional, physical, environmental, or attitudinal. An activity or discussion that can address as many of these as possible may help eliminate or resolve these obstructions to the learning session. Here are examples:

•     standing up and doing an exercise
•     a game involving physical movements, such as “7-up” or “Story of the Lion,” so long as it will not disturb classes next door
• a verbal game that will arouse curiosity and emotional excitement, such as insight games like “Black Magic.”

The Use of Fear. The traditional approach in making students become attentive in class and to do their homework is through the imposition of punishment, such as flunking the course, or by embarrassing the student in the class, or asking the them to leave the room if they are inattentive, etc. In other words, the motivation is fear. But this kind of motivation will only make students try to pass the examinations, but will not make the students become interested in the subject. Genuine learning involves love of the subject matter.

The Teacher’s Motivation. A prerequisite to motivating the students is that the teacher must be motivated and interested about the subject matter in the first place. This has at least two aspects:

First, the teacher must have genuine enthusiasm about the subject. Students sense this immediately through the teacher’s manner of speaking, body language, the glow in the facial expression, etc. The boring or bored manner of a teacher while teaching will immediately infect the students with the same attitude. If the teacher looks grim and unhappy when talking about the subject, it is as if the teacher is saying “I too don’t like this subject, but you must pass this course whether you like it or not, otherwise you will not graduate.” It is like taking bitter medicine – you will avoid it if you can. But when the teacher looks happy when talking about the subject, then this feeling is infectious too. The students feel lighter or brighter while the teacher is teaching. When they associate this feeling with the subject, then they become more motivated to learn about it.

Second, the teacher needs to be creative in teaching the subject. Explaining things with words is but one of the many approaches to teaching. It can also be demonstrated, acted out, sung with songs, etc. It can be made fun, challenging, exhilarating, or growth-enhancing. Games can be associated with it. Teach aerodynamics by asking them to make a project that will lift objects when a fan blows into a constructed wing; or the principle of levers or pulleys by challenging them to devise a contraption that will enable one person to lift two students; or trigonometry by asking them to measure the height of an electric pole by the shadow it casts at a certain time.

Besides, enthusiastic teachers are happy teachers. They do not get psychologically exhausted after hours of teaching. They are not even discouraged by the passive reaction of students.

Psychological Self-Reliance. This brings us to a basic quality of effective teachers: they are psychologically self-reliant. They are not discouraged by unenthusiastic students since their eagerness springs from within, and not essentially dependent upon the response of the students. They maintain a passion for the subject regardless of whether others are interested in it or not.

To achieve this state, the teachers must have worked out their own insecurity or low self-esteem, such that they are able to accept themselves as they are.

Rapport. Rapport is a very important aspect in teaching. It links the teacher to the students such that the teacher senses if the students are not absorbing the lessons at that moment.

Sensitivity to the feelings and moods of the students is an important foundation for rapport. Suppose a tragedy happened to one of the students or teachers in school. The mind and feelings of the students will be directed towards the incident, and not on any subject matter. It is helpful if the teacher devotes at least a few minutes of the class time to address this concern first before gently redirecting the subject to the lesson for the day.

To have rapport is to be relevant to the students’ mind, emotions and concerns. To help attain such resonance, the teachers may have to help the students adjust towards the subject at hand by discussing, empathizing or doing some activity.

Such capacity for rapport will enable the teachers to make use of the students’ concerns to generate interest or enthusiasm on a subject. For example, knowing that college students are now beginning to have serious male-female relationships with each other, a teacher may start a class in sociology or history with a discussion of the social or historical consequences of love relationships, such as Anthony and Cleopatra or Abelard and Heloise.

An excellent book on motivating children is Motivated Minds by Deborah Stipek and Kathy Seal. They have well-founded suggestions that shed much light on this subject, specifically the following:

• Grades, prizes and rewards may not be the best approach since they can do damage.
• Children become self-motivated to learn:
•     when they feel capable and skilled, and confident of becoming more so;
• when they have some choice and control over their learning
• when they feel loved, supported and respected by their parents
• Children learn well through play
• Create interest in learning by connecting it to the real world

Enthusiasm and Inspiration

We have mentioned the importance of enthusiasm. We need to add some more words in its relation to inspiration.

Enthusiasm is to be interested in sharing, in teaching. There is an inner energy, a bubbling quality, that emerges from within whenever one talks about the subject matter being taught.

This is intimately connected with being inspired. There is fire in one’s soul. One becomes but an instrument of the fascinating subject matter. Then one infects another soul with one’s enthusiasm. It uplifts and exalts the listener or the student. The fire within the students is kindled. They become self-motivated. The interest comes now from within, rather than from the teacher.

How does one teach algebra? Or history? Or accounting?

• Students for example like to be challenged. They are intrigued by puzzles. Pose to them some challenging situations to solve, and they may spend their entire evening trying to figure out your riddle.
• Tell stories related to your subject matter, even if remotely connected. Your enthusiasm and interest will infect them into becoming interested in the subject matter.
• Let them undertake experiments or projects on the subject, such as sprouting beans, making doorbells, or performing “magic” tricks with chemicals.
• Dramatize a story or a historical anecdote.

Read widely about the subject you are teaching. Find out interesting things about the topic. The possibilities are almost limitless: the story of the Gordian knot (history or language), how a large company collapsed as a result of mismanagement of accounting records (accounting), how compasses were discovered when chariots needed to know where they are going during battles on foggy days (physics), the longest snake known (biology), the fattest human being in history (health), the tallest person in the world (glands and heredity), etc.

Energy Level of Teachers

Enthusiasm and inspiration will be difficult to attain when a person is self-absorbed with problems and distresses. One’s spirit is not free to explore and appreciate. It is bogged down by low energy, conflict, resentment, or fear.

Effective teachers must therefore also learn to be effective in dealing with the multifarious aspects of life. They are not merely good in mathematics or history. They are also good in facing life problems. They should also be familiar with the self-awareness processing of their emotional distresses. They become counselors of the students in many ways, not only in the subject matters they are teaching.