Students' motivation

Motivating students is a real challenge for teachers; however, setting the stage for learning by creating a positive environment constitutes the clue to success. Students will be more receptive to learning when they feel good about themselves. Here are some tips to let each student know how special she/he is and to reinforce desired behaviour.

On one hand, students will be aware of how special they are if teachers recognise students for: helping a classmate; making a new student feel welcome; cooperating; treating others with respect; keeping an orderly workspace and following classroom rules consistently among other things.

On the other hand, teachers can reinforce positive behaviour with the following privileges: sitting by a friend during a lesson; choosing a classroom job for the week; being first in line for a day; designing a bulletin board; choosing a game for the class to play and sitting at the teacher's desk for a day among others.

At this point, it is interesting to explain carefully some techniques that will maximise appropriate behaviour in the EFL classroom:

• Motivation by letter. Entice your students to be on their best behaviour with this teamwork approach. Begin by selecting specific behaviour that needs improvement. Then, as a class, decide on an incentive for reaching the goal. Use graph paper to spell out the reward in large block letters; e.g., 'GAME DAY'. Post the graph paper in a prominent location. Each time you notice a student displaying the target behaviour invite him/her to colour a squareon the graph lettering. When all the letters are coloured, celebrate with the reward.
• Funny money. Cash in on good behaviour with this motivational idea. At the beginning of each week, give a funny-money pattern to a different student. Give the student a black marker to design the funny money of the week. Duplicate a supply of the money to use as rewards, for good grades, appropriate behaviour, completed assignments, or improved handwriting. At the end of the week, let students 'spend' the funny money they have earned to purchase stickers, small treats, or special-privilege coupons.
• Instant awards. Keep a supply of little awards on hand to recognise individual achievements. Using coloured paper, make up different kinds of awards and duplicate them. Each day, place several of the awards in your pocket or on the corner of your desk. When you spot a student demonstrating good behaviour or trying his/her best at a task, present him/her with an award to show that you appreciate his/her efforts.
• Blooming good attendance. Motivate students to maintain good attendance with this blooming good idea. Draw a flowerplot in the bottom corner of your chalkboard. For each day that your class has perfect attendance, draw a flower in the pot. At the end of two weeks, reward the class with two minutes of free time for every flower in the pot. If desired, adapt the idea to reflect a holiday or seasonal theme, such as feathers on a turkey, cherries on a tree, or eggs in a basket.
• Quiet as a mouse. Encourage students to work quietly with this soft and fuzzy incentive. Collect a supply of small stuffed animals, or invite students to bring them from home. When it is time for students to work quietly at their desks, allow each child to place one of these silent, stuffed friends on his/her desktop. The stuffed animal may stay on the desk as long as the student remains quiet and on task. When the assignment is complete, the student returns the stuffed animal to the shelf until needed again.
• Orderly desk incentive. Keeping desks neat and orderly is a task that is easy overlooked in the busy course of the school day. Make sure that the desk situation stays under control with a weekly desk inspection. Inform your students of the day you will check for neat desks, and remind them to have their desks neat and orderly by that day. Then choose a time when the students are out of the room and inspect each desk. It if is in good shape, tape a 'Clean Desk' banner to the desk. When students come back into the room, they will be eager to see whether they have earned the special award.
• Good-deed deputy. Encourage your students to look for their classmates' positive qualities with the help of a Good-Deed Deputy. Each day assign a different student to be the deputy. Throughout the day, he must be on the lookout for students who are doing their best work, helping other students or performing good deeds. Give the deputy a special notebook to jot down each occurrence. Then take a few minutes before dismissal to have your deputy read his official report of the good deeds he witnessed during the day.
• Pass the paper. This quick and easy activity will make each student feel special. Have each child write her/his name at the top of a sheet of writing paper. When you say, 'Pass the paper', each student hands her/his paper to the classmate on her/his right. The classmate writes a positive sentence about the student whose name appears at the top of the paper. Continue having students pass the papers until five or six statements have been written; then collect and distribute the papers to their owners. Repeat the activity once a week, starting the papers at a different location each time to ensure that everyone has a chance to write about each classmate.
• Pal pouch. This special-delivery idea is perfect for birthday students, but it can be used at other times during the year to boost a student's self-esteem. Make a student feel extra special by hanging a Pal Pouch from her/his desk. To make a Pal Pouch, attach a decorated manila envelope to the back of the selected student´s chair. Encourage the other students to place positive notes in the pouch throughout the day. Provide a special place for the student to sit and read her/his mail before dismissal.

Planning for the first days of school

Let us examine some key ideas for breaking the ice during the first days of school:

• Summer similarities. This back-to-school  correspondence provides the background for a first day activity. A week before school begins, program a questionnaire relating to summer; e.g., did you go on a vacation?; did you go swimming?; did you climb a tree?; did you play an instrument?; did you go to the movies; did you meet a new friend?, etc. Then mail each student a copy of the questionnaire and a welcome note instructing the student to bring the completed questionnaire to school on the first day. Prior to the activity, construct a large graph programmed with information from the questionnaire. On the first day, read each question aloud. If a student answered yes, write his/her name on the corresponding section of the graph. The completed graph will give each child an opportunity to find friends with similar interests. Your students may be surprised at how much they have in common.
• Personalised postcards.Remove students' first-day jitters by giving them an early glimpse at some of your interests. During the summer, collect a class supply of postcards that reflect something about you. For example, gather cards with a scene from you home state, from a vacation spot you visited, or of an animal or flower you like. Prior to the first day of school, mail a postcard to each of your students. Include a personal message about the upcoming school year, and ask each child to bring her/his postcard on the first day of school. During the first-day-introductions, ask each student to share her/his postcard and to tell the class something about you. Sharing bits of information about you will make your students feel special and in-the-know on the first day of school.
• Get-acquainted interviews. Use this fun and informative process to help students get better acquainted. Pair students, then give them ten minutes to question their partners -finding out as much as possible about each other. At the end of the interview time, ask a general question such as 'What is your partner's middle name?', 'What is your partner's favourite food?', 'What pets does your partner have?', 'How many brothers and sisters does your partner have?', How old is your partner?', 'When is your partner's birthday?, etc. Give each student a chance to answer the question, and let his partner confirm or deny the answer. After asking several questions, your students will feel well acquainted with their partners and other classmates, and you will know more about your students, too.
• Back-to-school Simon says. Try this twist on Simon Says for a great way to get to know your students. Have your students stand; then say a traditional Simon Says phrase, and add a request for information. For example, 'Simon says, stand on one foot and tell me your favourite food'. Say the phrases as quickly as possible and occasionally omit the words 'Simon says' to keep students alert.
• Information, please. Here is a beginning-of-the-year method for lining students up. It not only keeps students quiet and orderly while they get in line, but it helps you become familiar with their interests. Before you have your students get in line, ask a personal question such as, 'What is your favourite colour?'. Call on each student to answer the question. After each child answers, have her/him line up. Students will quietly listen to their classmates' answers, and before you know it, everyone is in line and ready to go.
• Take-home treats. After the first day of school, send your students home with special messages and treats from you. Create different novel notes for each of your students and attach the appropriate treat; e.g., 'I'm glad you're in my class! I'm nuts about you!', 'Here's a treat for a great job today! Keep the good work'; 'You're one terrific human being! I'm lucky to have you in my class'; 'I'm so happy to have you in my class. You're a very special student'. Then, distribute them to your students as they leave for the day to let them know how special they are. These treats will be such a hit that you will want to share them on other important occasions throughout the year.
• Paper-bag people. Use this proposal to help students get to know one another. During the first week of school, give each student a paper luch bag and a variety of scrap materials. Ask each student to transform his/her paper bag into a puppet that looks like himself/herself. Provide each student with a piece of paper containing several items students must write about; e.g., name, favourite colour, favourite book, things I like doing, a place I like going, etc. Once they have filled in the information, have each child cut the completed form on the solid line and glue it to the back of his/her paper-bag puppet. Have students use the finished puppets to introduce themselves to their classmates; then place the puppets in a centre for students to explore on their own. These puppets people will help students get acquainted without the usual inhibitions.
• Colourful welcome. Welcome your students back to school by preparing this colourful door display. Create three large sunflowers using green construction paper for leaves and black for the flowers' centers. Also make a class supply of yellow flower petals. Mount the leaves and flower centers on your classroom door. Label the flowers' centers as follows: 'WATCH', 'US', 'GROW'. As each student arrives on the first day of school, have her/him write her/his name on a petal and attach it to a flower on the door. By the time all your students have arrived, the colourful greeting will be complete.