Motivational+Ideas

**1. Give students the chance to contribute to your school.** At my previous school, we developed a program where our 5th and 6th graders volunteered at 14 different school jobs. Office assistants sorted mail and answered the phones, the activity crew set up the sound system, and tour guides greeted visitors. Kids felt a part of the school and had a sense of purpose. Over two years, attendance improved and discipline referrals dropped. //—Dr. Pam Newell Bradley, Muskogee 7th and 8th Center, Muskogee, Oklahoma//
 * {Top 9 Ways to Motivate Students from Scholastic.com}**

**2. Connect learning to real life.** Our students do a major “budget project” in which they research a career, buy a house and a car, and pay bills. The kids do stellar work and see math in the English classroom and the value of English skills in math. We do similar activities in social studies and science. //—Michelle Davis, Language Arts teacher, Imperial Middle School, La Habra, California//

**3. Have a fun incentive for doing well on standardized tests.** We held a student skating party after the state assessments. Students who were “caught” using their “super test skills”—highlighting, underlining, and rereading—received special recognition. The next time, we noticed an increase in the use of these important strategies. //—Teri Fulton, New Chelsea Elementary, Kansas City, Kansas//

**4. Hold a poetry slam!** When kids are given opportunities to perform and share in a public forum, they rise to the challenge. They put out their best effort to express themselves, and it takes the learning to a much deeper place. //—Sarah Fitzpatrick, Mercer Middle School, Seattle, Washington//

**5. Make classroom incentives easy.** I motivate my students with Fun Money. They earn class currency when they are showing responsibility, being caring of their classmates, volunteering to read, etc. Each Friday, we trade in the Fun Money for real treats. //—Mimi Blackwelder, Destiny Christian School, Seaford, Delaware//

**6. Tap your community.** Once a month, I take 12 students for a limo ride and lunch with the principal—me! Only students with a record of positive behavior for the month—according to their teachers—are eligible for the drawing. The limo company donates the service for free, as do area restaurants. //—Fran Donaldson, Deep Run Elementary, Elk Ridge, Maryland//

**7. Put yourself on camera.** Videotaping is a great tool for class self-assessment. I set up the camera and let it record my classroom for a couple of hours. Then we review it together and make observations. Are students listening to each other, talking out of turn, etc.? By capturing moments in the classroom, we can see them more clearly and make improvements together. //—Sarah Fitzpatrick, Mercer Middle School, Seattle, Washington//

**8. Hold a debate.** An old-fashioned debate is a great motivator. We have two or three a year. My fifth-graders vote on the topics and I divide them into teams. They spend weeks researching and preparing questions before the big event. Debates allow students to be active participants in charge of their own learning. When we’re finished, we write a class book. //—Jackie Levenson, Oakland Gardens School, Bayside, New York//

**9. Set high expectations.** I have come to the conclusion that the best overall, all-around motivation tool is authentic student success. If we set clear goals and expectations for students and then do everything possible to see that they achieve their goals, they become successful. This success motivates kids to feel proud of themselves and do even more. What more could we want? //—Dave Montague, Washington Elementary, Kennewick, Washington// __**Top 12 Ways to Motivate Students**__ 1. Praise Students in Ways Big and Small Recognize work in class, display good work in the classroom and send positive notes home to parents, hold weekly awards in your classroom, organize academic pep rallies to honor the honor roll, and even sponsor a Teacher Shoutout section in the student newspaper to acknowledge student’s hard work. 2. Expect Excellence Set high, yet realistic expectations. Make sure to voice those expectations. Set short terms goals and celebrate when they are achieved. 3. Spread Excitement Like a Virus Show your enthusiasm in the subject & use appropriate, concrete and understandable examples to help students grasp it. For example, I love alliteration. Before I explain the concept to students, we “improv” subjects they’re interested in. After learning about alliteration, they brainstorm alliterative titles for their chosen subjects. 4. Mix It Up It’s a classic concept and the basis for differentiated instruction, but it needs to be said: using a variety of teaching methods caters to all types of learners. By doing this in an orderly way, you can also maintain order in your classroom. In a generic example for daily instruction, journal for 10 minutes to open class; introduce the concept for 15 minutes; discuss/group work for 15 minutes; Q&A or guided work time to finish the class. This way, students know what to expect everyday and have less opportunity to act up. 5. Assign Classroom Jobs With students, create a list of jobs for the week. Using the criteria of your choosing, let students earn the opportunity to pick their classroom jobs for the next week. These jobs can cater to their interests and skills. Some possibilities include: • Post to the Class blog • Update Calendar • Moderate review games • Pick start of class music • Watch class pet • Public relations officer (address people who visit class) • Standard class jobs like Attendance, Cleaning the boards, putting up chairs, etc. 6. Hand Over Some Control If students take ownership of what you do in class, then they have less room to complain (though we all know, it’ll never stop completely). Take an audit of your class, asking what they enjoy doing, what helps them learn, what they’re excited about after class. Multiple choice might be the best way to start if you predict a lot of “nothing” or “watch movies” answers. After reviewing the answers, integrate their ideas into your lessons or guide a brainstorm session on how these ideas could translate into class. On a systematic level, let students choose from elective classes in a collegiate format. Again, they can tap into their passion and relate to their subject matter if they have a choice. 7. Open-format Fridays You can also translate this student empowerment into an incentive program. Students who attended class all week, completed all assignments and obeyed all classroom rules can vote on Friday’s activities (lecture, discussion, watching a video, class jeopardy, acting out a scene from a play or history). 8. Relating Lessons to Students’ Lives Whether it is budgeting for family Christmas gifts, choosing short stories about your town, tying in the war of 1812 with Iraq, rapping about ions, or using Pop Culture Printables, students will care more if they identify themselves or their everyday lives in what they’re learning. 9. Track Improvement In those difficult classes, it can feel like a never-ending uphill battle, so try to remind students that they’ve come a long way. Set achievable, short-term goals, emphasis improvement, keep self-evaluation forms to fill out and compare throughout the year, or revisit mastered concepts that they once struggled with to refresh their confidence. 10. Reward Positive Behavior Outside the Classroom Tie service opportunities, cultural experiences, extracurricular activities into the curriculum for extra credit or as alternative options on assignments. Have students doing Habitat for Humanity calculate the angle of the freshly cut board, count the nails in each stair and multiply the number of stairs to find the total number of nails; write an essay about their experience volunteering or their how they felt during basketball tryouts; or any other creative option they can come up with. Beyond the Classroom The idea of cash incentives is a timely yet controversial topic, so I’d like to look at this attempt to “buy achievement” through a different lens. It seems people are willing to dump some money into schools, so let’s come up with better ways to spend it. 11. Plan Dream Field Trips With your students, brainstorm potential field trips tiered by budget. Cash incentive money can then be earned toward the field trips for good behavior, performance, etc. The can see their success in the classroom as they move up from the decent zoo field trip to the good state capitol day trip to the unbelievable week-long trip to New York City. Even though the reward is delayed, tracking progress will give students that immediate reward. 12. College Fund Accounts College dreams motivate athletes; why not adapt the academic track to be just as tangible for hard-working student. One way is to keep a tally of both the cash value and the potential school choice each student has earned. As freshman, they see they’ve earned one semester at the local junior college. By second semester of junior year, they’re going to four-years at State for half the price. By graduation, watch out free ride to their dream school. By: [|Annie Condron] [|Article Directory] : [|http://www.articledashboard.com]