9 Tips for Motivating Students at the Start of the School Year
After two months of vacation, going back to school can generate contradictory feelings. On the one hand, there is the desire to go back to school and face a new school year; on the other hand, the relaxed atmosphere of summer often makes it difficult to get back into the routine.
In fact, leaving the vacations behind and returning to day-to-day obligations is difficult for everyone. Even for children. Even if they have done some educational activities during July and August, the rhythm of the academic year is likely to be more demanding. For this reason, it is important to face September with a lot of patience and clear objectives.
In this post, we present 9 tips to start the school year with maximum motivation. Take note: they can help you not only to communicate with children but also to improve the attitude of your students so that they no longer buy term papers if you are a teacher.
Methods to stimulate motivation during the back-to-school season
Get back into the routine gradually
Any change of routine requires a gradual adaptation process. So don’t introduce all the new information on the first day. Establish a one-week margin to communicate the most relevant aspects. For example, the objectives of the course, the contents of each subject, the teachers in charge of teaching them, etc.
Encourage group cohesion
Starting a course also often means that there are unfamiliar faces in the classroom. That is why it is important that, during the first weeks of March, teachers foster a sense of belonging within the class. This can be achieved by promoting learning and teamwork or even creating forums and discussions, among other options.
Emphasize the novelties of the course
The feeling of monotony is the first guarantee of boredom. To motivate children, it is important to emphasize the positive differences this year. A new subject? A new space in the school? A different extracurricular activity? Make a list of positive aspects to emphasize and divide them into days.
Keep students’ interests in mind
There is no motivation without interaction. Ask students what they would like to learn and what they would change from last year. Although teachers and parents have the final say, make sure the student gets the most out of the lessons and enjoys them.
Discovering the preferences, passions, and weaknesses of your students is very important and key in the first weeks. The better you know them, the better you will know how to reinforce and stimulate them. This will also allow you to show genuine interest in your students, which will make them feel that they can trust you and the bond will become stronger.
Encourage extracurricular activities
Education is not only about memorizing a syllabus and presenting it in the exam. Fortunately, nowadays there are many ways of learning (including extracurricular activities). Consider the different options and choose the one that best suits each child.
Get involved in the day-to-day life of the students
Knowing the context in which each student moves is fundamental for the learning process to be satisfactory. Establish a follow-up and encourage communication as much as you can.
Give constant feedback
Show your students that you take into account their opinion on how classes should be structured and the learning methods used. In addition, you should be attentive to the responses to every assignment you give. Your students must feel comfortable with the methodology and resources used: this is the only way to keep them engaged and motivated every day.
Demonstrate that you are approachable
Be accessible and flexible to create open and fluid communication. Even if there are queries outside of school hours, it is advisable to answer them in a show of interest in the work being done.
Be motivated
While this last tip seems obvious, it is really just a reminder that if you want to motivate your students, you must first of all be motivated yourself. Only in this way will you be able to transmit your energy and passion for the subject to your students.
What tricks do you use to stimulate your students’ motivation? How do you encourage communication with your children? Share your experience with us in a comment!
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