Motivation, motivation, motivation…its essential!

If we are not motivated, we achieve nothing, this is simple.

It applies to every facet of life, none more important than the classroom and in school.

These are a few ways that tutors and teachers alike can ignite their students’ motivation!

Build a strong relationship

Forging a great relationship with your student is the first step in getting them motivated.

Showing genuine interest in what they like to do outside of school (as well as their subjects too of course!) shows that you really care about them as a person and not just as their tutor!

Combining this with demonstrating a passion for your subject and a consistently positive attitude towards learning helps tutors become role models for their students.

My top tip here: always keep a smile on your face (even if you’re not feeling too happy yourself!)

Personalisation

This is the most key thing any tutor can do with a student.

It is essential to recognise that every student is different, has different interests, learns differently and most importantly learns at different paces!

It might seem like an obvious thing to say, but the approach to tutoring a 15 year-old-boy is going to be vastly different than to tutoring a 12-year-old girl!

Incorporating students’ interests into lessons is essential (I found that I would start off each lesson with a mini catch-up about their week, which often provided inspiration for each lesson and always got my students in the right mindset for learning) and of course, tailoring your methods to a student’s preferred learning style (auditory, visual or kinaesthetic, or a combination of these) is also key.

Positive Criticism

You’ve probably heard this word about a million times, but positive criticism is so important in the learning process.

It has so many great knock-on effects, such as reducing anxiety by framing mistakes a normal, natural part of the learning process.

This creates a more relaxed and effective learning environment.

Furthermore, it helps instil belief in a student’s abilities, as positive criticism highlights what they’re doing right, while gently guiding them to improve in other areas that they are not quite so strong in.

I always believe that weaknesses should always be framed as ‘less strong’ areas, rather than weaknesses, as it reinforces positivity through strength.

Further Reading: Paola Mileo – Unlocking the keys to engagement and motivation through student insight (Satchel Pulse)