Motivating your class: the 3 golden rules
Maria Kathlyn, originally from the Philippines, is a fully certified English teacher with a decade of TEFL experience. In this post she shares some of the lessons learned during her time abroad.
When it comes to motivating a class, you may have heard about the differences between students of various cultures, and how to adjust your teaching to suit them.
From almost a decade of TEFL teaching experience, I’ve come to realize that though there are differences between my students and me, there are also similarities. And this is where I’ve zoomed in.
We human beings share similar traits and idiosyncrasies. One thing that connects with students of all backgrounds , though a little cliche, is the phrase: Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.
So ask yourself, if I were the student(s), what would inspire me? Place yourself in their shoes. Really see where they’re coming from and use this to fuel them.
Based on this motto, I’ve developed these 3 golden rules for motivating a class:
Encourage but don’t patronize
It’s not uncommon to find students are indifferent to anything I say. If I tell them “A is B,” they won’t argue even if they don’t agree. However, deep down, they have already judged me and rated me as ‘not knowing what I’m talking about’.
This is the reason why I never underestimate my students regardless of their age and how vocal they are in class. They usually have something to say, even though they have yet to find that voice.
Hence, it’s important to encourage them to express their piece, be it in writing or verbally. Tell them, “Wow! Great! This is amazing! Keep it up! Keep the positive feedback coming. Keep encouraging them and making them feel confident about themselves. Let them know that their voice, albeit small, is important.
But never ever patronize them. They know when they do an awful job and when this happens, give them constructive feedback. Tell them the merits (if there are) and tell them how they can improve. Congratulate them on trying and push them to try once more.
Understand but don’t accept
There are times when students have a lot of excuses. “I’m so sorry, I was extremely busy.” “I had reports.” “I had meetings all day” And though we may also over-commit ourselves, learn to say ‘it’s okay this time but not the next.”
I believe we teachers play an important role – in guiding and mentoring people find their own path, balance what they can and cannot do… And we need to stand firm with what assignments were given to our students, despite their age or status in life.
In the beginning, we may need to adjust a bit. Any relationship is a dance – it takes two to tango. We need to trust our instincts in knowing whether or not we’ve pushed too much or not at all. We will only deter the progress of our students by always giving them a way out.
Never bet against the student
I remember once my superior (aka director) kept saying that a certain student was a lost cause. He was not performing at par to his level and yet the school continued to charge him tuition.
That class was test prep. I only had six weeks to prepare him for his exam. It was a long, long journey. The mock tests he did were an absolute failure! His foundation was weak and he was so busy that he always came to class late. I couldn’t fault him since he was already eating in class! He didn’t even have the time to grab something on the way!
But instead of giving up, I asked myself what I was doing wrong. Why hadn’t I gotten that flow with him? Why hadn’t he? And then one day, it just clicked. Somehow, in this universe, I, alongside this student, was able to find the secret formula. Needless to say, he passed the exam and shocked everyone! All he needed was perseverance.
Teaching may leave us exhausted at the end of the day. But it sure is rewarding to see someone exceed his own limit.
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