Motivating Groups of Learners

By Bill, posted

People will have varying reasons why they choose to do something and different levels of ability. Getting everyone towards the same goal of obtaining a qualification or passing a course may require the ability to motivate learners from an individual and group perspective.

Motivation can be either be intrinsic when a learner wants to be on a course for their own fulfillment or extrinsic when they may need to ‘tick a box’ and meet career requirements.

Passion

Having a passion for a subject area can often be infectious and rub off on those who are listening. Teachers can engage with their learners if they are teaching the field for which they have a genuine passion for. This could be an easy way to connect with the students and they may also respond positively when a student progresses to a higher level. Passion alone however is not enough to keep entire classes focused for a semester or school year.

One on One Reviews

Teachers can help keep students on track by providing one on one reviews away from the hustle and bustle of the classroom. It's hard to judge how motivated each individual learner is in a group environment where the focus can quickly move from person to person. Students can quickly get lost and may not feel they are getting enough attention from the teacher due to the time constraints of a lesson.

One on one reviews can help increase confidence and better understand the individual concerns of a student. Little things like allowing more time to complete individual written activities or moving position in the classroom towards a more settled group. Students may walk away from their reviews feeling better and more motivated to carry on towards their end goal.

Individual Targets

Not everyone is going to be an A* student, breeze through the course and be self motivated. the role of the teacher is to drive students forwards and help them get the best out of themselves. One way of working towards this is by setting each student with individual targets at various points throughout the course. By doing so the teacher can monitor if a student is performing / underperforming, give them constructive feedback and support.

This type of monitoring can prevent a student from becoming disengaged and the possibility of not completing a qualification.

Varying Teaching Methods

Studies by Cornish and Dukette in 2009 found that the average adult may only be able to concentrate on any given task for about 20 minutes. The teacher's role is to keep learners interested by using a variety of different teaching methods. It is also possible to take short breaks to refresh people's minds.

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