The top 5 ways to motivate students. A leader in education, Caston Binger, shares his best strategies.
Caston Binger is the assistant principal of a charter school in Rochester, New York. He creates and runs educational programs that assist students in achieving their goals. He strives to instill positive change based on research, proven methods, and timely feedback through close collaboration with educators and school executives. Caston Binger has taught in schools for over a decade, having started his career as an educator. He is now working as a building leader and emphasizes that what works for children may be entirely different based on their requirements. When it comes to assisting kids in doing better in school, most instructors hear similar things—being more self-assured, putting out your best effort, and concentrating on each assignment are all excellent pieces of general advice. However, because there are so many various sorts of students and so many varied methods to learn, one student's definition of success is not always the same as another's. Caston believes that collaborative effort is necessary in order to promote positive change in education, something Binger feels very passionately about. Here are 5 ways that Caston Binger shared with me on how to foster a love for learning in students.
1. Encourage Them
We all want our children to find what they're passionate about and pursue it. This is no different when it comes to education. As educators, we should be encouraging our students every step of the way. Showing genuine interest in their work and in what they have to say lets them know that we believe in them—and that can make all the difference. Many students need a little encouragement to do their best. Teachers can provide this encouragement by praising students for their accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. Offering words of encouragement is a great way to help students feel good about themselves and their abilities, which will, in turn, motivate them to continue working hard.
2. Personalize Their Learning Experience
Everyone learns differently, and as such, each student should have a personalized learning experience. This means that teachers should take the time to get to know their students and find out how they best learn. Once this is determined, the teacher can then proceed to create lessons that cater to each student's specific needs. Not only will this help each student learn more effectively, but it will also make the learning process more enjoyable for them. This can be difficult in today's classrooms where teachers feel overwhelmed by the number of students they have in their class. Teachers may feel as though they lack the time and resources needed to personalize each student's learning experience. However, with a little creativity and effort, it is definitely possible to do so. Any level of effort put into this cause by a teacher will be a service to the students and should definitely be commended.
3 . Make Learning Fun
It's no secret that children learn better when they're having fun. This is why teachers should try to make learning as enjoyable as possible. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as incorporating games into lessons, breaking up lesson plans into smaller chunks, and allowing for creativity in assignments. Additionally, students should be encouraged to take breaks throughout the day and get up and move around. As the students grow in age, the focus should also shift from learning being fun, to fostering a lifelong love of learning. This can be done by incorporating interesting and challenging activities into the curriculum. In addition, giving students the opportunity to take on leadership roles in the classroom can also help encourage a love for learning. Taking charge of what they learn will help prepare them to seek out opportunities to learn later in life as well.
4 . Allow Them to Fail
Allowing students to experience failure is one of the best ways to help them learn. It's through failure that we learn our most valuable lessons. When students are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, they are more likely to be motivated to succeed. It is important to note that failure is not always a bad thing, but walking the line between allowing a safe place to experience failure and not encouraging laziness, can be a challenge. So, how do we make sure that students don't take advantage of the freedom to fail? One important way is by helping them to build resilience. One of the most important traits that students need in order to be successful is resilience. This means that they must be able to pick themselves up after a failure and continue on with their lives. They must also be able to learn from their failures in order to not make the same mistake twice.
5 . Celebrate Successes
When students achieve success, it's important for teachers to celebrate these accomplishments. This can be done through verbal praise, rewards, and/or public recognition. By celebrating successes, teachers help to encourage students to continue striving for excellence. Also, positive reinforcement is one of the best ways to help students feel good about themselves and their accomplishments, which in turn will help to boost their motivation to learn. And, as we all know, a motivated student is a successful student.
Teachers should also that they are the role model when it comes to how they want their classroom to operate. They should strive to set an example in these 5 areas. Show the students that they, themselves are a lover of learning, that they learn from their own failings, and that they celebrate their own successes for example.
When it comes to motivating students, Caston Binger believes that giving them a sense of control over their education is key. He also emphasizes the importance of personalizing each student's learning experience in order to cater to their individual needs. Additionally, he recommends making learning fun and allowing students to experience failure in order to learn from their mistakes. Lastly, Binger advises celebrating successes in order to encourage students to continue striving for excellence. These five strategies provide educators with a solid foundation on which to build a love for learning in their students. By implementing these strategies, educators can help to foster a love for learning in students and promote positive change in education.
