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Motivation in the ClassroomMotivation is important because research has shown it directly impacts students’ learning. When students are highly motivated, dropout rates are reduced and there is an increase in the levels of student success. In the EFL classroom, this translates to decreased absenteeism and a higher number of students successfully completing courses. Learning is also easier for motivated students. They remember what they have learned. They love learning and will continue to learn outside the classroom and even after the course. Types of motivation There are two types of motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from external factors. Examples of extrinsic motivation for learning english are to get a promotion and to travel to another country. Intrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from within the person. Examples of intrinsic motivation for learning english are a love for the rhythm of the language and a genuine desire to learn. If a student has extrinsic or intrinsic motivation then you can count on him to participate actively in class and to take his lessons seriously. However, there are students who have neither. In this case, a teacher can implement different strategies to increase motivation. How to increase a student’s motivation 1. Be interested in what you are teaching. One way to increase a student’s motivation is for the teacher to show a genuine interest in the subject. A student can be motivated when he sees that the teacher sees value in what he is teaching. A teacher who is bored with his subject will also have bored students. A teacher can communicate his interest in the subject through his voice, posture, facial expressions and gestures. 2. Make lessons interesting. Another way to increase motivation is to add variety to teaching methods. Following the same format for every lesson and having the same activities guarantee that students will not be interested. Incorporating different activities like games, debates and role plays will break the monotony. 3. Make students participate. Another way to increase motivation is to make students participate actively in class. Passive students are bored students so a teacher must find ways to involve all his students in a positive way. A teacher can encourage students to express their ideas by eliciting before giving the information or the answer. Students can also be encouraged to participate when they have no fear of being ridiculed or reprimanded. 4. Challenge the students. It is important for students to experience success in the classroom. At the start of the course, teachers need to build the confidence of students by allowing them to succeed. One way of doing this is to provide many drills to help students master a subject. Another is to use language that is lower than the students’ level. However, if this is how the entire course is conducted, students will not have a sense of accomplishment. Students should be given more challenging tasks as the course progresses. This will encourage them to work and not just wait passively for information from the teacher. 5. Allow students to participate in planning lessons. Students will be motivated to learn when they can have a say in how lessons are planned. Teachers can involve students in planning by asking them what their objectives are. They can then choose which activities they would like to have from suggestions given by the teacher. Of course this should not happen during every lesson. Students might end up only choosing fun activities that are not related to the lesson. 6. Give feedback promptly. Another way to increase motivation is to let students know how they are doing in class. Teachers should return graded papers immediately and give feedback on the students progress regularly. Sources: http://www.netc.org/focus/challenges/student.php http://www2.honolulu.Hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/motiv.htm http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/BEduc/Chapter_8.pdf