>Motivating Students in English Language Teaching

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The statement about learning in general, that it “never takes place in vacuum  is even more true in the language class. When it comes to creating a classroom climate for language learning. Williams and Burden point to three levels of influence: national and cultural influences on the language being learning, the education system where the language is being learned, and the immediate classroom environment. Influences on the language being learned are already determined, as is the education system. 

However, teachers do influence the classroom environment by motivating unmotivated students. There are many ways in which students can be off task. They fail to take part by sitting in silence, they distract other students by talking off the topic, and they provide “non language” entertainment. All of these call for the teacher management skills. Even taking into account differences from class to class, teachers of a range of learners and subjects that they can make a difference, as the examples that follow show. In language learning, motivation is more specific than in content-based subject. The history teacher can motivate students to take an interest in the subject, but the language teacher is looking for more than interest. Language is a skill, and a skill needs to be apply, not just stored in the head or admired at this time.

Teachers encourage language use trough both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some students have strong intrinsic motivation; they know the benefits of learning a particular language. Others need to be reminded of where success could lead. For example, in societies where studying literature is an important part of the education system, teachers emphasize the benefits of being able to read English poetry, short stories, and novels and the original. 

Extrinsic motivation can come through rewards teachers supply interesting additional reading materials, they show a video to follow difficult language task, or they invite guest speakers so that students use the new language in an authentic way. Occasionally, though rewards can take over and destroy enjoyment ( Van lier : 1996) In monolingual class teachers reports particular difficulty in persuading students to Speak English. The following ideas have worked in small and large classes:

Role play, with one student taking the role of a foreigner

Native-speaking visitors answer question on specific topics

Pen friends, by mail or E-mail

Group presentations of topics students have researched

Interclass debates

Speech competitions

plays and singing

                                     

Although the ultimate goal is to speak English, in classes where students speak different first language, it can help motivation to allow limited use of the first language in class for specific purposes. For example, the first language helps in clarifying a difficult point or planning the organizational part of projects, particularly when the teacher does not speak the languages of all the students. 

An aspect of motivation is dealing with the behavior of particular students. Experienced teachers usually have a scale of responses to off-task behavior, which helps them decide whether to ignore or attend to the problem. 

Teacher also knows that if large numbers of students are failings to attend to the lesson. There could be a problem with the lesson itself. The task may be too difficult, or it may have continued for too long, or the content may be boring. On the other hand, the problem may not be within the class at all. Or even unusual weather can change the mood of a class and signal to the teacher the need for a change of a activity

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The
statement about learning in general, that it “never takes place in vacuum  is even more true in the language class. When
it comes to creating a classroom climate for language learning. Williams and
Burden point to three levels of influence: national and cultural influences on
the language being learning, the education system where the language is being
learned, and the immediate classroom environment. Influences on the language
being learned are already determined, as is the education system. However,
teachers do influence the classroom environment by motivating unmotivated
students. There are many ways in which students can be off task. They fail to
take part by sitting in silence, they distract other students by talking off
the topic, and they provide “non language” entertainment. All of these call for
the teacher management skills. Even taking into account differences from class
to class, teachers of a range of learners and subjects that they can make a
difference, as the examples that follow show.

In
language learning, motivation is more specific than in content-based subject.
The history teacher can motivate students to take an interest in the subject,
but the language teacher is looking for more than interest. Language is a
skill, and a skill needs to be apply, not just stored in the head or admired at
this time.

Teachers
encourage language use trough both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Some
students have strong intrinsic motivation; they know the benefits of learning a
particular language. Others need to be reminded of where success could lead.
For example, in societies where studying literature is an important part of the
education system, teachers emphasize the benefits of being able to read English
poetry, short stories, and novels and the original.

Extrinsic
motivation can come through rewards teachers supply interesting additional
reading materials, they show a video to follow difficult language task, or they
invite guest speakers so that students use the new language in an authentic
way. Occasionally, though rewards can take over and destroy enjoyment ( Van
lier : 1996)

In
monolingual class teachers reports particular difficulty in persuading students
to Speak English. The following ideas have worked in small and large classes:

Role
play, with one student taking the role of a foreigner

Native-speaking
visitors answer question on specific topics

Pen
friends, by mail or E-mail

Group
presentations of topics students have researched

Interclass
debates

Speech
competitions

Concerts
with plays and singing

                                      (basojabu@yahoo.com)

Although
the ultimate goal is to speak English, in classes where students speak
different first language, it can help motivation to allow limited use of the
first language in class for specific purposes. For example, the first language
helps in clarifying a difficult point or planning the organizational part of
projects, particularly when the teacher does not speak the languages of all the
students.

An
aspect of motivation is dealing with the behavior of particular students.
Experienced teachers usually have a scale of responses to off-task behavior,
which helps them decide whether to ignore or attend to the problem.  

Teacher
also knows that if large numbers of students are failings to attend to the
lesson. There could be a problem with the lesson itself. The task may be too
difficult, or it may have continued for too long, or the content may be boring.
On the other hand, the problem may not be within the class at all. Or even
unusual weather can change the mood of a class and signal to the teacher the
need for a change of a activity

.

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