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Motivation & Goal Setting: You Can Do It!Motivation and goal setting (and attainment) require more than just saying 'You can do it.' Check out the lecture and the following tips to gain a better understanding of the factors influencing motivation.
After that, why not head on over to our Resources page and spend a little more time reading up on the subjects of motivation and goal setting/attainment - or on any other subjects that you might be interested in - to help expand your knowledge so you can help your students more effectively. |
Josh and Theo's SLA Motivation Tips - (For Teachers)
In our exploration of second language acquisition (SLA) motivation, it is vital to emphasize the profound influence of success in fostering motivation. This fundamental concept, often overlooked in language research but well-established in educational and sports psychology, deserves special recognition. We intend to delve deeper into this critical aspect through an upcoming lecture on motivation.
1. Motivation is dynamic: Be prepared to reassess and refine goals along the way. What motivates your students now may not motivate them in the future. Flexibility and adaptability are key.
2. Acknowledge three distinct stages: Commencement, Continuation, and Reflection, each requiring tailored support and encouragement.
3. It might be out of your control: Recognize the potential impact of extrinsic factors, such as a student's home environment or job, on motivation. While some factors may be beyond your control, make efforts to manage and mitigate external influences.
4. Practice what you preach: Set a personal example with your own behavior.
5. Enthusiasm is contagious: Teach with passion (Booya!!! - Is that still hip?).
6. People matter: Develop a good relationship with your students. Care for them and their aspirations.
7. Confidence matters: Develop ways to enhance the learner's linguistic and personal self-confidence and self-efficacy. One way this can be done is by ensuring your learners experience success in their language use. Micro wins lead to bigger wins! Success breeds success!
8. Who is in charge? Promote learner autonomy by empowering the students to take control of their own language learning journey (especially important for adult students).
9. Person in the mirror: Help your students see their future selves by reminding them (or getting them to think of) the person they will be once they achieve their goals.
10. Do not be generic: Personalize the learning process for your students as much as possible. Our students are not just students; they are real people with real dreams (See point 15 below).
11. Boring people do boring things: Make your classes fun, interesting and engaging (no one wants to study with a boring teacher).
12. Eye on the prize: Work with your students to help keep them focused on their goal.
13. Motivation ebbs and flows: Help your students understand the dynamics of motivation and reaching goals. It really is not as simple as ABC.
14. Reward a job well done: Yes, intrinsically motivated students might be easier to teach in theory, but there is nothing wrong with providing a little motivation in terms of extrinsic rewards. Just make sure it is a reward and not a bribe.
15. Identity matters: The concept of ‘identity’ (how people define/see themselves) is crucial to both in-class and out-of-class learning. This is because “identity has important implications for how we as language teachers engage the motivation, interests and identities of our students” (Uhsioda, 2011, p.199).
Josh's (extra) Thinking Points To Help Keep Goals SMART!
1. SMART: Try to make goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic (but challenging), and Time-bound.
2. Where is the target? Help the student set clear goals. What do they want to achieve? A target could be an outcome or a course of action.
3. How do I get to the target? Help students plan how they can achieve their goals. Discuss it! Write it down! Agree on it!
4. Failing to plan is planning to fail: Having a goal is not enough. We need to map out the concrete steps we will take to reach our goals. Placing a high level of importance on the ‘how can we get to our goal’ component of goal setting will help your students achieve their goals. (For me, this is arguably the most important part of achieving one's goals. Get a plan in place, and stick to it.)
5. Praise and reward effort: Reward and praise the efforts made by your students. (Yes, I am saying it again!) It might also be a good idea to teach your students about the benefits of positive self-talk (see references below).
6. Failure is inevitable - so embrace it: Prepare students for the inevitable setbacks and lapses, underscoring their role in the learning process and the paramountcy of resilience. (See point 13 above.)
7. Readjust when needed: Sometimes we need to reassess our goals. Doing this at regular intervals helps keep us on track.
In summary, motivation serves as the driving force behind language learners' success. Educators play a pivotal role in inspiring, supporting, and guiding students on their language learning journey. By implementing the tips and insights provided above, we can create a dynamic and motivational learning environment, empowering students as they work towards their language learning objectives.
In our exploration of second language acquisition (SLA) motivation, it is vital to emphasize the profound influence of success in fostering motivation. This fundamental concept, often overlooked in language research but well-established in educational and sports psychology, deserves special recognition. We intend to delve deeper into this critical aspect through an upcoming lecture on motivation.
1. Motivation is dynamic: Be prepared to reassess and refine goals along the way. What motivates your students now may not motivate them in the future. Flexibility and adaptability are key.
2. Acknowledge three distinct stages: Commencement, Continuation, and Reflection, each requiring tailored support and encouragement.
3. It might be out of your control: Recognize the potential impact of extrinsic factors, such as a student's home environment or job, on motivation. While some factors may be beyond your control, make efforts to manage and mitigate external influences.
4. Practice what you preach: Set a personal example with your own behavior.
5. Enthusiasm is contagious: Teach with passion (Booya!!! - Is that still hip?).
6. People matter: Develop a good relationship with your students. Care for them and their aspirations.
7. Confidence matters: Develop ways to enhance the learner's linguistic and personal self-confidence and self-efficacy. One way this can be done is by ensuring your learners experience success in their language use. Micro wins lead to bigger wins! Success breeds success!
8. Who is in charge? Promote learner autonomy by empowering the students to take control of their own language learning journey (especially important for adult students).
9. Person in the mirror: Help your students see their future selves by reminding them (or getting them to think of) the person they will be once they achieve their goals.
10. Do not be generic: Personalize the learning process for your students as much as possible. Our students are not just students; they are real people with real dreams (See point 15 below).
11. Boring people do boring things: Make your classes fun, interesting and engaging (no one wants to study with a boring teacher).
12. Eye on the prize: Work with your students to help keep them focused on their goal.
13. Motivation ebbs and flows: Help your students understand the dynamics of motivation and reaching goals. It really is not as simple as ABC.
14. Reward a job well done: Yes, intrinsically motivated students might be easier to teach in theory, but there is nothing wrong with providing a little motivation in terms of extrinsic rewards. Just make sure it is a reward and not a bribe.
15. Identity matters: The concept of ‘identity’ (how people define/see themselves) is crucial to both in-class and out-of-class learning. This is because “identity has important implications for how we as language teachers engage the motivation, interests and identities of our students” (Uhsioda, 2011, p.199).
Josh's (extra) Thinking Points To Help Keep Goals SMART!
1. SMART: Try to make goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic (but challenging), and Time-bound.
2. Where is the target? Help the student set clear goals. What do they want to achieve? A target could be an outcome or a course of action.
3. How do I get to the target? Help students plan how they can achieve their goals. Discuss it! Write it down! Agree on it!
4. Failing to plan is planning to fail: Having a goal is not enough. We need to map out the concrete steps we will take to reach our goals. Placing a high level of importance on the ‘how can we get to our goal’ component of goal setting will help your students achieve their goals. (For me, this is arguably the most important part of achieving one's goals. Get a plan in place, and stick to it.)
5. Praise and reward effort: Reward and praise the efforts made by your students. (Yes, I am saying it again!) It might also be a good idea to teach your students about the benefits of positive self-talk (see references below).
6. Failure is inevitable - so embrace it: Prepare students for the inevitable setbacks and lapses, underscoring their role in the learning process and the paramountcy of resilience. (See point 13 above.)
7. Readjust when needed: Sometimes we need to reassess our goals. Doing this at regular intervals helps keep us on track.
In summary, motivation serves as the driving force behind language learners' success. Educators play a pivotal role in inspiring, supporting, and guiding students on their language learning journey. By implementing the tips and insights provided above, we can create a dynamic and motivational learning environment, empowering students as they work towards their language learning objectives.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Theo Dainis, my friend and sounding board, for taking the time to talk with me about motivation and second language development.
I would like to thank Theo Dainis, my friend and sounding board, for taking the time to talk with me about motivation and second language development.