Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at some of the common themes emerging in the tips you’ve shared for motivating teenage learners. Many teachers focussed on their role as inspiration for their students; others considered how learners can be encouraged by offering rewards… and punishments!
Another key theme has been the importance of learner independence. Joanna Naporowska from Poland suggested one way of encouraging students to become more self-reflective as learners. At the start of the year, she asks students to consider their own reasons for wanting to learn English. They write these reasons on a poster, which she puts up on the classroom wall. Throughout the year, teacher and students refer to this poster, to remind themselves of why they’re making the effort to learn.
A number of teachers proposed taking English outside the classroom, both to emphasise its value in real life situations, and to add variety to lessons. Some of our entrants even recorded their videos in a number of different locations, to demonstrate the benefits of outdoor learning! Mary Maologolovchuk from Ukraine suggested building on students’ personal interests by getting them to practise their English in unusual places such as art galleries or sports facilities, taking care to focus particularly on vocabulary appropriate to the context. Kateryna Kvasova (also from Ukraine) even suggested running outdoor English camps during the summer to keep students learning outside term time!
Other teachers emphasised the real world value of English to their learners by finding ways for them to interact with English speakers from around the world. As Iryna Pankoskaya, another Ukrainian teacher, noted, students’ curiosity about other cultures can act as a strong motivation for learning. Katerina Barona, also from Ukraine, suggested inviting native speakers into class where possible, setting students up with pen pals from other countries, and encouraging them to take part in international competitions and projects.
These are just a few of the tips we’ve received from teachers all around the world: Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico and, yes, many from Ukraine. Just head over to our Motivation Tip Exchange YouTube playlist to see more!