Motivating English Usage
The Basics
- Choose specific DIY content that excites people
- Sequence content into a compounding process that connects interactions
- Frame the experience so students are willing to engage, express and enjoy the interactions
- Keep instruction short, simple, and applicable to the next step (aim to bridge the gap ahead)
- Personalize your language (verbal and non verbal) to the students
- Make each step challenging, doable and rewarding
- Keep each stage in focus
- Help students notice what matters
- Observe students reactions (watch and listen with interest)
- Use positive language as a rewards (be specific – what, why, when)
- Use different types of rewards (smiles, laughs, hand gestures, points)
- Learn to be more aware of how you use negative rewards
- Give specific feedback that illustrates how students used learning strategies
- Hold students accountable to the feedback
- Maintain motivation by adding or removing the complexity of skills and language
- Gauge the students’ interest at every stage
- Observe actions and attitudes
- Observe the timing of the task
- Beware of critical break points
- Raise awareness of task actualization (performance based)
- Summarize the task
- Get feedback about on the task
- Link it to what’s next
Links
- TEFL Training – Getting Young Learners to Communicate
- Lost in Citations #90 – Directional Motivational Currents
- JBP – Listen to the answer of question 2
- Online Article – Communicative Functions
- MacMillan Education – Gamification
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Rhett's Observations, Reflections and Research at Burton's School
General Practices
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