For teachers getting back to school after the winter holidays is almost a challenge just like the beginning of the academic school year. Students get back with a new mind and dynamic. So, you as a teacher have to find a way to preserve the rhythm you had molded since the beginning of the school year. You have to boost their attention to more interesting and interactive activities. You are the Sun for your students. Pour your shine on them! Keep encouraging your students, and they will follow you! You will offer a ‘’New Year gift’’ to your students when getting back to school. When opening up that gift, you want your children to love it, want it. Motivating students online for a year to remember should be your goal!
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou
Involve yourself in making your students feel happy, passionate, prepared for the life ahead of them. Be the person who has really had an impact on their future. Make them feel valued! You are not just a teacher teaching them a language, but even a person that shapes their personalities, help them mature and prepare them with skills for life.
The year we left behind was a real struggle and challenge for all the teachers and not only. We had to face an immediate transition from onsite teaching to online teaching. The struggles we experienced were various and difficult. We did not surrender. On the contrary, we were in search of effective ways of ‘’exploiting’’ technology in our favor. We did it!
How can we motivate our students online when getting back to school after the winter holidays? What are some activities we suggest here from Lisa learning?
As we mentioned above, we do not teach our students only the language. We help them develop their personalities. This way, we will consider our students as independent personalities generating their own ideas, interests, and hobbies. They need to proclaim them and we are here to help. Let us encourage them! Leave space during our own lesson. We can either start, finish, or intermix the following ideas during our own lessons as long as they are activities where they even use the language they are learning. Technology is here to help us with the suggestions we are going to present.
Music talent show or karaoke.
Apart from listening to the students perform their favorite songs, you may discuss the topic of the song, discuss the performances, note out certain expressions, phrasal verbs, etc.
Create games.
Every student loves playing games, especially in their free time. Most of the students are even attracted by technology. Why not include them in your lesson? In groups, students may organize games and play in their classes. The applications are numerous and they can organize competitions among the groups. They ask and answer questions by using the language. They think and create.
Class tradition displays.
Not all students come from a common background or nationality. This way we can notice that the range of exchange information is abundant. Give students the possibility to prepare a presentation about the culture and tradition they are proud of. Accordingly, they will feel motivated to search for information in the language they are learning, select it, and use it for presentation. They will interact with their peers and practice the language through questions and answers.
Discussing books or films
Books and films are an option of spending the free time by some students. Giving them the possibility to share them with the rest of the class will make them good thinkers and speakers in the language they are learning. As a result, we motivate them to prepare slides and short videos giving the presentation while speaking. We also encourage them to read and watch films in the language they are studying as a way to improve it and widen their vocabulary.
Organize talks
If you want to improve the speaking abilities and self -confidence in your students regarding the language you are teaching them, organize talks. This way, students think, search, select, organize, and present materials. They also widen their language knowledge and learn to be independent speakers. They also learn how to accept criticism and respond positively to it.
Conclusion
Motivating students online is not as difficult as we used to think a few month ago.Technology is very flexible and helps us put into practice what our imagination offers us to help students progress.
English Club TV and Bridge TEFL are a great option for all teachers to develop their imagination when it comes to motivating students online, but not only and to grow professionally as well.
