By the end of this session you will be able to: - Describe the characteristics of motivated learners; - Explain why

motivation is important to learning; - Link various classroom activities to motivational factors

Why were you motivated to learn English? Discuss with your partner and list reasons.

Making conclusions Observing others Thinking Involvement Video materials (making and watching) Audio materials/awareness raising Taking part in discussions Imaginative tasks Optional activities New approaches(e.g. use of technology

positive attitude to doing tasks and activities desire to succeed able to persevere goal-focused previous positive learning experience outgoing and willing to communicate not put off by making mistakes etc.

 They know that improving their English will help in some aspect of their life, e.g. job, going to study/live in an English-speaking country, etc.; They like the school and/or the teacher; They are made to feel that they can learn the languagethey have confidence in the teacher and in their own ability; They are given support from the teacher and the other students in the class; They are interested in the lessons-the activities and topics are interesting;

 They enjoy the social interaction with the teacher and with other students; They are in control of their learning and can do things on their own; They are interested in the culture of the country; Learning English will allow them to pursue a personal interest, e.g.music, Internet, ect. They gain pleasure from learning another language

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29xGvc5QbiU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JguyK0XKug&p=D1 3A72E78DD44DE7&playnext=1&index=12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh_cHUgHVKw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokqjjIy77Y

SKILLS Is creative Provides sufficient support to students Provides sufficient challenge to students Can vary the pace of lessons Helps students become more independent learners Uses a variety of materials and methods to make his/her lessons interesting

SKILLS Uses a variety of materials and methods to cater for mixed levels in class Can present language concepts and give instructions clearly and simply Establishes discipline and order in his/her lessons Helps students correct their mistakes without demotivating them

ATTITUDE Is interested in his/her students as individualsunderstands their individual needs Is patient and does not give up on a student Is enthusiastic Has a sense of humour Is encouraging Is friendly and helpful to colleagues Is open about strength and weaknesses as a teacher

KNOWLEDGE Knows his/her subject and keeps up to date Knows about theories of learning and keeps up to date Understands the particular problems due to students first language Can react to students questions and give onthe-spot explanations

The good teacher tells, the better teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires.
taken from Some hints for the English language teacher by Ricardo San Martin Vadillo

Heres what Alan Mclean, Area Psychologist, Glasgow City Council says about motivating all learners. He talked about this at HMIE Good Practice Conference in 2008: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/video/a/video_tc m4531622.asp?strReferringChannel=search&st rReferringPageID=tcm:4-615801-64

So, some of the key concepts he mentioned here are the following: childrens needs children need to meet their needs; children need to be self motivated and as teachers cant directly motivate children, they need to create the classroom climate that allows children to motivate themselves.

And how can they do that? They have to: give children a sense of belonging (show that they are interested in them) provide unambiguous feedback (give children information about how well they are doing) provide stimulation (give a sense of purpose and relevance to the things they teach) provide good structure (set clear goals) be able to energise their students

Praise is very important for motivation and self-confidence. Whilst learners need feedback on where they went wrong, it should be done as positively and sensitively as possible. Negative feedback can be embarrassing and demotivating.

1. How important is it that your learners feel positive about the target culture? 2. How can you help your learners to set goals for their language development? 3. Why is it important for learners to develop independence in their learning? 4. Why is personalisation important?

How important is it that your learners feel positive about the target culture?
Research into language learning suggests that interest in and positive feelings towards the target language culture are important motivational factors. So, how can we develop this?

How can you help your learners to set goals for their language development?
Setting goals helps learners to focus and develops learner independence. Raising awareness of lesson aims and giving learners an overview of the syllabus can help learners think in terms of their own goals. Diagnostic tests or activities that help students identify their strong and weak points can also help focus learners.

Why is it important for learners to develop independence in their learning?

Developing learner autonomy may be quite difficult in countries where the culture expects teachers to be experts and learners to be passive recipients. Some of the possible things we can do with out learners in order to work on this are: getting learners to fill in a chart about what kind of learners they are doing learner training activities(dictionary work, recording vocabulary, inferring meaning from the context, etc.) using authentic materials etc.

Why is personalisation important?

Because learners interest is likely to be stimulated if they are dealing with topics of genuine interest, finding out about their own views. It can also help them to process language at a deep emotional level and make it more real and memorable to them.

 active? interested? confident? curious? enthusiastic? hard-working? respectful?

passive? bored? nervous? careless? lazy? moody? UNMOTIVATED?

(Some of) my students

cant concentrate are hard to please dont like listening or reading (especially boys) are embarrassed about speaking have lost interest by the time they reach my class think its useless to learn English as they do not intend to go abroad dont want to do homework

 sight sound touch taste smell

When I speak English I

feel shy feel confident feel embarrassed feel challenged feel happy feel tongue-tied feel frightened feel anxious feel like a different person
Adapted from Classroom Dynamics, (OUP) Jill Hadfield, 1992, p37

Exaggeration

Association

Movement

Imagination
Rhythm & Music Colour Number, order and sequence

Absurdity and humour

handlebar

frame

seat

pedals

wheel

tyre

chain spokes

Michel Lotito born in 1950, Grenoble, France eats metal and glass

can eat a bicycle in six days!!!

handlebar

frame

seat

pedals

wheel

tyre

chain spokes

Questions: What is the easiest part to eat? What is the most difficult part to eat?

Michel Lotito has been eating metal and glass since 1959. Doctors have xrayed his stomach, but cant understand how he does it. He has eaten ten bicycles, a supermarket trolley, seven TV sets, and a Cessna light airplane, which he ate in Caracas, Venezuela. He can eat a bicycle in six days. I start with the frame, he explains. I saw off a piece in a ring as wide as my finger. I eat the handlebars in the same way, then I cut up the chain and the spokes. The hardest part is the tyres. Eating a tyre isnt as easy as eating the metal parts of a bicycle, he said. Its like eating a kilo of feathers. Your stomach is full, but theres no weight there.

Group story-telling Use pictures to tell a story in groups Get into groups of six Talk as a group about the pictures Everyone chooses a picture

The group creates a story

Everyone says something about their picture and how it fits into the story

Group story-writing Every student will speak and write The group tells the story and every student will write one sentence Student A is the first writer The rest of the group tell Student A what to write in the first sentence Student A can ask about spelling and other information Student A then passes the paper to Student B Every student is involved

Pre-recorded songs

Why use songs? Theyre fun and are good for listening comprehension Who chooses the songs? Student choice/teacher choice

Pre-recorded songs
How do you use a song? Pre-listening, setting up: Use student knowledge/check key vocabulary Prediction Recognition task: example: leave out words and students guess in pairs. Listen, enjoy and check. Sing?

Learning in school takes place in as many as there are pupils.

Sarah Phillips, author of materials for English courses

different ways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_6GUx1Zx0w