The other day, I read a delightful quote from a six-year-old student:
“My teacher thought I was smarter than I was; so I am.”
Now that’s what I call motivation!
Each of us knows that students who are motivated and self-confident tend to be better learners. Unfortunately, we also know how unrealistic it is to expect every child to march into the classroom with these traits. So what’s a teacher to do?
I don’t have all the answers. What I do have is FOAMY, a fun acronym of motivational reminders.
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Feedback: Build a child’s self-confidence with feedback that is accurate and encouraging. Opportunity: Make certain every child has multiple opportunities to succeed at his or her learning level. Atmosphere: Always maintain a positive learning environment. Meaningful: Show students the value of their learning. Yippee: Make learning fun! What tips do you have for motivating students? Eager to hear, |
Thank you, it’s really inspiring. FOAMY remind me that I become a teacher as a calling from God not as a job. With this statement help me to have love to educate the students and able to motivate them positively.
I observe the kids alot and make sure they are working at a level they can succeed at. Last year I had 4’s who were reading but others who had trouble recognizing letters, I gave them different work at their level so each child could grow and be successful at learning.
I truly believe in setting Children up to succeed.
What a catchy way to remember the different ways to motivate! Principals and department chairs are always asking how you motivate students and this would be a much easier way (and probably faster way) to respond!
Thanks for sharing this useful tip!
I immediately begin the year instilling positive self talk in the children by eliminating the word can’t from the classroom vocabulary! As soon a the children experience theirfirst success the word can’t immediately dissapears.
Start the year with a reading of Watty Piper’s The Little Engine that Could. Discuss what the kids want to learn this year. Students make the little engine booklets that were in Mailbox this past year, and display them on the bulletin board with a copy of Mr. Piper’s book.
Refer to the kids’ lists occasionally and praise them for learning what they wanted to.
This is terrific! Out of the mouths of babes… I printed this out (along with the comments) to put in my plan book this year. I am going to need the reminders. Hmmm… maybe even a FOAMY poster?
I am very positive person and I have always believed that haveing a postitive attitude in the classroom is very important, it not only helps my day to be wonderful but it puts the kids in a good mood to. One thing that I started in my class is a sticker book, where each kid in my class gets a sticker every day for something that they did that was really good, for example if they helped one of their friends clean up they will get a sticker in their sticker books for that, I always date the sticker and write down what the child did to earn their sticker so their parents can see it, it has really changed the mood in my classroom because the children are always looking for ways to get their stickers. Also in my classroom we no longer have Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, it is now magnificent Monday, and Terrific Tuesday, wonderful Wed, etc.. I do this so that every day feels like it is a special day to the kids.