D) Motivation and goals
Students’ goals influence their motivation and effort in English learning. With learning goal, students study purposefully and throw great effort into English learning. They are concerned about mastering of language and accomplishing tasks and not worried about failure or comparison to others. It is effective to help students setting realistic and appropriate goals in motivating them in learning.
Ⅱ. Ways to motivate students in English learning
“ You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Motivating students is a little like that. It involves not only leading them to English, but also making them thirsty for knowledge and understanding of English. As a language learning, English learning has its own characteristics that need the learners remember more, practice more and communicate more than other subjects. Students’ motivation is critical for English learning. English teachers are organizers or leaders in teaching. They have responsibility to increase their students’ inclination to perform willingly and actively on English learning.
1. Using various and interesting activities
It is effective and functional to apply various and interesting activities with moderate challenge to attract students to arouse their curiosity in English learning in view of intrinsic motivation, arousal and the characteristic of language learning. Language learning is a little different from other subjects that need students to develop roundly in four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing by remembering plenty of vocabulary, sentences and grammar, practicing and speaking more in class. Students are willing to participate in English learning by Combining English with recreation and to realize that English learning can be interesting and fun with their involvement in which is the key to maintaining motivation throughout a lesson. Games are welcomed in English teaching especially in elementary schools. As Aydan Ersoz explains:
Well-chosen games are invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skill. Games are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.
Guessing game, gap filling, chain story games are practical and interesting that can be used in English learning. In-role play, songs and summer English camping trips are also effective. Some real situation discussion and creative activities such as create an advertisement are encouraged in higher grade. Various and interesting activities encourage students involve as much of the time and effort as possible and as well as enhance learning motivation.
2. Involving new and effective techniques
As some techniques have been employed in teaching, there are more choices and more methods for teachers to stimulate students’ intrinsic motivation such as CALL (computer assisted language learning), multimedia, using Internet and educational software. These methods are innovative, interesting, practical and effective with colorful pictures, vivid voices, plentiful information and effective interaction that arouse students’ curiosity and interest and as well as promote their intrinsic motivation. With intrinsic motivation, many students can start self-study in schools or at homes to effectively improve their listening, reading and writing through this method.
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