Motivating learners
During school experience, a trainee should develop a range of stimulating ideas to motivate pupils. Diverse methods keep pupils interested and, if the subject matter appears interesting to the teacher, it will also be more appealing to those being taught.
All lesson plans will require some background research. When trainees are making plans they should be thinking of imaginative and creative ways of presenting the relevant information. When planning the ‘starting point’ to any lesson, address the following questions:
- Is the stimulus appropriate for the particular age group and range of abilities you are teaching?
- Are the resources engaging and motivating?
- Do the activities planned develop thinking skills?
- If you used ‘discussion’ for the start of the initial lesson, what other ways could be used to motivate follow-up lessons, eg music, drama, video, experiments, poetry, works of art as an introduction to lessons?
Having motivated the pupils initially, how will you maintain their interest? Have you built into your lesson plans time to:
- consolidate pupils’ understanding
- practise skills
- reflect evaluate and engage in critical thinking.