How To Motivate Students Without Losing Control Of Your Class

motivated studentIf you’ve been teaching for longer than say… three minutes, then you’ve no doubt been hammered over the head with the idea that enthusiasm is important to effective teaching.

In order to motivate students, you have to be passionate about your subject.

I don’t disagree.

Enthusiasm is important—critical even.

But what if it’s causing your students to misbehave?

Yin And Yang

Regular readers of this website know that calmness is important to classroom management success.

Students feed off of your energy, and excitability isn’t a good thing when it comes to classroom management. Yet, if your students are uninspired, then you’re not helping them grow academically.

So what do you do? Can you be both calm and enthusiastic?

Well… yes and no. You can certainly be calm on the inside while showing enthusiasm. But there are times when you need to show calm on the outside.

Effective teachers understand when it pays to be enthusiastic, and when it pays to be calm.

They work together—like yin and yang.

The key is to use both to your advantage. Below are a few guidelines to help you know when to use one, and when to use the other.

When To Be Calm

You should be outwardly calm during…

Transitions

Transitions can be opportunities for students to misbehave. So it’s important your students see that you’re calm and in control. During transitions, position yourself in a highly visible area of the classroom and silently observe.

Procedures

Like transitions, your students need to be focused on completing procedures and routines quickly and correctly, so you can get on with the business of teaching. Again, stand in one place and calmly observe.

Independent Work

During this most critical learning time, resist the urge to interrupt your students—enthusiastically or otherwise. Your job is to fade into the background, keeping the classroom peaceful and conducive to concentration.

Entering & Leaving The Classroom

A high percentage of misbehavior occurs on the way in or on the way out of the classroom. So refrain from shuffling papers, talking to students, or making announcements. Instead, observe silently and be ready to enforce your rules with a consequence.

Misbehavior

When students misbehave, enforce your classroom rules dispassionately. This keeps you from losing your cool and ensures that the burden of responsibility remains with them.

When To Be Enthusiastic

You should be enthusiastic during…

Lessons

Whenever you stand before your students to teach a lesson, you must show passion for your subject. To convince students that the subject you’re teaching is worthy of their attention, they have to see that you’re excited to teach it.

Modeling

Modeling can be drudgery for students, or it can be an opportunity for an unforgettable learning experience. Which one depends on you. Detailed modeling in particular lends itself perfectly for having fun with your class—which makes classroom management a lot easier.

Read Aloud/Shared Reading/Guided Reading

Reading great books aloud with gusto will motivate children to read better than any other method, technique, or strategy. Your student’s love for reading will grow every day if you merely tap into your inner Meryl Streep.

Storytelling

I believe so strongly in the power of storytelling that I devoted an entire chapter to it in Dream Class. Nothing compares with the rapport-building, leverage-creating, and excitement-producing power of acting out stories for your students.

Learning Games/Science Experiments/Special Projects

Children will like and enjoy whatever you show enthusiasm for. The success of experiential activities hinges on the amount of excitement you can generate. So channel your favorite game show host, dance like an Egyptian, or throw on a lab coat and spectacles and really go for it.

Warning: Don’t Do The Opposite

Teachers who struggle with classroom management typically do the opposite of what is recommended above.

They get excited, stressed, and angry (enthusiasm of a different kind) when they should be calm and observant, and they become spiritless when they should be teaching like their hair is on fire.

Following the guidelines above, however, causes everything important to improve—classroom management, attentiveness, motivation for learning, and love for school.

Note: I was sad to learn of the passing of former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He was an amazing teacher and an inspiration to many. Last September I wrote about him in an article called The Effective Teaching Secrets Of A Master.

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