Motivating Students in the High School Classroom

Abstract

“You actually like that boring material? All you ever do is read and write papers, and I think that is terribly boring.” That is a very common response when I tell people that I am a history major. In fact, responses along those lines are very common when other people learn of my interest and desire to study and teach history. After many experiences like this, I have decided that it would be interesting to take an in-depth look into what motivates some students to learn history while other students do not. My interest in student motivation has led me to take an in-depth look at how to get students interested in history so that they would not dislike coming to my class. As I started observing classes and reflecting on my experiences in the classroom, it occurred to me that an important aspect of pedagogy is motivating students to succeed. This factor has persuaded me to focus the majority of my Senior Individualized Project on what motivational techniques can be applied to my history class in order to fully engage my students. It is important for aspiring teachers like me to understand how to motivate students and make the subjects that they teach interesting. If a teacher goes into a classroom and has no intention of making the subject material interesting, then they are already fighting an uphill battle to engage their students. So, in order to engage students, it is essential to have an understanding of what motivates them. School Culture