Motivating Students To Learn During Pandemic

Donata L. Bolos

As we continue to face the pandemic that is COVID-19, it is important that we, as teachers, motivate our students to continue their learning journey at home.

It is an unsettling time for everyone and it is a known fact that some students are finding it hard to concentrate and becoming demotivated. It might seem difficult task for us teachers, but these students need us to invest in them, believe in them, and inspire them to learn. It will not be easy, but what a joy when we see a previously unmotivated student start to make progress.

Through experience, I’ve learned that one of the best ways to to motivate young learners is to believe in them. If you don’t believe that a particular student is going to complete his or her work, he or she probably won’t. Be extremely encouraging, especially during this challenging time. Sometimes students who appear lazy are actually discouraged or frustrated that they are having trouble learning. Our words can be extremely powerful in inspiring them, but more importantly, we can encourage them by giving them personal help and showing them that they can indeed do the work and be successful. It can make a big difference when they see that they are capable of even small successes.

It is also important to point out their successes and show them that their hard work is paying of. You may never know the powerful effect your encouragement has.

Moreover, make sure your students are the ones who are working. The one who is working is the one who is learning, so if you want your students to learn more, make sure they’re the ones actually doing their school works and not the parents. We can do this by reminding the parents how significant it is that the students do his school works for him to be able to learn well.

Another way to motivate our students is to make learning enjoyable. We don’t have to constantly be doing intricate activities to make it fun. Just be passionate about what you’re teaching and let that passion shine through. We can always find ways to make distance learning easier, we just have to be creative.

Lastly, get the parents involved. They are the ones who are in charge of looking after learners at home and they know their children well so they have the power to motivate them in the best way possible. We can also check with the parents from time to time how our students are dealing with distance learning. Let us connect with the parents regularly and when we talk to them, let us try to focus on the solutions, not the problems. Develop a plan together and then help them stick to it.

One day, we will all look back at this point in time and we will remember what we did to make it through. Through patience, hardwork, and extra dose of love and care, we can help give our students a future that is bright and full of hope. Let us do our part in making the world a better place by being a better teacher.

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The author is Teacher III at San Agustin Elem. School