I had a great teacher who told us to "Never reinforce a negative behavior." I wonder what people might think about this as a blanket statement.

Was a good course. Many good conversations here already, thank you for sharing. Something I've implemented this semester to engage the students, provide them influence, or control, choice and feel personally involved is to allow my class to select a committee to determine homework from the days curriculum. It is a committee of 3 so there is a tie breaker. Each class the nominated have to be selected from those that have not yet been selected. They seem to really enjoy it. Creates conversation and so far, enthusiasm and engagement with a high return rate of quality and timely results. My students are part of our creative schools and it seems to be very popular and quite successful. I look forward to implementing even more tactics from this lesson to increase my effectiveness.

Educational psychology has identified two basic classifications of motivation - intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation arises from a desire to learn a topic due to its inherent interests, for self-fulfillment, enjoyment and to achieve a mastery of the subject. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is motivation to perform and succeed for the sake of accomplishing a specific result or outcome. Students who are very grade-oriented are extrinsically motivated, whereas students who seem to truly embrace their work and take a genuine interest in it are intrinsically motivated.

Teachers have a lot to do with their students' motivational level. A student may arrive in class with a certain degree of motivation. But the teacher's behavior and teaching style, the structure of the course, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with students all have a large effect on student motivation. We may have heard the utterance, "my students are so unmotivated!" and the good news is that there's a lot that we can do to change that.

below are three ways that you can encourage students to get on the right path to staying motivated. Encourage them to think positively. Reinforce for them that there’s power in thinking about what they do well. By creating a mindset in which they focus on the positive and tell themselves they can work to improve upon their areas of weakness — instead of focusing on the things they don’t do as well and becoming discouraged and less motivated — they’ll feel more inspired to work harder. Remind students that motivating themselves is their responsibility alone. If they work hard to attain good grades, it’s because they put in the effort to study and build on what you’ve taught them. If they didn’t give it their best shot, blaming anyone else won’t change that. Tell them that persistence pays off. The attitude that they can work through any challenge by keeping at it will make it more likely that they’ll see progress toward their learning goals.

1.Explain how classroom lessons apply to everyday life. Show each lesson’s relevance / application. 2.Let students know they are missed when they don’t come. 3.Help your students identify a specific goal for attending your class. 4.Research shows that adult students with a clear goal are more likely to persist than those without. 5. Students need to “see” their progress. It must be measurable to them: portfolios, pre/post tests, test scores, written evaluations… 6. Employ a variety of instructional methods to reach all students. Research shows that group work and discussion generates energy and enthusiasm leading to great participation. Do class projects! 7. Build self-efficacy/confidence by: recognizing their progress, celebrating their achievements, and presenting models of success.

Intrinsic motivation is associated with curiosity, exploration, spontaneity, and interest…extrinsic motivation is associated with undertaken to attain an end state that is separate from the actual behavior…determined by some external contengency such as good marks or the avoidance of negative consequences.” (Muller, 2004) Adults are motivated by some external factorcs, such as promotions, salaries, and pressure from authority figures. Learners who are intrinsically motivated, therefore being interested leaners: •are more content in their learning processes. •acquire knowledge in a more differentiated and more coherent form. •show a long-term retention of what was learned. •apply their knowledge more often than others. •show higher academic achievement. •perceive themselves as more competent.

I am an instructor at a private college and often have large classes of 30 or more students. I struggle with talkers a lot in my classroom and want some ideas on how to handle this. I have tried a few things but am open for suggestions.

Though I appreciate the experience and ability brought to the classroom and field by my more mature students, I sometimes feel that once they get out in the field they can be hesitant to take direction from younger superiors. Since my field is healthcare it can be a real problem, as some of the older students "plant their feet" when being directed by younger peers. How do others handle this situation?

How do you go about stating objectives?

what can one do to make tough topic understandable?

What helps students to stay focused and alert?

What are the keys to successful motivation of students?

I see all my student equally. Because I see no age difference or treat anyone differently because of age, I have never had in 10 years, had an issue regarding age. Students follow how the instructor reacts or responds. :)

Any idea's on how to get through to and keep a student who has enrolled because their parent wanted them to take a class/program, and they did not? I can keep some of them motivated and semi interested through out the core class sessions, but loose them when they go to externship.

It is important to have a routine structure in the lesson plan while integrating a variety of diverse learning mediums. In an attempt to increase retention we must satisfy interest and create and environment where the student feels like he or she is learning.

Many adult students have so many things going on in their life. Having a sense of security in the class, and having a good instructor can release negative emotions,defensiveness, and anxiousness.

I have a somewhat unique perspective. I was a customer service professional for 15 years before becoming an adjunct instructor. The course material that describes how to be "customer oriented" (listening, creating relationships, flexible problem-solving, etc)is right on the money, but what was left out was the word "perception". The customer service experience is all about perceptions: how people perceive they are being treated. As instructors, we all need to keep our ears open for the little comments made in the hallways between classes to gauge our students' perceptions, and then react accordingly to change or shape them.

I always try to include all my students in class activities.

Motivating your students is not always easy. There are days where the only motivation you can give them is a simple "thank you" for their showing up to class due to situations in their own life, though this is not an excuse for them to skip their work and study obligation to your class. What I have found, if the student cares, is that the best motivation to move them is their grade. They work, they get rewarded; they don't, they fail. It sounds cold, but it is the bottom line.