One of the toughest tasks a teacher can have on their plate is to motivate their students the right way—that is, motivating them from the inside rather than from the outside. Motivation is the word derived from the word ’motive’ which means needs, desires, wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals. Motivation is one's direction to behaviour, or what causes a person to want to repeat behaviour, a set of force that acts behind the motives. An individual's motivation may be inspired by others or events (extrinsic motivation)or it may come from within the individual (intrinsic motivation). Motivation has been considered as one of the most important reasons that inspire a person to move forward.

Encourage Students

Students look to teachers for approval and positive reinforcement, and are more likely to be enthusiastic about learning if they feel their work is recognized and valued. You should encourage open communication and free thinking with your students to make them feel important. Be enthusiastic. Praise your students often. Recognize them for their contributions. If your classroom is a friendly place where students feel heard and respected, they will be more eager to learn. A “good job” or “nice work” can go a long way.

Have one-on-one conversations

When a student has a chronic problem, pull them aside and talk to them. Ask questions to try to understand why they are struggling, and ask them what needs to change so that they can be successful. Develop a plan together and then help them stick to it.

Get Them Involved 

One way to encourage students and teach them responsibility is to get them involved in the classroom. Make participating fun by giving each student a job to do. Give students the responsibility of tidying up or decorating the classroom. Assign a student to erase the blackboard or pass out materials. If you are going over a reading in class, ask students to take turns reading sections out loud. Make students work in groups and assign each a task or role. Giving students a sense of ownership allows them to feel accomplished and encourages active participation in class.

Offer rewards

Everyone likes getting rewards, and offering your students the chance to earn them is an excellent source of motivation. Things like a pen, copy, or even something as simple as a sticker on a paper can make students work harder and really aim to achieve. Consider the personalities and needs of your students to determine appropriate rewards for your class.

Get Creative

Avoid monotony by changing around the structure of your class. Teach through games and discussions instead of lectures, encourage students to debate and enrich the subject matter with visual aids, like colourful charts, diagrams and videos. You can even show a movie that effectively illustrates a topic or theme. Your physical classroom should never be boring: use posters, models, student projects and seasonal themes to decorate your classroom, and create a warm, stimulating environment. 

Draw Connections to Real Life “When will I ever need this?”

This question, too often heard in the classroom, indicates that a student is not engaged. If a student does not believe that what they’re learning is important, they won’t want to learn, so it’s important to demonstrate how the subject relates to them. If you’re teaching communicative language  function , take some time to research how it is utilized practically for example, create a situation where students have to play the role of customer and shopkeeper in a shopping complex which  Really amaze them by telling them that they may use it in their career. 

Use positive competition

Competition in the classroom isn’t always a bad thing, and in some cases can motivate students to try harder and work to excel. Work to foster a friendly spirit of competition in your classroom, perhaps through group games related to the material or other opportunities for students to show off their knowledge.

If motivation is properly established, learning will be certainly successful. There are many different factors that may affect a student's motivation. A strongly motivated student is in a far better position as a learner than a student who is slightly motivated or not motivated. Therefore the students with no long term goals can be highly motivated by realistic short term goals within the learning process.

Thapa works as an English Teacher in Secondary level