Why can students become demotivated? What are the keys to getting children motivated in their education? In the following article, we detail it for you.
Lack of motivation: one of the main problems in education
It seems that in recent years everyone has realized the importance of this weapon in developing adults who are socially and emotionally aware, as well as competent for the future they will have to face. It is increasingly common to hear talk about so-called 'alternative pedagogies', such as the Montessori Method which, for example, grants a lot of autonomy to the child. In addition, 'multiple intelligences', a theory launched in 1983 by psychologist Howard Gardner, is also beginning to be used in schools around the world.
To the consolidated STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) subjects, created to mainly work on gender inclusion, others have been added that, according to the community of teachers and experts, are of vital importance in order to continue moving towards a better education: the so-called soft skills(or soft skills), for example, take up more and more space in the classroom. Furthermore, it is already well known that emotional and values education is another of the protagonists in schools around the world (some have even gone so far as to introduce it as a subject). To these, we can add other areas such as theater (it has been shown that it is perfect for working on group work, socialization, or emotions) and environmental education, so important in the times in which we live.
But, despite the fact that education is advancing by leaps and bounds, there are still basic and essential issues that fail within the classroom. Which? The main challenge that current teachers face is the motivation of the students and, above all, the climate in the classroom, which is not the best. At least this is what the figures indicate: of the 2,174 cases that the Teacher Ombudsman of the National Association of Teaching Professionals (ANPE) attended last year, 21% were related to problems teaching classes, due to the inadequate climate and triggering disruptive behaviors. In fact, in the words of Olga Adroher, a collaborating professor on a master's degree at the UPF and the UOC, “there may be absenteeism, wasted time, interruptions, conflicts and aggressive attitudes towards colleagues.” In addition, Paola Ferrando, an English teacher,
Why can students become demotivated?
Certainly, the reasons for motivation and demotivation to go to class depend on each student. However, some reasons are repeated in most of them. The causes of student demotivation can be:
- The feeling of irrelevance of the content of the classes in their lives or personal interests.
- Learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental disorders that students may have, such as ADHD or dyslexia. Frustration from not understanding the content of the class can lead to demotivation.
- The teachers' very traditional teaching methods. Some teachers have a traditional idea of teaching that does not adapt to the needs or learning styles of students.
- Lack of emotional support from teaching staff. This can lead to the bond between the teacher and the student not being the most appropriate and the students losing interest in the class taught by that teacher.
- The absence of objectives or goals. Many times students do not see a clear purpose in education or what they will achieve by learning content.
- The lack of autonomy. Students may feel unmotivated if they feel that they do not have some control over their learning and, on the contrary, feel that they are forced to follow a path that does not interest them.
- Personal problems. Some students who have family or health problems may be affected by demotivation.
- Lack of recognition. Students often become demotivated when their effort is not recognized by the teacher.
The teacher-student relationship, the key
Both teachers, mentioned above, agree when stating that one of the main keys to achieving this is to dedicate a lot of time to getting to know the students, even personally and individually. To do this, they believe, it is necessary to generate trust, observe their dynamics and agree on a series of routines for each one.
Olga Adroher believes that “we must generate empathy with the students, seek complicity, and motivate them so that there are no conflicts in the classroom.” In her opinion, to solve this issue, it is very important to make them see how training can help them and how useful the knowledge they learn every day is.
Solutions to achieve it
Both teachers offer several tips that all schools should take into account:
- Create a classroom culture that includes working with values, active listening, or tolerance.
- Work the emotional terrain and motivation
- Agree on certain rules with the students themselves, since they consider that if it is agreed upon, everything is fulfilled much more
- Finally, they trust in the importance of taking preventive measures and non-invasive corrections based on effort. In other words, radically end punishments and threats that, in your opinion, almost never work and create conflict between teacher and student.
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