 Motivating students in an ESL classroom Motivation is a crucial part of learning and it has grave importance especially in an ESL classroom Language teachers should be aware of their role in motivating their students and take responsibility while teaching Students tend to get easily demotivated while they are learning a new language since it involves making many mistakes and devoting a lot of time and effort Teachers should help their students to keep their motivation level high There are three main steps for motivating learners Teachers should start with setting attainable goals, blend their needs and interests while teaching and acknowledge their accomplishments Challenging goals Setting goals is important for learners since they decide where they want to see themselves in the future and this raises their motivation However, learners are very likely to set unreachable goals and failing to reach those goals demotivates them Thus teachers need to lead their students for setting attainable goals To help the learners set attainable goals, teachers should assess the readiness and the needs of the students by observing them or by using assessment tools Later, teachers should compare their findings with the goals students have set for themselves If the goals they have set are unreachable, teachers should discuss the learning process with those students and reach of common ground with them There might be situations where some students set easily achievable goals that would not challenge them enough In those cases, teachers should lead those students to set more challenging goals Inclusive lesson planning Teachers plan their lessons or units according to their needs of their students However, the interests of the students should be also a part of their learning process to keep their motivation level high Teachers should observe their students and give them freedom of choice while learning Being able to choose what and how they learn makes them take responsibility for their own learning and this motivates them to learn Teachers can let the students decide on the method they will learn, the resources they will use and how they demonstrate what they have learned If the students have the option to build their own path of learning, they will construct it according to their individual interest thus they motivate it along the way Giving a feedback Teachers should provide sufficient feedback to the students to acknowledge their accomplishments After every assessment, assignment, project, and presentation or even after a simple discussion Teachers should provide constructive feedback on the goals that they have achieved, the things they did correctly and what they should work on Teachers should also create chances of producing language with project-based assignments for the students to see how they acquired language and how they are able to use it in a meaningful context Are you ready to teach English abroad? Students can learn better when they are motivated and they need their teachers' help with keeping their motivation level high Learners need the guidance of the teachers since learning, especially learning a new language can be easily demotivating Teachers can keep the motivation level of their students high by setting goals that they can achieve Keeping the interests of the students in mind while planning their lesson and letting the students be aware of their achievements Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad Send us an email or call us toll-free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today