Motivation In English Teaching

Everyone knows that motivation is the key to student learning. We know this from our own school experience and that of our friends and families. Motivation is so vital to successful teaching that teachers should try to understand motivation theories and then convert them into coherent programs of action that fit their existing routines. This thesis aims at helping to solve motivation problems and to elicit students' intrinsic motivation to learn with some specific and practical examples of how principles based on theory might be applied in teaching. The present article is laid out as follows:Chapter One discusses the definition, different types of motivation and most of the theories of motivation, including behavioral learning theory, reinforcement theory, social cognitive theory(Atkinson's expectancy & value theory, Rotter's social learning theory, Weiner's attribution theory), goal theory, learned helplessness, anxiety and achievement. These theories are then to be cited in Chapter Two, where they are used to review and justify specific motivation strategies.Chapter Two is devoted to ways of motivating students to learn. The first thing teachers should do is to identify motivation problems in students, which not only lies in average students but also in top students. The second part is about teacher-student relationship, i.e., how to build up a positive teacher - student relationship and to avoid the dependent relationship with students. The third part is to give some specific and practical examples of how principles based on research and theory are being applied in teaching. When giving tasks and assignments, teachers must pay attention to such things, for example: (1) The purposes of tasksand the real-world significance of the skills; (2) Balance between challenging and easy tasks; (3)Tasks that are linked to students interests and different tasks from day to day. Teachers can set short-term goals and different goals among students, furthermore, teachers can engage students in personal goal setting. Teachers are normally willing to give up some control to provide students with more autonomy, but there are several things teachers can do to minimize the likelihood of chaos in class and to ensure that students exercise their choice and responsibility effectively. First, teachers should increase student autonomy gradually, giving students an opportunity to show that they can use it productively. Second, teachers need to ensure that directions are clear and not too complicated. Third, it's helpful to tell the students how to make use of their time in studies. Giving up control can be dangerous, but if done carefully and thoughtfully, it can be liberating for the teacher as well as motivating for students. When teachers evaluate and reward students, some kinds of evaluation are more likely to enhance students' effort and learning, for example, (1) Point out their merits and progress if any. (2) Provide clear, specific, and informative feedback. (3) Teach students to evaluate their own work. The use of extrinsic rewards for good behavior and competent performances tends to decrease individuals' perceptions of self-determination or control. While teachers can use extrinsically oriented strategies with students who perceive themselves as being thoroughly incompetent and who, therefore, demonstrate virtually no interest in anything going on around them. Modeling, subgoaling and task sharing are good ways for teachers to give instructional support. Teachers can also use cooperative learning techniques and Internet to motivate students to learn.Chapter Three talks about teachers' role in motivating students to learn. Teachers first should know the complex nature of human motivation and differentneeds they have. Students are used to being in the teacher - dominated class, if we change this structure suddenly, students are likely to experience distress, so teachers should limit the changes they make in their pedagogical practices to no more than one or two parts of their program at a time and give new pract...