Get your students motivated with these tips from educators.

1. Get Your
Students Motivated
Tips For the Classroom

2. Follow up with all students who do not
score at least 70% on the first exam
(about 4 weeks into the semester).
By meeting with them individually, I can
get to know them better, tell them about
tutoring resources, ask them about
their study habits, and tell them about
students in the class who might make
good study partners.
Nicolas Zoller, Mathematics Professor
Southern Nazarene University

3. Try to create a comfortable environment
by using lots of humor and walking
around the class often. I use examples
to illustrate concepts using individuals,
by name, to bring it home. I use ice
breakers and require group work.
Florence, McGovern, Accounting Professor
Bergen Community College

4. Make the class relevant. Look
for events, articles, etc. Most
anything in our everyday lives
that can relate to topics we are
covering in class. Social media is
a good tool to help with this.
Jill Mitchell, Accounting Professor
Northern Virginia Community College-Annandale

5. Students are more willing to buy in
if the teacher recognizes them as
individual people with interests, wants,
and needs. Make the environment and
the instruction engaging. Be organized
and enthusiastic.
Joe Vignolini, Mathematics Chair
Flint Hill School

6. I have made a series of short (less than
10 minutes) videos on some of the topics
that my students seem to be unsure
about. Some of the topics are covered
in the first chapter of the text, but many
students need more of a review than is
available in class or from reading the text.
The videos are all done as a character that
somewhat relates to the topic, i.e. The
Crazy Scientist does scientific notation
Marilyn Rands, Physics Professor
Lawrence Technical University

7. I ask them to come to my office so that
we can make a study schedule. I want
them to know me and not be afraid
to ask questions. Have icebreaker
activities on the first day and try to
pair unknown students with those I
already know.
Yuli Carolina Kainer, Biology Professor
San Jacinto College

8. I try to chunk things up in the classroom and
scaffold the learning. The environment is set up
so that kids are in groups of 3-4 kids at a table.
I focus on low-stakes, group-focused activities.
However, I try and show an example of what
I want at the start. Then, I specifically assign
tasks in the groups. While they work, I monitor
and ask questions of each kid to see what they
are really doing. I also try and make the activity
“real world” to encourage them using skills they
already have but not specifically content they
need to learn.
Yuli Carolina Kainer, Biology Professor
San Jacinto College

9. References
1. Felder, R.M., & Brent, R. (2016). Teaching and Learning STEM: A Practical Guide,
Section 4.7 and Chapter 6. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
2. Cornelius, T.L., & Owen-DeSchryver , J. (2008). Differential effects of full and partial
notes on learning outcomes and attendance. Teaching of Psychology
3. Hartley, J., & Davies, I.K. (1978). “Note-taking: A critical review.” Programmed
Learning & Educational Technology, 15, 207
4. Kiewra, K.A. (1989). A review of note-taking: The encoding storage paradigm and
beyond. Educational Psychology Review, 1(2), 147
To learn more teaching strategies and tips,
visit Wiley Exchanges Educate Blog at
hub.wiley.com/community/exchanges/educate