Motivation is one of the biggest factors for success. When a student is able to put their mind to work hard, anything is possible to achieve.
However, many students lose their motivation to learn due to the demanding and stressful competition in our education system. When a student lacks motivation, both their efforts and their teachers’ efforts would be put to waste.
That is why motivation is so important and many tutors struggle with giving their students motivation to begin with.
Don’t worry! I have put together some very useful tips that you can use to get your students motivated to do well.
Give them feedback instead of marks
For some students, seeing marks below their expectations on their papers can really disappoint them and create self-doubt.
Students are often judged solely by their marks and could also be under pressure having to report their marks to their parents all the time.
Although this is uncontrollable in schools and examinations where marks are used to assess the student’s performance, you can make your tuition class different by perhaps using rubrics and giving comments on how they can do better in future.
This will help them to focus on improvement instead of their marks.
Reward them for improvement
Rewards keep everyone going. As a tutor, it could be a simple ‘well done’ stamp, sticker or a piece of stationery to affirm your student when they have made improvements, and it would really encourage them to make more improvements.
If not, you can simply give them verbal praises to acknowledge their efforts.
Use encouraging words when they’re struggling
Students who sign up for tuition are usually the ones who are struggling academically and need a lot of help.
When you tutor, you have to possess a lot of patience, be prepared to help these students and not lose your cool.
Students can gain more frustration and feelings of hopelessness with learning when their tutor shows frustration in teaching them.
Assure them that what they’re going through is normal and part and parcel of life, and that you are there to help them improve. Encourage them to keep going.
Adjust to the student’s pace
Every student’s learning style and pace is different and tutors should not use a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach, because it would make students feel inadequate.
Especially if you’re a private tutor, you have more ability to give undivided attention to your individual student.
Don’t rush through your student’s learning but pay attention to the learning pace that they require and ensure that they have built their fundamental concepts before moving on.
Conclusion
Motivating a student who’s struggling with their learning can be very difficult. However, it is crucial for you, as a tutor, to really consider how you can allow your students to associate positive feelings with learning and to feel encouraged with achieving milestones.
I hope that this quick guide has helped to give you an idea of how you can make a difference in your student’s learning process!
Want to know how you can stay motivated as a tutor in Singapore? Read our article here.
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