How do you help students maintain motivation in learning English when they reach plateau/setbacks
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I guess, that the best way to maintain students' motivation is to provide a variety of learning activities. Use new games, group discussions with controversial topics, different interactive resources (genially, wordwall, baamboozle) and authentic materials.
Knowing your students is very important. The topic will evolve around the students' interest in what he/she likes to learn. Mundane or boring topics might not motivate the students. Even for grammar lessons, we can have in the form of a quiz or word puzzle. There are many ways to teach other than books or slides. Pictures and new vocabulary will be more interesting to the student.
It's good to switch it up a bit - introduced a new topic, do a new type of activity, do a grammar point that they haven't done before. However, it's also important to make sure the students realise that even they FEEL they are at a plateau, in reality the learning still occurs - but unconsciously: the brain is working in the background making new connections. And eventually BOOM: there's another aha! moment. So no time is wasted. As regards setbacks: I like to follow the rule of "failing forward". Even if you have a setback, you make progress as you just discover something that doesn't work - and you won't make that same mistake anymore. Works in learning languages, works in learning a new skill, works in life at large.
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- Ashinze immashCertified English teacher with 5 years experience of teaching both children and adults
Learning a new language can sometimes be tiring. That's why it's important to use different methods in learning to make it less boring. I encourage students to always watch movies, podcasts, and comedies.
This is tough. I guess we should recognise that the student has to motivate themselves... Had to say that, it's in all the books lol. Partly for my own sanity, I use lots of different teaching materials but I always have - in my head - a direction of travel. Today I worked with a section of a novel and had my student give opinions about it - freestyle, no rules. But yesterday we looked at opinion language on a worksheet. Obviously it's linked, but switching materials and lesson style make it feel like a different kind of class. Not sure if that helps... but hope it does a little.
By involved them in more conversation in different topics
We need to engage students with a variety of content; visuals, storytelling, games, activities and tasks to make learning memorable.
You should help them to find their path and passion, you have to make them thinking about "whys" ! when you know the "why" you are always motivated!
Motivating students during class when they are showing great progress and always giving them rewards can help motivate them and make them want to learn more even though they may go through challenges.
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