Motivating and Inspiring

​Motivating and Inspiring

By Sarah Gross

Give learners freedom within reason. If an alternative option provides the same learning outcomes, let learners take that path!

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Freedom

In a digital art classroom, this might mean allowing learners to choose the software they will work with.

Freedom

Add elements of fun to the classroom when possible. This can be in the form of games, challenges, or competitions.

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Fun

Some gamification sites that can be used online include Blooket, Gimkit, Kahoot, and Wayground.

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Fun

Show learners that they are welcome as they are.

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Love and Belonging

Create an environment that embraces differences and doesn't punish people for them.

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Love and Belonging

Stay current with fads and trends. Participate in them when appropriate.

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Love and Belonging

Discuss favorite TV shows, movies, and books with learners. Watch or read their recommendations. Follow up with your thoughts.

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Love and Belonging

"We're all in this together!"
Let learners know that you're here to learn from them just as much as they learn from you.

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Power

Recognize learners for taking risks and answering questions even if they're wrong. They're being brave to speak out in front of their peers.

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Power

Give learners anonymous surveys about your course. Take their feedback into consideration when planning and executing lessons.

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Caring Teacher Habits

Don't judge! You never know what is going through someone's head or what they are going through.

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Caring Teacher Habits

Allow learners the chance to self-correct. Nothing is written in stone and change is always possible.

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Caring Teacher Habits

Admit your own imperfections and failings. As you learn from them, learners will learn from them, too.

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Caring Teacher Habits

Variety is called the spice of life for a reason. Adding variety to a lesson keeps it engaging for everyone and helps learner who learn differently.

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Create Variety

Create low stakes competitions for learners to show off their knowledge and skills. This can be done in games, displays, or by who gets a project printed and mailed home.

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Positive Competition

Be enthusiastic about your subject! Your positivity and excitement are contagious.

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Enthusiasm

Help learners create a positive perception of themselves as someone who succeeds.

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Perception

Support an optimistic world view. Bad things are caused by temporary environmental causes. The good times are made by permament fixtures.

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Explanatory Style

Compartmentalize the bad, embrace the good. Something bad can happen in one area of your life. Keep it there. Share the good things that make your whole day good.

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Explanatory Style

Recognize that bad things can happen because of elements beyond your control. Good things happen thanks to choices you make!

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Explanatory Style

Encourage good organization habits. Have learners create folders and always save documents in the appropriate folders.

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Positive Learning Environment

Always knowing where files and supplies are will cut down on the majority of stress.

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Positive Learning Environment

These good organizational habits will also make learners feel prepared for anything that comes their way!

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Positive Learning Environment

Remember that the tone and body language you use is often more important than the words you use.

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Positive Learning Environment

Teach the importance of tone and posture to learners for them to use in their lives as well.

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Positive Learning Environment

When discipline is needed, remember FEE.
Follow through
Expectations
Engagement

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Positive Learning Environment

Always follow through with promises or threats. If you promise a reward, make sure to grant it. If you threaten a consequence, complete the consequence every time.

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Positive Learning Environment

Make sure learners always know the classroom expectations. They won't know how to act unless you tell them.

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Positive Learning Environment

Make learners part of the team. Include them in the goal setting and coming up with consequences.

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Positive Learning Environment

Create connections with learners before you try to correct them. It is easy to blow off someone you have no connections with but harder when it's someone you care about.

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Positive Learning Environment

Keep open lines of communication for non-judgemental help opportunities.

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Esteem with a Community

Be lenient with learners. Extend grace to them just as you would like grace extended to you. Keep expectations high, but also support many ways of getting there.

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Esteem with a Community

Give complements and encourage learners to complement each other. Create spaces for giving complements, like a positive critique.

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Esteem with a Community

Use student examples. This helps learners know what to reasonably expect and gives a confidence boost to the learners whose work is chosen.

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Esteem with a Community

Award classroom jobs to students. These can be as small as letting learners into the Zoom room or as large as selecting the music for class!

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Esteem with a Community

Use brain-teasers and nevertells in the classroom. Struggling together can create shared emotions and connections. It also helps wake up the brain to new thought patterns.

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Self-Actualization

Share peak experiences with learners. These are moments in your life where you felt a deeper connection to something greater than yourself due to a significant achievement.​

Self-Actualization

Specifically teach learners to have a growth mindset. You may not be good at something now, but you can get better at it through practice.

Self-Actualization

I edit this quote to, "Being bad at something is the first step to being good at something." Many learners know who I'm quoting (Jake the Dog) and they agree with the sentiment.

Self-Actualization

Teach learners to use SMART goal setting when planning their projects and goals.

Self-Actualization

Goals need to be specific. If they aren't, you won't know when you've achieved it or what it is you are really working toward.

Self-Actualization

Goals need to be measurable. How can you show improvement if you don't know where you're starting or where you're going to?

Self-Actualization

Goals should be attainable. A learner who is just starting a new skill shouldn't set a goal of mastering a new software right away. It would be demoralizing when they fall short.

Self-Actualization

This is why I tell my learners that perfection is never the goal. Only progress. Be better than the you you were yesterday, even if only slightly.

Self-Actualization

Lastly, goals should be result oriented and time bound. Each step along the way should have a way of being checked off and a timeframe in which to do so.

Self-Actualization

No matter the goal, it is important to have mentors and role models. You need to know what has been done before and how they did it so you can start your journey.

Self-Actualization

In order for learners to take risks, they need to know that they are safe.

Safety

It's important to use this quote, “We are responsible for one another. We gain knowledge. We give and receive love. We become successful.” This has always been the case.

Safety

It's important to include caretakers in classroom communication. Caretakers like to know what their learners are up to and learners like to know that their caretakers know what they're doing.

Safety

This can be done electronically or through snail mail. It's important to also call home for both good news and bad news.

Safety