Motivating High School Students
Professional Development and Teacher Training
Motivating high school students is not an easy task for the teacher, but it is definitely a challenging one. Tips for using learning styles in your lessons.
What You Should Know about Teaching in High School
The Students
What makes a high school teaching job challenging and possibly most stressful is the fact that unlike middle school students, high school students think for themselves and do not take things for granted. They can think much more abstractly and analytically. They question accepted world views, values and beliefs. Their intelligence rises. More differences in learning styles are becoming much more apparent.
The Changes and their Effects
These changes have effect on lesson plans and the planning of courses. A high school teacher has now more choice of materials to choose from. For example, she or he can spend time on class discussions, which can arouse emotional, social and moral aspects of education. Discussions are an effective way to motivate students to think with regard to difficult topics such as the Holocaust. In this respect, an English teacher could discuss the father and son themes in Pulitzer Prize Winner author Elie Wiesel’s horrifying account of his experiences in the Holocaust in the memoir Night. High School students thrive when they are emotionally and cognitively challenged. This book recently made headlines with Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, showing the public the importance of reading about the Holocaust. High School students should be encouraged to read and think for themselves the various themes and issues that Wiesel had to deal with as a little boy thus subject matter is paramount when choosing appropriate subject topics for High School students.
Subject Matter for High School Lesson Plans
Subject matter can be found anything from the textbook units to world theme days. Teachers should focus on subject matter that is culturally, linguistically and socially appropriate for their students while at the same time, they should choose subjects that interest them. It is a good idea to give high school students a bit of autonomy and allow them to choose the next unit of their coursebook. A teacher can also relate to their preferences and interests of various subject matters by distributing a questionnaire based on their likes and dislikes.
Example Questions
- What subjects interest you the most? The least?
- How do you learn the best? Students can circle one or more of the following activities: discussions / songs / poetry / computer room / watching a film / pair work / group work / working on my own
These questionnaires do not involve a hefty amount preparation on part of the teacher and can make a world of difference in giving the teacher more insight on what ticks the students and how to motivate them.
Over to You – what main items are you concerned about in terms of teaching High School students? What do you plan on doing to incorporate these changes into your High School lesson plans? Join the discussion and share your thoughts.
