With summer just around the corner, people are planning trips or vacations to relieve themselves of school and workplace stress. Students are mostly ecstatic to have the two and a half months’ time to do the things they want. However, the pandemic has changed the way students are educated, as everything starts to go online. Some students thrive, yet some are unable to keep up with the sudden change. Teachers themselves are also struggling to adapt, as it is more challenging for them to connect with their fellow students. Therefore, summer break may be the right time to allow students to catch up with their fellow classmates. Here is a list of ways teachers can help students to stay focused and motivated during the hot summer months.
- Set Achievable Goals
Many teachers start off their summer sessions with a list of objectives to complete during the time period. However, those goals can become unrealistic and hard to keep track of. Students should be encouraged to use journals to record their daily activities or plans under proper guidelines (Roggeman, 2021). This allows students to explore their creative writing skills and keep themselves organized to meet the goals they have set for this summer. Teachers can then use these journal records to help set doable goals or to act as a way to track their students’ progress. Realistic goals set the tone for the expectations of the students and provide them with a clear vision of their end goals towards the end of summer.
2. Have a Clear Learning Objective
It can be extremely frustrating for students to have a vague objective or expectations (TeachThought Staff, 2022). Without a clear guide, students may experience conflicts and be less inclined to complete their learning goals. The lack of rules or expectations in place can also make it confusing for students, which can hold them back from achieving their academic goals. Clear instructions must be in place to help students navigate their assignments, as it enables them to set up their own routine to accomplish their given tasks.
3. Offer Feedbacks for Assignments
By providing insightful feedback, it allows students to discover their strengths and weaknesses. Some students may appreciate the feedback, as it gives an explanation for their results and enables them to make adjustments, where it can help bring out their true potential (National University, 2021). Students may also be more willing to seek help from their teachers, which eliminates confusion and helps build relationships between teacher and student. This encourages open communication between the two parties and allows students to freely express their own thoughts or opinions.
4. Have Group Discussions or Meetings
Humans are social creatures as we need a certain amount of social interactions to maintain our level of contentment. Many softwares like Zoom, Google Meet or FaceTime allow group interactions or private chats with the students (National University, 2021). With the pandemic that has been going on, softwares like Zoom, serve as a main source of communication between teachers and students. It also helps improve a person’s communication skills and confidence for their speech. Face to face interaction is the best way to build trust. Students will be more inclined to reach out in times of need, given that there is a quick and easy way to reach out to the teachers.
5. Reward Students
Giving recognition for the work the students have done inspires them to continue to strive for success (National University, 2021). Like working adults, who are motivated after receiving verbal or financial rewards from the supervisors, students too have similar mindsets where they appreciate positive acknowledgements of their hard work. It also creates a healthy environment for the students to learn and be actively involved within their lessons.
Of course, different students have different needs. This is where feedback from students serves as a guideline for teachers to plan their lessons. It provides the opportunity to create a good learning environment for all students to enjoy, where they can retain valuable experiences that help with their future career paths. With all those ideas listed above, are you ready to motivate students during this summer?
Written by: Ya Pey Hew
June 21, 2022
