1. Use a dictionary of some sort?
2. Communicate on a simple level in English?
3. Pronounce some English words correctly?
4. Read and understand simple sentences in English?
5. Understand directions in English?
6. Spell some English words correctly?
7. Understand you when you speak simple English?
8. Communicate in English outside the class when necessary? 

Now, give ourselves a pat on the back for what you HAVE achieved, because for sure you all scored 30+.

Now try, on a 1 – 5 scale: Will your students…

1. Do homework?
2. Work in pairs or groups?
3. Organise their work?
4. Take pride in their work?
5. Share learning experiences outside the class with you?
6. Do extra work because they are interested?
7. Study for tests?
8. Do an internet search?
9. Stay on task?
10. Participate in class?

Perhaps your score from 50 here was not so good, but there is good news – this is not your fault! The 10 items above are issues which ALL teachers in your school, whatever their subject area, should be working on – it is not just the responsibility of the English teachers. If teachers in a given school jointly make a policy regarding the above points, and reinforce them daily inside and outside the classroom, eventually students WILL start to adopt these behaviours.
 
Teachers United
Teaching is a difficult job, requiring lots of preparation time and patience – but it is a job that can be shared – teachers, not just within the same school, but also within the community can work together and exchange ideas. A joint effort should raise standards throughout the town, help change attitudes across the board and eventually create new attitudes with parents, students and administrators – it should also lessen your workload. As well as staffroom discussions, why not have a regular swap-shop session where teachers of all subjects can share successes and get advice – and make joint policies? Do not try to change everything at once, but do make monthly targets and keep each other informed about success-rates – and do not deviate from the new policy without consulting others – and do not give up – stick with it – change will happen – eventually. Set up an internet discussion board or discussion list for your region where teachers (of all subjects) with similar issues can support each other and learn from each other. Through your local Zone or TESOL Arabia organize self-help meetings and workshops where you can discuss problems, swap ideas which work, give demonstrations and find solutions. In the field of teaching English in UAE Schools, YOU are the experts. Take pride in what you do, do not be afraid to experiment, or show off your talents - respect yourselves and your ability. You know far more about your situation than some westerner in tertiary education!
 
Involve Parents
Parents, of course, play a vital part in a child’s learning. How can parents get their children to want to learn, and be interested in learning more about the world? Parents need to take an interest in their children’s development.
The joy of learning starts at home. Children need to see that their parents like reading and are interested in the world. A child will be more likely to take pleasure in reading, writing, and learning if the parents themselves display (or model) this pleasure. If there are always books in the house and conversation about news, or discussions about history or science, if the child is encouraged to express opinions or be engaged in creative activities. Parents need to engage their children in activities that encourage experiments, critical thinking, creativity and learning. The “culture” of the home is, then, a key factor in getting motivation to grow within the child.
A major problem with school is that it is perceived as disjointed from the real world. Parents should help their children to see the relevance of their school learning to the real world. Parents need to find out what their children are learning at school and reinforce these concepts outside school.
Not everything needs to be tied to school either. Of course children need to study for tests, but a body of facts crammed for an exam and then soon forgotten is not really learning. The child’s intellect cannot develop from this alone. General knowledge and the ability to think are always useful and are a firm foundation for success in school. Children need to get their hands into things and actively interact with things and learning for themselves as this can get the child really involved from within, giving them “ownership” of their knowledge and consequently leading to real interest.
 
Activities
There is a huge amount that parents can, and should, do to help their children develop a love of learning. Here are some ideas.
 
Visits: Museums, planetariums, fossil hunting, archaeological sites, theatre and cinema…
To get the most from the visit get the child involved and thinking by asking questions or making it into a game? I Spy, 20 Questions, putting things into groups, for example living and non-living things, colours and shapes, letters, spelling, environmental awareness, safety awareness – anything that gets them thinking.

TV: Too much, as with anything is not good, but TV is a huge source of learning opportunities. For young children there are shows like the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Telly Tubbies. Kids who are a little older can be encouraged to watch bright, fun programmes aimed at children on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, BBC Children’s TV and National Geographic. The best programmes are stimulating and intrinsically motivating
 
Games: Scrabble, Word Factory, and Word Up are fun activities that also encourage vocabulary. Monopoly, Rummikub, and Snakes and Ladders are examples of games that can develop maths ability.
 
Reading: Reading books together. Let the child choose the book and then read it together. It can be anything - a magazine, fairytales, stories, fact book.... The element of choice and the attention from a parent helps to encourage a positive attitude to reading and learning. Have reading matter around the house: examples are Dorling Kindersley picture books, Asterix, magazines (like National Geographic or Focus), activity books (word searches, crosswords etc).

Making things together: for example aircraft or dinosaur kits, family trees, their own picture books, jigsaws, Lego, Meccano, maps and cards, painting.
 
Computers: for example software aimed at kids such as DK’s “The Way Things Work”, searching the net for suitable sites, making pictures, greetings cards, party invitations.

Doing things together: gardening, fishing, looking at the night sky, caring for an animal, cooking, stamp/shell collections…

Talking with them: sharing your interests and passions and encouraging theirs, sharing stories, asking questions, their successes and challenges, praising them, etc.
 
It is virtually limitless.
 
Conclusion
So, how can we as teachers actually motivate children? That is the $64,000 question! Enthusiasm from the teacher, getting the parents on board, variety in class, teacher support on a group and individual basis, praise (not too much candy, please!), exposure to materials (adverts, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, internet resources, picture books…) and opportunities to practise English. So, decorate your classroom with all kinds of things, collect items in English – and get your students to find things too.  Have an English-only Day, hold an exhibition, get a speaker, take a trip somewhere where students can practise English, participate in UAE competitions (EEG, Shell), and organize inter-school competitions and quizzes – students can even help write the questions or organize the activities.
Teachers (and parents) really have to make an effort to make learning interesting and motivating. And finally, we must not forget that we need to show students our own enthusiasm for learning and act as a positive role model in their education.

Top

Menu