Motivation

Motivation is something every teaching needs to keep in mind, but nobody every really seems to talk about. It seems as though, in the past, as teachers-to-be, we are given all these tools to use, but we never really are given scenarios and asked "What would you do?". I think that is infinitely more important. You can be told what works and what to do, but it's not going to stick with you unless you been put into a situation where you had to dig those things up yourself. Real experiences are what internalize knowledge. It was really great to be put into the shoes of a teaching and have to respond to hard question. You won't always have the right answer at first, but this is just the beginning to building a toolkit for the future. In terms of what motivates students, it's extremely important not to shut the student down. If there are misbehaving, you need to find a way to shift their energy. Immediately sending them away or snapping at them isn't going to make them want to be a part of class because it generates negative feelings. Instead, it is important to understand why they are misbehaving and how to help them get on track. What needs aren't you meeting? And even though I'm no longer pursuing becoming a teacher directly out of college, this was still very interesting and very helpful. It really made me look at what motivates me as a student, and really helps to get into the shoes of others and how your actions affect them.