10 Ways to Boost Student Morale
Spring is nearly here, which means the end of school is nearly here. You might notice that your students are starting to fade in the classroom. Finding ways to boost student morale will help them reach the end of the academic year without a drop in grades or a loss of interest.
1. Plan a Field Trip
One way to get students excited about learning again is to get them out of the classroom. Plan a field trip to a museum or historical site that is relevant to want the students are studying.
If you have a tight budget, visit a public park and learn about the native plants and animals.
2. Hold an Awards Ceremony
Create award certificates that recognize student’s achievements each week or month.Hold a short awards ceremony at the end of class on occasion to hand out the certificates. Giving out an award for perfect attendance, top test scores or most creative essay will encourage students to keep working hard, even as spring fever sets in.
3. Get Interactive
Think of ways to get students involved in what they are learning. If you’re studying a historical event, have students act it out. Some popular activities include: The Oregon Trail and Student Government.
4. Focus on Interests
Students are more likely to pay attention if what they are learning interests them. Try to tie the lessons into your students’ interests or assign projects that relate to their interests.
5. Set Goals
Keep students going through class by asking them to set a small, achievable goal at the beginning of each lesson. The students can share their goals with others or keep them private if they prefer.
6. Offer Extra Credit
Some students love the sound of extra credit. Offer the chance to earn a few extra points on a test or essay by asking a particularly challenging questions. If the students get the answer, they get a bonus. If they don’t, it doesn’t hurt their score.
7. Ask Students How They Are Doing
Get a read on your students by asking them how they feel at the start of class. If students are having a bad day, they can give you a thumbs down sign. If they’re having a good day, they can give a thumbs up.
8. Add a Game
Games make class time go faster. Students learn while having fun. Have a Jeopardy! style contest in which students have to answer class-relevant questions in the form of a question, for example.
9. Make the Lesson Relevant
Try to make the lesson for the day relevant to students’ lives somehow. You can relate current events to events in the students’ own culture or you can draw connections between the lives of characters in a novel to the student’s lives.
10. Be Encouraging
Always have a kind word to say to your students. They might not get the answers right all of the time, but keep in mind that they are trying.
When morale is high, students are more likely to engage with you and to do their best. Getting good grades is just part of the equation in the classroom. The other part is learning to enjoy the subject being taught.