How to increase students´interest

 

 

 

One way of incresing students´interest is carrying out a research study on what kinds of activities can be more appealing to them according to their ages,interests,needs,beliefs and desires.In this way,teachers could design activities that possibly will engage students and help them to obtain better results.

 

Another way to mativate students to participate in the blog could be taking into account the topics they like,the experinces they live (drugs,plans, first engagements,parties,soccer,relationships with Friends and family,their hobbies,needs ,desires,etc),Everything related to their context.Also,if students have the possibility to choose the topic they want to write about in the blog,autonomy and interest will be promoted.

According to some investigations carried out by Benware and Deci in 1984,students will be more interested in learning a topic when they can apply the knowldge they have acquired  in the real life,instead of learning only to obtain good grades.

How to measure students´interest

Considering that the research study I am goin to carry out with seventh grade students is a volounteer process,which is not going to be graded.Students´interest must be fostered for them to participate in the activities designed in the blog.They must be intrisically motivated to do the activities,since they will not be rewarded with grades. For that reason,one way of measuring students´interest will be their participation in the blog.It is necessary to plan activities that really engage students. According to Deci (1992),"Interest organizes some of people´s attention and activity.When they feel free to do so,their attention is directed toward activities or objects that interest them"(p.52).

 

Reflections on my Research Study

 

 

 

The master program in English Language Teaching-Autonomous Learning Environments has allowed me to reflect on my teaching practice.The most enriching experience in this program has been the teaching practices.Through them, I realized that I was a traditional teacher who did not use too many resources to help students to acquire the language in context.I recognized that I was teaching vocabulary through isolated words,and it did not help students to use structures in context.

 

I could observe that students were not very interested in my class,maybe because of the reasons I already explained.They did not do homework,they copied the homework from their classmates and they sometimes did not pay attention to my explanations in class.They were not engaged. I believe my  my classes were very monotonous because I only focused on translation,write sentences and draw.

 

Now,I can say that thanks to these teaching practices and my teachers´feedback,I have begun to change my classes trying to reduce Teacher Talking Time (TTT) and increasing  Students Talking Time (STT).In other words,my clases are more student-centered.Also, I believe my classes are more dinamic.I have  noticed  that students enjoy my class  more than before.Students have begun to interact among them and they have the possibility to speak in English.I can say that they love to speak in English and they are enjoying a little bit more the class while they  learn.

 

Esperanza Pinzón