1. MOTIVATING KOREAN STUDENTS IN EFL Alton Rose- English Language Fellow 2010-11

2. Why do Korean students learn English ?  1. To get a better job in the future  2. For college studies.  3. Because it’s a part of their curriculum  4. Because English is the “Lingua Franca”  5. Korean parents are passionate about their children's education. Learning English is a part of that passion

3. What is the meaning of motivation?  A general definition says “ raising interest in a subject or an event”  In other words, Kangmin’s level of interests in studying, on a scale of 1 to 10 might be 3. So, if you are able to motivate him, his interests level in studying might move to 7

4. Motivation  There are two general kinds of motivation: A) Intrinsic motivation, which is consequent to the joy experienced in learning, and; B) Extrinsic motivation, which results from external factors, such as procuring good grades or getting a certificate Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be focused upon by the teacher, in order to achieve better reception and absorption

5. Reminder  Students of English as a foreign language (EFL) are those whose mother tongue is not English  Motivation is important in achieving results in any activity and this is all the more true, with regard to learning a language

6. Impediments to motivation  Students are more accustomed to their mother tongue and learn English with certain preconceived notions  Some students have a a fear of being ridiculed or committing a mistake, which inhibits EFL students from participating freely in the classroom activities  English is idiomatic and involves several grammatical rules. All this takes some time for proper assimilation  Many students fail to realize the importance of learning English

7. What are the characteristics of a motivated learner ?  Displays confidence and willingness to learn  Is willing to accept challenges and aims for the summit  Is cognizant of what a specific learning activity sets out to achieve  Setbacks and temporary failures do not discourage such learners

8. How do you go about motivating students ?  Engender a friendly environment, where students can open their minds to learning, is indispensable  Discourage derisive behavior by the other students  Encouragement and praise should be given freely  The EFL learners should be presented with a learning environment that is not intimidating

9. The Teacher’s role in learner motivation  1.Set clear goals.  2. Explain purpose and usefulness  3. Vary classroom topics and tasks  4. Generate tension and challenge  5. Create a “Fun "atmosphere  6.Personalize learning  7.Assess students  8. Give students a sense of autonomy

10. Set clear goals  Learners should be aware of the objectives of the task-both language learning and content. For example, a guessing game may have the language learning goal of practicing questions, and the content goal of guessing answers.

11. Personalize Learning  Include tasks, wherein students recollect their experiences  Students should be encouraged to share their experiences, preferences and opinions with the class  There should be a genuine attempt to make these learners feel special

12. Usefulness  Learners sometimes need to know why they have to learn something  Before commencing an activity, if it is fully explained, along with what it sets out to achieve, the students will be more comfortable and understand why they are doing it. This bestows confidence upon them  At the very least, they won’t think that they are wasting their time learning something they don’t “need”

13. Variety  Teaching with visual aids is more effective in getting the point across. Verily A picture is worth more than a thousand words  Most Korean students love the internet and would love to utilize it in the learning process  Activities, like commencing a newsletter for their class and joining mailing lists makes students more involved  Motivation can be enhanced by requiring students submit their assignments online

14. Sense of autonomy  It’s important to make students feel that they are responsible and in control of their own learning.  Example: Have students pick from a list of topic to debate  Or you can have students find partners they would like to team up to take part in a specific game or activity

15. Create a “Fun” atmosphere  Entertainment produces enjoyment, which in turn adds motivation. Entertainment can be teacher or student produced, such as jokes, stories or songs. It can be in recorded format. Give students an assignment to produce a cell phone home movie. Next, give them permission to bring in their cell phone and show the movie to the class. Finally vote on the best production.

16. Generate tension and challenge  Game- like activities provide pleasurable tension and challenge through the process of attaining some “fun” goal while limited by rules. The introduction of such rules an arbitrary time limited, for example) can add zest to almost any goal-oriented task

17. Assess students  Conducting tests in class enables the students to assess the extent to which they have grasped what has been taught to them  Tests can be made enjoyable and challenging by incorporating carefully graded questions, involving different levels of difficulty  Tests should be entertaining and not daunting  Such tests should be evaluated promptly and fairly, as such evaluation indicates the teacher’s interest in the activity

18. Additional tools  Inspirational videos,documentaries and movies can be shown in class, say once a week, with English subtitles, as such viewing has the capacity to inspire the students  Maintaining a diary is an exemplary technique for enticing students to write in English. Such activity brings them into the lime light, and there are very few who dislike writing about themselves

19. Additional tools 2 Students should be motivated to read books by organizing games dealing with the summarizing of books and by gifting them with books  Maintaining a diary or getting a pen pal is an exemplary technique for enticing students to write in English

20. Summary  Motivation is the single most important factor in learning, and this is all the more true with regard to learning a language  With confidence students develop an open mind towards learning