How to Motivate High School Students

While some teenagers are self-motivated and focused on college, many high school students lack any kind of sincere interest in their studies. For these students, dating and spending time with their friends is far more important than learning about the anatomy of a frog or reading Jane Austen. Fortunately, there are many techniques you can use to encourage participation in class and persuade these students to complete their assignments.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Spruce up your lesson plans by focusing on subject matter that's current and relevant to high school students. While national, state and county educational standards may somewhat limit your wiggle room here, you can still exercise some degree of creativity. For instance, a history teacher covering World War II can mimic the experience of Holocaust victims by identifying a group of students as a potential threat to national security and then taking away certain privileges on a daily basis over the course of a week. You can start by putting them all at the back of the class, then forcing them to wear yellow bands around their arm, then taking away their desks, then taking away their pens and pencils, etc.
2. Incorporate cooperative learning strategies into your lesson plans. Putting the students into groups or teams appeals to the social nature of teens and encourages participation by making them responsible to one another. For instance, a high school student might be more likely to pay attention and solve a chemistry equation correctly if he knows his group or team will earn some kind of reward for a correct answer.
3. Offer the students incentives that aren't necessarily educational. Promising the students five bonus points on their next quiz if they win a competition against other groups of students is a good way to encourage involvement. This still allows you to evaluate the student success properly, as the winning team is most likely comprised of the class's top students.
4. Offer multiple assignment alternatives. One of the major reasons high school students mentally "check out" of class has to do with their need to rebel against authority and establish a sense of independence. By giving students a choice of which essay question to answer or which book to read, you're giving them a sense of autonomy and allowing them to self-direct their learning experience.
5. Let students show off their talents. Each individual possesses multiple intelligences, and some are far more developed than others. Instead of forcing each and every student to write a book report, let an artistic student create a series of storyboards that encapsulates the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird, or let a science-minded student write a CSI report on the evidence incriminating Bob Ewell and exonerating Tom Robinson. By allowing students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a way that appeals to their strengths, you're giving them a chance to both further develop these skills and show the rest of the class what they're capable of.
6. Care about your class. Enthusiasm is infectious, and if you feel truly passionate about the topics you're teaching, this will shine through and motivate your students. If you feel apathetic or unmotivated due to problems with the school administration or other working conditions, get these problems resolved ASAP.
7. Be understanding. Remember that being a teenager is tough, and studies aren't always the first thing on a young adult's mind. Displaying a sense of a humor and a positive attitude will dramatically affect your students' opinion of you and, by extension, their feelings about your class.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're having trouble motivating the students in your high school class, seek out the advice of a seasoned teacher with a good reputation. Ask to observe his or her class, and take notes on effective teaching strategies.
• If you can, decorate your classroom. Even high school students appreciate a well organized and colorful classroom, and adding visual interest to the room will make a positive impression almost immediately.