Online education is increasingly popular today. This learning method opens up a new learning environment and stimulates the curiosity of all learners.
Regardless, educators must ensure that online learning does not become dull. They need to encourage students to practice self-motivation during their online learning sessions. Here are a few strategies to improve self-motivation from EDU Passport!
What is self-motivation?
Motivation is what drives us. It stands for the reasons why we do anything. For educators, lack of motivation has long been one of the most frustrating obstacles to student learning. For students, a lack of motivation will delay and interrupt the learning process.
When it comes to motivating students in the classroom, we often think about strategies to inspire and encourage students to do something or perform a learning task with more effort. However, when we study more deeply, we realize that learning motivation does not simply come from praise or rewards. It is an inner satisfaction like the satisfaction of personal needs.
Motivational strategies can be categorized into two types: extrinsic strategies and internal motivational strategies. Self-motivation is the motivation that comes from within. For students to be self-motivated, their basic needs must be met. Educators should provide a classroom environment and students’ emotional state where individual learning can flourish.
The importance of self-motivation in online learning
When students show one of the following signs, it indicates they are losing motivation to study and learning is becoming a burden:
- Joining the class but focusing on something other than the lecture.
Not interested in interacting with instructors or other students during training.
Displaying impatience as soon as class ends.
- Always avoiding if anyone mentions studying.
- Constantly feeling tired and sluggish at work.
These signs may co-occur in several cases. The mood will affect study results as well as exam results. Therefore, students should maintain self-motivation in learning, especially online learning, where interaction is easily lost if one side is not interested.
A few quick takeaways on self-motivation in online learning:
- Self motivation provides the challenge needed to achieve goals.
- Self-motivation fosters creativity and critical thinking.
Self-motivation helps foster resilience and self-assurance.
Strategies for improving self-motivation
1. Create an inspiring learning space
A neatly arranged study corner will increase your interest to start studying immediately. A cluttered or disorganized workspace may be distracting. Rather a clean, tidy study corner, it will create a sense of comfort and make you want to sit at the study table.
2. Define clear goals
Whether studying online or in a classroom, planning is essential. For online learning, a study plan is a foundation that makes it easy to control what needs to be done and temporarily eliminate things that are not a priority.
If you want to achieve the desired results, your goals should be clear and in specific small stages. Therefore, making a list of specific goals is an effective measure of maintaining your motivation. Feel free to write your goals and stick them in front of your desk to motivate you to accomplish them!
3. Take care of your appearance
One of the ways to help you feel ready and connected and help you get out of bed is to take care of your appearance before class. Wearing loose pajamas and messy hair will also distract your mind. Before going to class, you should dress neatly and neatly. You also note that the lecturer can rule that all students must turn on the camera, take a group photo, take attendance, and ask for a surprise lesson!
4. Reward yourself for good results
Reward yourself if you accomplish a goal. This motivates you to learn online for yourself to achieve even more success in the future. Goals should be broken down so that they can be completed in a short time. The rewards do not need to be of great value but make sure to keep you mentally up so you can continue to study well.
5. Limit things that interfere with learning
It is easy to lose your focus by factors such as studying, surfing Facebook, watching videos on YouTube, chatting with friends, or being invited to go out, for example. These factors are challenging to eliminate on your own, so you have to do what you can to minimize this situation and prioritize learning.
A pretty effective way to apply it is to make yourself a timetable, during which you give maximum priority to studying and remove distractions from your mind.
Balance study time and rest time
Trying to cram in knowledge and stress for a long time without any relaxation will make your brain tired and easily bored. For example, give yourself a break every 45 minutes to make studying as productive as possible.
When resting, don’t think about studying. On the contrary, do what you love. You can sleep, watch a favorite episode, listen to a good piece of music, or go shopping. Even delicious food is an effective way to regain energy and study motivation.
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