Though I never taught in a classical class room environment so my perception could be little different than the actual strategies teachers usually take now a days to encourage the students. The encouragement we received from our teachers in older days were

1. Positive encouragement and praise if the performance is up to the expectation level in the examination in terms of award/ financial aid/ scholarships etc. not only for the best overall performance in the class but also for the performance based on individual subject.

2. Setting true and good examples of senior students who had performed well in the class which helped them to achieve their goals in education and in Job. This worked really well because students can identify themselves better by comparing with seniors which act as strong driving force to let them perform better.

3. Earlier some schools had provisions for double promotions for the best eligible students to jump on to higher classes by skipping an intermediate class. I think now a days no longer this type of reward exists.

Encourage to achieve Goals is an Extrinsic motivator or drive which a Teacher can give to student... however the responsibility of the student is to be FELT and self realized for a drive... Of course as they (as considered) may be in a nascent stage to know the varied demands of world.... But that is also negated in the tech facilitated knowledge era...where we teachers know relatively less on the updates happening around us then them... We need to support them morally and keep away where we really dont know, then to confuse them and keep them away from us...

Though I never taught in a classical class room environment so my perception could be little different than the actual strategies teachers usually take now a days to encourage the students. The encouragement we received from our teachers in older days were

1. Positive encouragement and praise if the performance is up to the expectation level in the examination in terms of award/ financial aid/ scholarships etc. not only for the best overall performance in the class but also for the performance based on individual subject.

2. Setting true and good examples of senior students who had performed well in the class which helped them to achieve their goals in education and in Job. This worked really well because students can identify themselves better by comparing with seniors which act as strong driving force to let them perform better.

3. Earlier some schools had provisions for double promotions for the best eligible students to jump on to higher classes by skipping an intermediate class. I think now a days no longer this type of reward exists.

To set targets young people need to consider that goals should :

1- Be conceivable : The student must be able to define your goal and see it so clearly understand what steps to reach it.

2- Be credible : Students must believe you can achieve your goal.

3. Achievable Being : The goal established by the student must be in their strengths and abilities. For example , someone who has never lifted weights before you probably should not set a goal to push 140kg bench for the next week. (However, this may be an achievable long term goal ) .

4 Be controllable : Insofar as possible , students should not rely on someone else to achieve their goals . For example , getting a job may depend on the labor market and the approval of their parents. However, talk to your father about getting a job or design a curriculum are things that your student can control.

5 Be measurable : The goal should be measurable in terms of time or quantity. If the goal is to get a "10" in algebra, then the student should know what notes need to take assessments and practical work .

6 Get Desirable : The goal should be something that your students really want to do, not something you feel you have to do or should do. For example , a living is something we must do , while learning how to play football can be something we'd do .

From the above, a method for this purpose is the construction of a work plan that involves objectives, activities and means of verification.

The best method that I have used to encourage my students to set goals for themselves and pursue these goals, is to set an example for them in everything.

Thanks for your views Krishnan, Amritlal and Gonzalo. I am working on my research in motivation, so all your views are important to me.

Hi Miranda - I teach post graduate students, and believe that unless the students see the value of a topic, they are unlikely to be engaged, or to be self directed. As a result, it is important to help students recognise the implications of the study in real world terms, i.e. will this allow me to advance in my career? what are the benefits to me personally? One way that this is encouraged is that some courses utilise learning contracts, where the students determine what it is they want to learn from the course, and formulate a 'contract' where they identify areas of deficit, how these can be addressed, and how they can evaluate this at the end of the course.

Leading by example is (one of) the best example(s)!

Period!

Hi Miranda - Motivation is always tricky. For about three years, we try to motivate the students by creating learning environments in which we encourage the students to contribute to lectures themselves. That is, we want to foster the "intrinsic motivation" to work on certain topics. The idea is to:

1. (teacher) set the stage, provide motivation and introduce the relevant topics

2. (students) work on selected topics, give presentations, write essays

3. (students) discuss the topics, give feedback

4. (teacher) moderating discussion

Furthermore, we included practical parts in our lectures, e.g., experiments, and projects that we design in cooperation with practitioners. Some material for inspiration:

Basic concept: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256471371_A_Practical_Approach_to_align_Research_with_Masters_Level_Courses?ev=prf_pub

Example instance (process modeling): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259356610_Teaching_Software_Process_Modeling?ev=prf_pub

Example instance (agile project management): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260799426_Controlled_Experiments_as_Means_to_Teach_Soft_Skills_in_Software_Engineering?ev=prf_pub

So far, students really like it (for the process management course, we could also conduct a comparative study). But watch out: We apply this pattern only in small groups (20 max.), as it requires much interaction...

Conference Paper A Practical Approach to Align Research with Master's Level Courses

Article Teaching Software Process Modeling

Chapter Controlled Experiments as Means to Teach Soft Skills in Soft...

Motivation is the key I guess. I try to introduce them with their role models and I have seen it works!

@Miranda, I have always pointed out the significance of FEEDBACK in learning process! I will not speak about motivation now, but about FEEDBACK! I propose many nice papers on this approach that leads to students encouragement in order to achieve the goals. Have a look in this valuable resources! Do not miss links for other papers!

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/new-to-teaching/HEA-Feedback-Toolkit/how-can-i-encourage-my-students

Dear Miranda

Motivation of student is important and at the same time is a difficult task. Leading by example is one approach, but that by itself is not enough. It depends on the inner resolve of the student. As a teacher you should encourage the student to set the goal by explaining the advantages and what could be achieved by that. It is important the set goals can be measured and achievable. Then keep enquiring the student periodically about the success achieved on whatever scale you choose. Encourage him/her all the way whether he/she progressing or not. If he/she is not progressing help diagnose the problem and provide proper direction. Maintain continuous contact and provide feedback at proper intervals.

According to my experience the students are related to the feedbacks very differently. But I present some of the conditions that understand how Relevant: 1 - students must feel that the error or trouble is a path to learning (feedback does not work whether the work already has a note) 2 - in this line the feedback does not can be seen as a punishment, it is more of the same (training), but rather a way to learn 3 - feddback have to be tight and should give guidance cues for the student. 4 - the feedback must be of the encouragement and questioning ex. "why do you do like this?" What you think when you do this...

Dear All,

I have tried to teach the most recent, and most important knowledge. Some of them are – according to me – very interesting. In most cases the success was moderate.

Without the necessary motivation of students the teacher climbs in vain the Mount Everest.

Dear colleagues

I also agree that all learning involves "motivation" of students.

But I believe that a new approach to the concept of motivation is needed. How can not take tablets for the motivation the question is: how to build with students this implication and commitment to learning? To me this is the matter and it has not only a single answer

I believe that the best present is an exercise in which they should list steps to execute something. Then the following exercise will be perform these steps. A third exercise, most complete, would propose a problem to be solved by following what was done in the two previous exercises.

Miranda:

I teach strategic people management. After the completion of the 2-year MBA (HR) program, nearly all my students from our campus get finest possible placements in MNCs or top Indian companies. They have a lot of pressure to perform in that role. I am aware of the competencies they need to develop to become good managers to perform that role.

So, during my course, I tell them first to be a good human being, without which they can never be good people managers. I know preaching does not work much. They need something solid to get convinced.

I have a 5-point agenda for all students of this course that I have devised for them. I show this to them on a PPT in the first session of the course. Then, in every session I begin with that PPT, and tell them not to forget that goal of theirs as part of this course.

From the feedback comments that I receive from them after the course, I do feel that I have succeeded to a good extent to what I wanted for them to happen.

My biggest success in this regard is demonstrated by 3 of my students of this course at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, who have studied the same course. These three students from different years did specialist MBA in management accounting; communication; and financial management respectively. They just studied my course as one of the additional courses in my summer university teaching in Aarhus. And, today all three are HR managers in Germany, Australia and Denmark respectively.

I am attaching PPT that contains my 5 points.

Good students encourage me to be better and working hard encourage my students to compete with each other

Some of you may find useful the attached video clip, in which Professor Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School is speaking on "power posing." This can help in encouraging your students towards gaining higher belief and confidence in themselves.

I use this video to illustrate one of the points in my 5-point program; and it is quite liked by the students.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmR2A9TnIso

Within a course I try to assist in making their goals obtainable and relative to the courese and their own personal needs. In the intro course they take a skills test and depending on their scores may have a couple of goal areas determined by how they scored, but always are their own personal goals too.

Dear friends, thanks for your views. It's so true that as teachers, we can just do this much. A lot depends on our students themselves. My director has said that 90% of my students are average in their performance. But I have 10% of good students, and do my best so that after a year of teaching them, the number who care a great deal about learning increases to 20 %. I use emails from old students to encourage new cohorts of students. Besides that I share true stories of Nobel prize winners, and set before my students, examples of lifelong learners. Thanks again. I can't up vote right now on my mobile.

Sent from mobile.

Dear Miranda

This is a great effort on your part. All your admirers must be proud of you for doing this. I think you also make the academic profession proud by these unusual methods of engaging your students. And, you do all that at the expense of your family time. But since they are so appreciative of this, it is worth it.

I think, one of the goals of every academics should be to try to change the lives of one's students whether they acknowledge this or not. It is highly fulfilling if someone can do that. Keep it up!

Yes, great job Miranda! Thank you

Dear Miranda

Great Question.

What I do while mentoring my students is to cultivate the habit of Research Thinking... AT the second year end of their graduate engineering students, I make my students to read through research papers in their area of interest and mentor them to write a review paper, about the topic they have done the literature survey. It helps them to read through and write their interpretation and present it for a conference... Once they have tasted this, they start debating on authoring few more papers by themselves... It helps them interpret, analyse and think, apart from building soft skills like presentation, writing paper, formatting etc... Many of them whom I have mentored are prosecuting their Masters, Master Students are doing their PhDs are Great Institutions.

We need to nurture from our experience the young minds, my humble way to contribute to Gen Next

Kindest Regards

Ramanan

Great responses. Thanks dear friends. Thanks for valuable contributions, papers and links. Today I get back to college to do some writing for my paper :)

Most of us agree that:

'Leading by example is one approach, but that by itself is not enough. It depends on the inner resolve of the student.'

'Without the necessary motivation of students the teacher climbs in vain the Mount Everest.'

'Maintain continuous contact and provide feedback at proper intervals.'

Dear Miranda

You are so very right. It is rightly said that "You can take the horse to the water, but you can not make him drink the water."

I think out attempt should be to genuinely create a hunger for learning in his stomach. And, we should search the most appropriate methodology for doing so. That needs innovative approach on the part of the teacher--it is context-specific.

Dear Debi, nice humorous image and saying about the horse. Great, I have to remember it.

Dear Beata

Thanks for your appreciation. Your feedback is always encouraging and it sustains me.

Cheers

Thanks dear friends.

@Debi, your pic reminds me of Lijo, who used to place many pics on my threads. I think we have many things in common, because both India and Malaysia were British colonies at one time.

@Beata et al., thanks. Tomorrow I will bring my laptop to a cafe nearby, where my 4G device is able to to transmit data.

Sent from mobile.

Yes, Miranda. It is indeed very sad that Lijo and Patrick are not around. I miss them too. Somehow, i hope that they would be able to join us some day. Hope is the motive force of life.

They are here! They will rejoin the Research Gate and we will interact again!

This is a new photo of our RG missing friend Patrick!

Dear Lljubomir. This is a great news! We indeed miss them. This needs celebration.

Dear Prof Ljubomir, Debi et al., many friends like Valentina and Wolfgang miss our 2 friends. Thanks so much for placing their pics here.

Sent from mobile.

@Ljubomir Jacic, I could not find them in RG!

They are no at RG! I have written that they are RG missing friends. Their profiles at RG were suspended for unknown reasons! Many people made a comment here:

https://feedback.researchgate.net/responses/why-my-question-is-not-accessible-to-my-friends

Here is Prof. Patrick.

Dear friends and Profs, we all have been students and we have pursued academic goals and have been blessed with success. Let's go on interacting on RG for our common good, so that research and knowledge may progress! I know that you have all facilitated my research since I got on RG.

(In my college, FB and LI are blocked.)

Thanks Miranda, for reminding me of this issue. Missing colleagues, excluded ones, it is what makes me uncomfortable and needy answers. I noticed, we are managed by Young Wolves. That's new reality for me.

Thanks Beata. The fact that we have built up a strong bond shows the success of RG.

Isn't this the first statement of RG:

'ResearchGate is a network dedicated to science and research. Connect, collaborate and discover scientific publications, jobs and conferences. All for free.'

Through the comments on certain threads, we did Connect, collaborate and discover scientific publications. And this bond has developed because we are honest researchers admiring the talents of other honest researchers, and missing some of them.

For my students, I encourage them to be lifelong learners like me...

Dear all,

I do not know whether our missing friends will want to return again. We are all adults. We are not ininvited guests for an unkind host, right?

Dear Valentina, I have asked them please, please come back to RG. If they are reinstated like Prof Kamal, perhaps they will. Never mind, Prof Ljubomir will TELL them to come back. We all respect him like a father or older brother!

1. Practice

2. Interdisciplinarity

3. Fundamentality

For example, my student's work:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261761159_Falatyuk_V._B__B_BuLL__BeaR._-_%28Sylantyev_S.__Supervisor%29._-_Kiev__KNEU_2014._-_21_p?ev=prf_pub

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261676032_Bezyk_Y._Informative._-_%28Sylantyev_S.__Supervisor%29._-_Kiev__KNEU_2014._-_9_p?ev=prf_pub

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261612818_Tamasha_Y._Bezzada_M._Deynega_N._INVESTIGATE__launch_the_action_-_%28Sylantyev_S.__Supervisor%29._-_Kiev__KNEU_2014._-_29_p?ev=prf_pub

Book Falatyuk V. B & B :BuLL & BeaR. - (Sylantyev S. – Supervisor...

Book Bezyk Y. Informative. - (Sylantyev S. – Supervisor). - Kiev ...

Book Tamasha Y., Bezzada M., Deynega N. INVESTIGATE : launch the ...

The attention to individual student differences must be understood in its double aspect: in the classroom and outside. Within the class we should design activities with different degrees of difficulty, taking into account the needs and possibilities of each student.

Using various methods, will seek to identify individual differences of each student according to the following dimensions: cognitive, motivational, affective, relational and capacity conditions.

The art of the teacher is working in the same classroom with gifted students and students with more learning difficulties.

Different methods to be used in classes such as concept maps and group work.

In general, students who develop critical thinking skills are more able to

* achieve better marks

* become less dependent on teachers and textbooks

* create knowledge

* evaluate, challenge and change the structures in society

Developing scientific thinking is one of the purposes of Higher Education and it is responsibility of all the disciplines that compose a career. Among the main functions of a university professor is their ability to use the results of the research to form the student. The scientific research should be an academic requirement since the early years of career, as part of integral formation of students. We obtain very good results in Physics discipline in the development of student scientific work with students of the Biomedical Engineering career at the Instituto Superior Politécnico Jose Antonio Echeverría, significantly increasing the number of students participating in scientific research and their motivation for this, the activity of independent and creative work and making the link between knowledge and practice as well as the integration with other disciplines of the career.

Among the specific things, I shared my students in small groups.

I gave each group a good exercise to correct with maximum details and comments. Each group discussed together at a round table. When they are stubborn, a representative comes to see me, I explained to him the necessary tricks, then he returned to the group to explain by his way, so he learns to communicate and have the art of passing information ...

After tweaking the whole project, it will be well reviewed and published in their names in a book which will be offered to a charitable organization to commercialize its behalf.

This is a great 'catalyst' to see their names as author of the book, and as a donor in the society where he belong.

@Sylantev, Shafig, Rolando and Noureddine: thanks. Wow, many great points. I will get back when I have digested them mentally. (My time now is 951 Saturday, 10 May.)

@Miranda, your older brother, not father is back! :) Hello to all my dear RG contributors!

Thanks Prof Ljubomir. It's an honor to be your sister :)

Prof Abdalla El Mowafy also adopts me as his sister.

Today I read many papers because it rained heavily!

Dear Sara,

What group of students do you teach? What age group?

i think that students are in adult age, have their personality and know what they want. As teachers we should help them to achieve their dreams by listening to them and giving them the needed tools and desired programs. It's right that it is not easy to manage a class with good students and students who are more slow or need more exercises or knowledge or more time to understand.

Dear Fairouz, it will be great if our students want academic success. Some don't even seem to want to be independent learners. Thanks.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY AND GOD'S BLESSINGS FOR FATHERS TOO.

Dear Miranda, they are free if they don't want academic success may be want other thing, They have to leave and let the place for the ones who are persistent. i think the responsibility of teachers is the students' coaching who need it and the orientation of the best minds. Teachers shouldn't loose their good students;

Thank you for reminding us the parents' days; Happy mother's and father's days.

Gifted students are especially sensitive to the expectations, appraisals of social environment. To Sisk, they are especially sensitive to insincerity, injustice. We should discuss all the burning issues with them.They need problem and searching activity. The methods are problem, project, scientific-research, searching, the forms are Olympiads, contests, projects, conferences, role plays,individual creative tasks, interpretation of arts, Socratic dialogues.

Again, there can be a scenario fitment to this question and the response to it in Today's context and that too in developing countries - "encouraging students to set goals and pursue" is highly subjective towards EMPLOYMENT.

Any Activity which gets directed towards achieving Placement at the end of Curriculum is much sought after and in demand....Further in Industries, the potential employee is expected to start linking and delivering to the value chain of business in a MINIMUM TIME after Induction...Industries are simultaneously in search of institutions (who prepare) and students who are already introduced to the Employability skills required in the work scenario...

Thank you friends for your posts. This question has to do with my research for motivation in learning. Students who can set goals and pursue goals are the motivated ones. They take responsibility for their learning. They are also likely to be autonomous learners with cognitive and metacognitive skills to plan, monitor and evaluate or reflect their own learning. Thanks...

In Universities, I think we also have the duty to show our students that they are being adequately trained to be professionals and able to work anywhere in the World. That idea is fundamental since Universities do have to be Universal. Our mission must go beyond the mere training of students that want to just get a job. Being employed is absolutely important but being a professional may mean something more and it certainly can be much more enjoyable.

Cheers,

JP

Thanks Joao. 100 % agreement, 'show our students that they are being adequately trained to be professionals and able to work anywhere in the World. That idea is fundamental since Universities do have to be Universal. Our mission must go beyond the mere training of students that want to just get a job.'

let me put in a pic :)

I don't know for sure how the situation is your resp. countries, but at least here in Germany "university" is not a unitary concept anymore (was it ever?). Universities come in all kinds of flavors with very different philosophies and goals, and thus very different "consumers" or "customers". So I will always have to adapt my methods (cf. the initial question) to the type of university. The days that university was a well-defined concept implying a well-defined type of student and a well-defined type of teacher belong definitely to the past, and that's OK so.

@Paul, I think that my country has not yet come to the situation in Germany. I wonder if it's a good thing or otherwise??

Besides, my students would like the teacher to do the talking and teaching all the time. Otherwise, it's not value for money?

Dear Miranda:

Well, yes, this could be the deal: "I Pay, You Deliver", but forgive me my naiveté when asking: Assuming that "delivering" means "teaching", where in this economic model does learning take place? We had this model in Germany too, it was ironically called the Nuremberger Funnel (already in 1647) but it was abolished I guess when psychologists found out (late in the 20st century) that learning is a (re-)constructive activity on learner's side, the teacher's part being more of an enabling symbolic act setting the stage and favorable conditions. I am sure, you're trying hard to convince your students that paying means nothing when they stay passive. If words don't help, perhaps this picture helps?

Yes Paul, we know that we want our students to be independent self directed learners. But students don't know about constructivism. Some of them are not so interested in the knowledge either. Just want to pass, minimally, get a job. Thankfully it's not all. How is this in Germany? Are students proactive, self directed?

Miranda: Here it is mixed, too, not only between the different types of university (e.g. between those offering distance education and the traditional ones based on attending live lectures and seminars; or the ones primarily aimed at raising researchers versus those with a typically vocational goal) - but also within one and the same class.

I will always remember the following situation, not occurring 10, 20 years ago but ... last year! In my course, students got the option of doing a practical groupwork, like a small project, in addition to the obligatory examination at the end of the course. Their groupwork would be assessed and scored too, so that it would be possible for them to improve their exam score in case that turned out to be not so good as expected or hoped for. In other words, a kind of safeguard, and also a kind of reward for their effort and engagement in the project

I was completely flabbergasted, when indeed one "team" came to me to tell that they wanted to opt out, because they were not interested in this sort of safeguard or reward: it were OK for them, when they would pass the exam, even with a lowest possible grade. I was shocked, as you can imagine, as this never happened before, and of course the supervising prof whom I told about it was deeply disappointed, too.

Thus, coming back to your question, perhaps the difference between our countries on this issue is not really so big as a superficial comparison might suggest. Deeply ingrained into most of modern societies (notwithstanding symbolic talking in high gloss prospects) is still the belief, or expectation, that colleges and universities should lead to the better jobs, not to a better life or improved understanding of ourselves or the world as it is: universitas. We have come far away from the "universal" ideals of the age of humanism and enlightement. There is an proliferating mentality of consumentism, probably rooted in a materialistic philosophy.

Happily there are also always exceptions to the rule. So I wish you good luck and perseverance. Don't give up, the reward will be yours, some day.

Thanks Paul, quite a few of us here on RG, are deeply concerned about intrinsic motivation, less about career motivation.

But you are right. It's generally true that:

'Deeply ingrained into most of modern societies (notwithstanding symbolic talking in high gloss prospects) is still the belief, or expectation, that colleges and universities should lead to the better jobs, not to a better life or improved understanding of ourselves or the world as it is: universitas. We have come far away from the "universal" ideals of the age of humanism and enlightement. There is an proliferating mentality of consumentism, probably rooted in a materialistic philosophy.'

Many useful experiences have been shared here. Therefore, I do not have much to say, except:

we should not only set goals for our students but should also pave path for them to achieve their goals.