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Every teacher knows that the most important factor in learning is motivation. It is the driving force that keeps students on track, keeps them from giving up, and provides continual courage when mistakes are made and moral is down. This is why it's so important for teachers to not only provide motivation to his or her young learners but to provide the appropriate type of verbal motivation according to the individual student. Since not everyone is the same, the teacher must pay close attention to each student and get to know their likes and dislikes in order to teach and motivate them in the most effective and efficient ways possible. Some students prefer to be in the teacher's spotlight. These young learners are usually eager to learn and just as eager for praise from their teacher. Using verbal motivation with a student who enjoys the attention when being correct, as well as puts themselves out there by trying to answer questions, can be done by praising and/or encouraging the student publicly and in the moment. They perform well when everyone is watching and welcome a crowd when being praised and encouraged. The actions of these students can also serve as unspoken emotional and mental motivation for others who are more shy or reluctant to participate out of fear of being wrong. Other students can prefer different presentations of verbal motivation, possibly ways which don't draw as much attention as mentioned above. These students might just be coming out of their shell, or they may just naturally be more shy or introverted. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to recognize these differences and to adapt our methods according to the specific needs of all students. If the student is shy due to their lack of knowledge on the subject matter, the teacher should eventually see their confidence level increase as well as their participation in classroom activities. In order to achieve this the teacher should start off with a more subtle approach of verbal motivation as to not scare off the student from participating and then work his or her way into a more public approach if it suits the student. A more subtle approach of motivation can be in the form of a smile and a thumbs up to the student before or after an individual activity is performed by them, followed by a statement of praise after class as the student is leaving. Another group of young learners may not ever seek out dramatic and public motivation through praise and encouragement. These students are usually very observant of their classmates and especially their teachers and should not be confused with having a lack of self motivation for learning. Young learners who are very reluctant to participate in English activities should never be forced to join, as this can cause the child to create a negative notion with the foreign language. When the student does decide to participate, a short and sweet statement of praise can be given to the student in the classroom after an individual activity is performed by them, followed by the teacher expressing to the parent(s) of the child at the end of the day (either in front of the child or in private) how their child did extremely well today in the classroom activity. This will hopefully motivate the parent(s) to now praise and encourage their child due to what the teacher shared. By doing this the teacher can gain more trust from the young learner through his or her parents, as well as instill more confidence in the child by having praise come from people he or she trusts. When the young learner realizes the classroom is a safe environment he or she can be more inclined to participate, gain confidence, and find self motivation from within. Deciding the best ways to verbally motivate young learners is entirely based off the individual wants and needs of each student. Just as it is the teacher's responsibility to tailor his or her teaching methods and techniques, one must also stay consistently observant of their students to determine which forms of verbal motivation are most effective and efficient. This is done in order to avoid using a method of verbal motivation which is not conducive to the child's personality, preferences, etc. The goal should always be to create encouragement and inspiration that best suits each student, and not create a blanket form of motivation for the entire classroom.
