Motivating students is an important teacher training topic because without motivation, people aren’t going to learn. It will affect what they believe as well as their relationship with the Lord.
Pertinent Questions about Motivating Students
How do we know what will motivate our students to learn?
Get to know people. The more we know their backgrounds, family life, responsibilities, circumstances, learning styles, etc., the more we’ll be able to connect with them in ways that are relevant and of interest. Getting to know students personally takes time so begin with what can be known:
1) Their physical age. Each age level has broad needs and interests due to their development at that stage. For more, read the following articles:
- Motivate by Connecting with Developmental Factors
- Motivating People to Learn (be sure to follow through related posts for motivating at the various age levels)
2) Their spiritual maturity. What motivates a believer versus a non-believer, new believer versus someone saved for many years, or a carnal Christian versus someone walking in the Spirit will also vary greatly. For more, read the following articles:
- Motivate by Connecting with Spiritual Readiness Factors
- Spiritual Growth: Overview (be sure to follow through related posts for various spiritual growth levels)
Other Questions about Motivation:
- How can we motivate students if we don’t know what’s truly in their hearts?
- What if it seems like all I’m doing is pushing and pulling people to learn?
You’ll find answers to the above questions in the Bible Teacher’s Handbook of Frequently Asked Questions. That resource responds to a total of 153 questions covering 49 issues pertaining to Bible teaching.