Top Ten Ideas for Motivating Students in Mathematics

Are you really feeling difficulties in teaching mathematics or your students are struggling to learn mathematics ? Here are top ten ideas for motivating students in mathematics.

1. Use Technology in Mathematics Teaching

Students are always ready to use technology in mathematics class. They have curiosity to use technology in mathematics. Even a weak student also pays more  interest in mathematics. You may use calculator, smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, multimedia projector, or smart board to use technology in mathematics teaching. Similarly you may use various software for teaching mathematics like GeoGebra, Microsoft Mathematics, Accelerated Maths,The Geometer's Sketchpad. Mathletics, Google Classroom. If you haven't started please try it now.

2. Be  a facilitator not an Instructor

Students learn mathematics with a loyal, faithful and democratic  teacher  rather than autocratic. They always want inspiration, reward, reinforcement and co-operation. You must avoid to give  punishment to students. It creates negativism to the students towards  mathematics. They feel fear and  hesitation to ask any questions with the autocratic teacher. Work with the students making them as co-workers so that students really love your teaching and do the mathematical activities perfectly  in the classroom.

3. Use Sufficient Teaching Materials. 

If possible, do not forget to take teaching materials in classroom teaching. It helps to motivate students towards new lesson. It will remove anxiety. If you can, you may involve students to construct locally available materials. There may be various types of teaching materials: modern to locally available teaching materials. Teacher can choose or construct  suitable teaching materials in his teaching.

4. Use  Power Teaching

If you are using the power teaching, your class  would be controlled by a power word. Make sure that it would be useful for recall and  memorize formula , definition and engage the classroom in systematic way. This technique is useful for  kinder garden to higher level classes. It brings teacher and students in to the single textual matter and every students involve in learning mathematics. So it is the power of teacher, power of students and power of classroom.

5. Use Internal Assessment System

Internal assessment is a crucial part in teaching and learning activities. It  evaluates the performance of  students in teaching and learning process. Teachers can use various tools as an internal evaluation like: Project work, home work, classwork, class performance, oral test, quiz, formula test, class test, and other creative works. Regular class test and  unit test helps students to increase confidence level in an examination. It helps to provide sufficient feedback to students  so that it helps to improve student's mistakes  on the spot.

6. Quizzes and Games

Students are more interested  to learn mathematics by games, puzzles and quizzes.Use different mathematical games, such as flash cards game, counting game, formula games, addition, subtraction, multiplication and subtraction games , puzzles I.Q. type quizzes and games. If you use this technique in to your classroom, certainly your students will be motivated in learning mathematics.

7. Jokes, Stories and History Related Mathematics

Generally, students are always ready to listen jokes and stories. When the teacher brings mathematical jokes and stories related to the content, certainly students will be motivated to learn mathematics in the classroom. Also if you tell some history about mathematical invention, origin  and innovation, students will understand the value of mathematics.  

8. Project Based Activities

Projects based teaching helps students to use 21st century skills like: Creativity and Imagination Collaboration and Team Work, Problem Solving and Critical thinking. Students learn managerial skills, team work, communication skills, social responsibility, time management, decision making skills and use of technology. It encourage students to demonstrate their abilities, inventions and creativity. It helps to utilize internal assessment for the teacher.

9. Problem Based Activities

When there is a problem, there is a solution. Mathematics itself has a piles of problem. However, if a students don't have problem, he or she cannot solve  mathematical problem.So, we teachers should provide different logical problems to students. It helps students to think, analyze, evaluate and judge the situation. Finally, Problem based learning leads the students in to the deeper understanding level and reasoning level.

10. Provide Sufficient Platform for Application

It is true that "I hear and I forgot, I see and I remember, I do and I understand". Provide sufficient place for mathematical experiments. Establish mathematics lab or mathematical village so that students get sufficient space for  practical. When they do themselves by experiments students will be more motivated and learning will be long lasting.