Motivation sooner or later fades away if it is not fed every day.

To keep one motivated requires an investment of time, effort, and energy. However, it is a worthwhile effort. In the case of students, motivation has a key role to play for achieving success in their academic goals. This is easier said than done. It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that the students are motivated in their academic pursuits. Teachers with great experience believe that the students are as motivated as is the teacher.

The teachers, who are passionate about their subjects, ensure that their passion rubs off their students as well. There are many ways by which the students can be kept motivated. We, here at IILM understand the importance of keeping students motivated to learn so that they enjoy the learning process.

Here are 7 key initiatives taken up by IILM to keep our students motivated are:

• Increase involvement of students: We believe that effective learning happens when the students are involved in all the learning activities. The classes are conducted in a student-centric manner such that the teacher acts as a facilitator in the learning process.
• Make learning enjoyable: IILM considers that learning will be effective only when it is enjoyed. Gone are the days when the students would memorize answers and score good marks in exams. We now focus on how well students interact with each other and solve real-life problems through group work. In this way, students have fun as well as learn at the same time.
• Healthy competition: Healthy competition keeps the energy levels of the students high and they are motivated to perform better. At IILM we have noticed that students understand concepts better and retain them for a longer time when they compete with each other in classroom discussions.
• Variations in teaching pedagogy: At IILM, the faculty members believe in using a combination of pedagogical methods like group activities, quizzes, simulation games, etc to keep the interest of the students in the various subjects. This helps them to excel in their academic pursuits.
• Reward students: Rewards always motivate students to perform better. This holds good for students at all levels. The faculty at IILM keeps a constant track of the performance of the students from time to time and rewards them as deems
• Give responsibility to students: Some students are motivated when they are given the responsibility of performing certain tasks. Such students are identified and handed over responsibilities like club activities, club boards, co-ordination jobs, etc.
• Connect teaching with students’ interests: The bond between the teacher and the student has to be formed over the interest of the students. They connect over these areas of common interest. The areas of interest have also been made a part of the course curriculum in the form of content delivery. The classroom activities in IILM become more engaging and interesting for the students as they are related to the areas of students’ interest.

The motivation of the students to learn creates excitement for learning between the teachers as well as the students. It enriches the learning process and also enhances how the classroom discussions and activities take place. As times change, the ways to motivate students will undergo several changes. The mantra for motivating students, therefore, is ‘Make learning fun’.