Name: Bùi Thị Mỹ Hằng

Class: PG-48
Subject: Classroom management - Motivating Students
Date: 30th June, 2022
Assignment 1: Reflective Report

1. Introduction
When it comes to the problems that ESL/EFL teachers have to face, classroom management
is one of the major concerns as it is the key to create a successful learning environment in
ESL/EFL classes. During my journey working as a non-native speaker English teacher, I feel
the same thing when teaching my English language classes. I have been through
approximately five years of teaching English grammar and three years of teaching the four
skills (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing) for small-sized classes to help them
prepare for the national high school graduation and IELTS examinations. With all those
years involving in English teaching, when researching classroom management, I am really
attracted in the topic of motivating students as a method to manage classroom learning to
achieve the intended outcomes of a language class. One of the reasons is that, previously, I
did some research on the factors that affecting the success of ESL/EFL students, and I came
across a paper by Dr. Mounawar A. (2003), in which he stated that motivation is the most
important factor when learning English as a foreign language. As I have reflections on this
topic, I would like to brief the situation linked to motivation, how teachers should response
to create different types of motivation, and share my opinions as well as my experiences.

2. Literature Review - Reflection of Theory and practice

According to Williams and Burden (1997, p. 188), there are three influence levels: “national
and cultural influences on the language being learned, the education system where the
language is being learned, and the immediate classroom environment” (Lewis M., 1998).
That means students’ motive of learning a language, specifically English, can be impacted
by anything such as the school curriculum or the textbook they learn at school. There are all
kinds of reasons to learn English; however, Lewis M. also noted that school students are
currently learning English due to the fact that they are forced to. Also, speaking L2 (English)
in class makes communication slower and less effective in comparison with using L1, so
most of the students choose their mother tongue and do not want to use L2 unless required.
These are the reasons why there are many unmotivated students in ESL/EFL classes who do
not want to try to learn L2. In my case, I also dealt with an unmotivated student in my
IELTS class last Sunday. He has studied with me for three months and his attitude towards
the learning and assignments are painfully bad. Although I already know he is a little lazy
and does not feel interested in English in general and IELTS for specific, his attitude still
upset me. Accordingly, I decided to have a serious conversation with him. He told me that
he only wanted to “try” learning IELTS courses because his parents forced him to and he
only wanted to spend time on finishing his maths exercises. For this example, I can say that
he is totally the type of only-learn-English-because-I-have-to students.

In responses to find the solutions motivate the unmotivated learners, Lewis M. (1998)
discussed that “language is a skill, and a skill needs to be applied, not just stored in the head
or admired at a distance”, and “teachers can encourage language use through both intrinsic
and extrinsic motivation”. According to Ryan and Deci (2000), intrinsic motivation is the
doing of an activity for the enjoyment of the activity itself, such as inherent satisfaction,
exploration, and curiosity, rather than for some external rewards (pp. 56). In contrast,
extrinsic motivation is referred to doing an activity for its instrumental value (Ryan & Deci,
2000).

In Vietnam, I believe that most of our students acknowledge the benefits of mastering
English, but they hardly can be able to generate intrinsic motivation themselves. Therefore,
to help students create and strengthen intrinsic motivation, teachers need to remind them
about the competitive advantages leading to future success when they are fluent in English:
well-paid jobs, international business trips,... About providing extrinsic motivation, teachers
can use rewards to make students motivated. For instance, they can hold games or mini
competitions as a means of motivating students.

On reflection, I figure out some interesting facts after working with many classes and
various types of students. First, in my Grammar classes (about 25-30 students each class),
most of them fail to generate intrinsic motivation, so I always try to create extrinsic
motivation by giving them clear learning purposes of a grammar point, provide them direct
but interesting materials with clear form-focused structures to make it easier for them to
follow and apply. I also guarantee them that I will not judge, scold, or punish them if they
make any mistakes. The results have not satisfied me enough, but I can see that my students
have become more and more willing to talk. Second, in my IELTS class, the majority of
them have armed themselves with clear goals and quite good understanding when they came
to me, which means they already have the intrinsic motivation and all I have to do most of
the time is to remind them the benefits of getting a high-scored IELTS certificate. However,
sometimes I still have to deal with students like the boy mentioned above, and in most of the
cases, I choose to be a listener and have a friend-like conversation with them, to help them
feel more interested, be more confident, understand more deeply the benefits they may
receive and fuel their desire gradually.
 
3. Conclusion
In conclusion, motivation can come under any forms, and it is among dividing factors
contributing to the teachers’ classroom management. We should observe carefully and
sensibly adapt to be able to help students of all characteristics find their motivation in
learning English.
 
References
Dr. Mounawar A. (2003). Factors That Contribute to Success in Learning English as a
Foreign Language. Damascus University Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1+2.
Williams, M., & Burden, R. (1997). Psychology for language teachers. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Lewis, M. (1998). Diverse levels and diverse goals in a community class. In J. C. Richards
(Ed.), Case studies from second language classrooms. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.
Ryan, R. M., and Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: classic definitions
and new directions. Contemp. Educ. Psychol. 25, 54–67.