Strategies to Stay Motivated Through Distance Learning
by Bella Almvig, Reporter
Current Events
Ever since the school closures in March of 2019 due to the pandemic, kids and teenagers have been attending school online. We had four months of improvised online school last year; if we also include our current months at school, that leads to nearly eight months of online/distance learning! Now, how do we stay motivated during this rough patch?
Throughout online learning, student motivation has become one of many problems schools and families face. Students’ grades are dropping dramatically, with 40% of students not within passing criteria for academics at the beginning of the school year. The school and district are trying to tackle the problem, though there are many factors that contribute to grades. Paying attention to Zoom meetings, learning in an ideal workspace, and connecting with peers and teachers are just a few examples. Many of these things are out of our control, but we can work to improve student motivation.
Currently, encouraging motivation is the key to decreasing the number of failing students. Motivation is the main key to success in both academic and real world settings. Here are some ideas and tricks on how to stay motivated during online learning:
Use failure as a tool to improve in the future. (Nobody is perfect!)
Reward yourself when you do good on an exam, project, etc.
Keep a journal with you and write down your goals for your classes.
Maintain a positive mindset of learning, even if you are struggling in a class.
Reach out to your teachers! The more you talk and get to know each other, the easier it will be to reach out when you need help.
If you are stressed or have anxiety, talk to an adult about how you feel. You will likely be more motivated once you resolve or discuss how you’re feeling.
Try to make friends in your classes. You will most likely succeed more knowing you have a friend there to help you other than the teacher.
Have friends that will encourage you academically and are happy about your achievements.
Lastly, if you are struggling in a class, do not be afraid to ask questions. It is likely that other students in that class have the same questions and problems that you do.
Although these strategies work for some people, they may not work for everyone. It is strongly encouraged that students use a strategy that works for them, and it does not have to be a strategy mentioned on this list. At the end of the day, we can improve as long as we continue to give our full effort into our classes and are willing to be open to asking for help when we need it.
DISCLAIMER: Some of these strategies were based on polls through social media and did include some information from other sites. The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors in this paper do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of Kamiak High School or The Gauntlet.
Sources
Staff, TeachThought. “21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation.” TeachThought, 12 Aug. 2020, www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/21-
simple-ideas-to-improve-student-motivatio.
“What Teachers Can Do to Boost Student Motivation.” Education Week, 8 Dec. 2020, www.edweek.org/leadership/what-teachers-can-do-to-
boost-student-motivation.