1. Connect with each student
If a student does not feel important, then he or she will most likely not try as hard in class. The main objective of each class should be to get your students to apply as much effort as possible. Instructors who understand student motivation can greatly enhance the classroom experience and student performance. This law is the foundation for increasing student motivation, hence the backbone to helping your students reach their full potential.
2. Utilize Edutainment
How you deliver your drill is as equally important as what you deliver. You can bring life to a drill or death to it. The word “edutainment” means to entertain your students while educating them. When working with kids, remember they love to play. They also learn best when playing because they are more focused when they are having fun.
3. Use a mat chat to establish a purpose
Intrinsic motivation comes from the inside. If you can deliver a message that motivates the student intrinsically before you begin the drills, then they will retain that message even better. More importantly, they will apply more effort and confidence throughout class, which is the goal for all instructors.
4. Select drills that are fun but at the same time measurable
The drill selection is extremely important. If your students are just “going through the motions” then you are not going to generate results. At the same time, if you are “winging it: each class, then chances are you are going to burn-out more often. To prevent that from happening, you should pre-select drills beforehand. Your drills should also be age-appropriate, but at the same time measurable in the sense that each student learns or gets better at the skill.
5. Explain the rules properly
Rules are everywhere. We have rules at home, school, work, etc. The problem with rules is that some people tend to ignore them because they don’t understand why they have to follow so many directions. To get your students to follow directions you must explain the rules in a manner that helps them understand why the rule is so important.
6. Use your power to keep the class controlled and keep the class moving
Students will fall out of order if you let them. At the same time, some students will resist your attempts at keeping them in order if you try to force it on them. Sometimes we forget that we do have power, but we must use our power in a manner that is more influential versus authoritative. A good instructor can lead a class, but a great instructor can use their power to lead a class while maintaining a highly motivated and controlled class.
7. Use your team effectively
When you are in charge of the class, you are not only responsible for making sure that your students are motivated and participate with great effort, you are also responsible for your instructor team. If your instructor team is standing around not being utilized, then they will get bored and their time on the mat will be wasted. At the same time, if they looked bored, then the rest of the students and audience will notice, which is not good because boredom can be contagious. It is very important that you keep your instructor team active throughout the entire class.
8. Prompt good behavior
We can all agree that many students will not have the very best discipline all of the time. In order to increase the level of discipline and effort in class, it is important that we are constantly catching students that are trying hard and leading by example. The simple act of setting up your students for success is the key to maximizing good behavior in class.
9. Nurture poor behavior
Not everyone is born naturally with the right sense of proper behavior. In fact, in many cases it is the mistakes that we make that help us become better individuals. With that said, we can help people build good behavior skills if we nurture them when they make a mistake.
10. End on a high note
Many experts will suggest that you end class with a character lesson because they want the parents to hear something educational as they arrive to pick up their children at the end of class. The problem is, Martial Arts classes are demanding physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. By the end of class, everyone is exhausted. With that said, it is important that you end class in a manner that is motivating and fun so that they are eager to come back again and again.