Tell me about some specific motivational strategies you use to get students excited about a project.

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As a teacher, you are responsible for motivating students toward success. You should have a few tricks up your sleeve to get students excited about projects in your class. Take the school's values into account before responding. Be specific and give concrete examples that you've used in the past. If your experience doesn't fit exactly with the school's values, explain some small adjustments you'd make at this school and why.

"Experiencing success is motivating for most students, so early and often in my class, I make sure all students experience success in one way or another to build their confidence. I use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to motivate students. For intrinsic rewards, I'd ask each student about something fun that they'd like to do if they could do anything, and they had the whole of next week to do it, no homework or assignments. That tells me a little bit about what is exciting to them. Some kids might say they want to play sports, some kids might want to play video games, some might want to ride a horse. I use these ideas as a springboard for lessons. For the extrinsic reward, I let the kids choose a little prize from the prize box if they get enough stars at the end of the week. Each student is motivated in different ways, so I adjust as needed."

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How to Answer: Tell me about some specific motivational strategies you use to get students excited about a project.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Elementary Teacher job interview.

45. Tell me about some specific motivational strategies you use to get students excited about a project.

How to Answer

As a teacher, you are responsible for motivating students toward success. You should have a few tricks up your sleeve to get students excited about projects in your class. Take the school's values into account before responding. Be specific and give concrete examples that you've used in the past. If your experience doesn't fit exactly with the school's values, explain some small adjustments you'd make at this school and why.

Written by Audra Kresinske on August 22nd, 2021

Answer Example

"Experiencing success is motivating for most students, so early and often in my class, I make sure all students experience success in one way or another to build their confidence. I use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to motivate students. For intrinsic rewards, I'd ask each student about something fun that they'd like to do if they could do anything, and they had the whole of next week to do it, no homework or assignments. That tells me a little bit about what is exciting to them. Some kids might say they want to play sports, some kids might want to play video games, some might want to ride a horse. I use these ideas as a springboard for lessons. For the extrinsic reward, I let the kids choose a little prize from the prize box if they get enough stars at the end of the week. Each student is motivated in different ways, so I adjust as needed."

Written by Audra Kresinske on August 22nd, 2021

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