How to Switch Your Motivation for Discipline

Maybe to take up a new hobby? Or get one more qualification? Or no, even two. The more, the better.

Likewise, I am ready to have 4 lessons per week and join speaking clubs. Speaking with natives is one more way to boost my language. I will register in one app to find new friends, native speakers, and keep in touch with them. 

But then… a pause.

This situation is well-known to every single teacher. What is going on here? — loss of motivation, exactly. 

This is an inevitable process learners overcome when they don’t have a clear goal for learning. It’s just interesting, for fun. It’s needed or desired…but what for again? 

• Why do you need it?
• Why do you want to learn it?

These are the questions everyone needs to pose to themselves to find the real intentions. These answers can tell a lot about the students, their learning style, and pace. 

The Role of the Teacher

Undoubtedly, the teacher gives knowledge and creates all conditions and comfort space for thoughts, learning, and mistakes. However, for better or worse, the teacher cannot always motivate students if they are not motivated themselves. 

It is like proof that it’s possible, as one has their great teacher. “That means I can do the same,” the students might have thought.

A person who teaches is a source of respect and inspiration, so to speak. However, one cannot learn a language without their own motivation “inside them”, despite all the teacher’s efforts. This is a mutual process. 

It turns out that even the most diligent students can lose their spark of interest. How come? The student had the best teacher ever: perfect pronunciation, clear instructions and explanations, on the same wavelength with everyone, easy-going, … 

Simply, not the teacher’s blame. And… not the student’s, either. 

Where Is Motivation Going?

Let’s dive deeper to understand what motivation is, especially in the language learning. As it is told, this is a psychological force which explains why a person does something. 

Our brain creates it temporarily to boost us in the right direction. But the key word is temporarily. It just fades away later on, as any emotion; humans tend to live it off.

They start advancing in it and get even more positive emotions because they have learned something. Feelings don’t last long, even though both the teacher and the learner made the most of it. It’s a natural process. 

Types of Motivation

What’s more, motivation can be intrinsic, when a learner does something because they enjoy it or find it meaningful, or extrinsic, when they are motivated by external rewards such as money, grades, praise, or fear of punishment. 

However, don’t put an cross on it. There is a way out. But before, here are some features of motivation to find out in your students.

Is there something acquainted? It’s possible to deal with. And, as usual, this is mutual work. 

The next questions pop up. How to restore this or make it better? Or switch for something permanent, rather than temporarily? 

We’re creeping to the discipline. 

Discipline is…

Here are some features to trace the difference with the motivation:

The second variant is definitely a reliable one in learning, and here are the tips to share with the students on how to switch motivation for discipline. 

Warning: the learners aren’t supposed to do everything mentioned below; these are ideas to find the best for them. A so-called trial and error. 

Track Your Progress

Tracking progress in learning helps the students to see improvement, stay on track, and adjust to their study methods.

They can add grammar and vocabulary topics they have learned to see how it becomes more and more enlarged. Seeing this consistency will prevent them from skipping a lesson or stopping this process.

The benefit is that it can really look different for everybody: 

It is definitely high time the learners felt fiercely proud of themselves — seeing how much they have done.

Make It Your Routine

Setting exact days and hours for the lessons and self-study will assumably affect it  positively. Having random study hours disturbs a clear vision of intensity the students have. 

Giving your students at least three weeks of a fixed schedule will make their brains get used to that, and they will stick to it on their own. In such a way, the habit is developing and they know that it’s time to have a lesson, do a grammar exercise, listen to a podcast, etc. 

Later on, they will feel a lack of something, and there will be a need to study at a certain moment. That’s the superpower of the brain.

Focus on Habits, not Feelings

This is the continuation once the habit is formed. Sure, nobody cancels bad moods or tiring days. This is important to continue no matter what has happened. 

Unfortunately, that doesn’t work in real life like that even though many allocate time for English. Some hard moments, laziness, and unwillingness may disturb the learners and switch their attention as if it’s not the priority at the time being. 

Once they win a battle with their brain, showing that English will be learned, the old patterns will be destroyed. Accepting that you don’t need to “feel like it” to study; doing it regularly builds self-discipline.

Habit Stacking

It is much easier to get into a new habit when there are already some of them. One can simply stack them thanks to blending their routine with something new. What can be done to attach a new study habit to an existing one? 

Let’s look: 

Hello, Study Buddy 

If your student feels like there is no motivation or eagerness to do something, recommend they find a study buddy. That will help to keep up and spark a little bit of competitiveness. 

Hence, they are more engaged in the lessons, doing homework and just knowing the language at the same level.

Both the teacher and the student can find one more person to have couple lessons, which will be more captivating for everyone. Individual lessons are absolutely great; however, they might not suit everyone. It’s up to you!

Reward Yourself

Giving yourself small rewards for sticking to the plan consistently, not just for final results, is a must. This is not something childish, as many might think. This is about a strong and healthy self-esteem and evaluation of the progress and achievements. 

So what can it look like? Tell your students:

• After using a language app daily for five days in a row, spend 20 minutes on social media without guilt.
• If you revise grammar three times in one week, listen to your favourite music or podcast as a reward.

• After completing a full week of revision without skipping a day, watch a YouTube video in the target language just for fun and relax.
• If you stick to your study plan for a month, plan a small personal treat such as a movie night or a short trip.

The ideas are endless; it’s highly important to find what will match with your students’ preferences and habits to build and keep up with.

Celebrate Small Wins

It’s meaningful to see that something is improving in the language learning. This is difficult to notice on higher levels, whereas beginners can spot the changes easily. Everything should be praised and celebrated for continuing and learning, even though it may not be visible on the spot. 

From the Other Perspective

It was quite enough for the students. Nonetheless, the teacher can help them be on this track, and that’s what’s possible from such a contribution:

Model discipline

A teacher of foreign language is not a person who only teaches the language but somebody who shows the example in everything —punctuality, preparation, and consistent behaviour. 

The teacher becomes a friend, a close one. This is vital to be the right person for the learners and set a good example. The role model they have to look up to is a person who:

Provide structured schedules

It is well worth highlighting structure and schedule once again as a separate point. That’s what the students learn, too. 

No ordinary rescheduling or delays are appropriate. The teacher has to be strict on this point, showing respect firstly. Respect for the students, their work, and overall the process of teaching. 

Moreover, the teacher should suggest daily or weekly routines and deadlines to guide their students. This helps them not to lag behind or miss some deadlines.

Encourage Reflection

Ask the students to review what they did each week, what worked, and what didn’t. They will not just say it out loud but prove it once again — one more step is done. 

The teacher can promote accountability, such as organising group check-ins, study partners, or progress logs. Making the students interact with each other will make for their development and improvement of some skills. 

Constant Feedback

Immediate and regular feedback encourages the students to follow through. Either a good one, or some food for thought. 

They have to hear what to work on. Correct them, give them many synonyms and cool phrases to use, make them guess or find mistakes, rack their brains to change one word to a better one, and many others. It is the teacher who can do this for the sake of the students’ learning. 

While correcting, it’s so important to praise. Always combine corrections with something cool the students have done or said. This is how feedback should be formed. 

Always say to them what you’ve appreciated and what changes you’ve noticed. They might not see this on their own, and the teacher will highlight. This will positively affect them and show the fruits of their labour.

It’s difficult to struggle with your own brain every now and then. However, having a strong desire and encouragement from the teacher’s side, nothing is impossible.