How to Motivate Students Who Feel Like They Aren't Improving [Updated]

Many students begin studying English with enthusiasm and a positive attitude. But learning a new language isn't easy, and many learners lose motivation when they feel their progress slowing down. 

These students may ask for advice on how to get out of the situation they feel stuck in. If any come to you looking for help, here are some tips you can offer to help them get back on track.

Change Up the Routine

One reason students may feel they aren’t improving is because they only talk about the same familiar topics in the same ways.

To counter this, try suggesting lesson materials they normally don't use, even those they may tend to avoid. 

• If they often choose Daily News, ask if you can select the lesson; pick one different from their normal preferences. 
• Try a Describing Pictures lesson and challenge them to create a short story based on the image. 
• Surprise them with some what-if questions that could lead to a fun and interesting discussion. 

The goal with all of these suggestions is getting them to use their English in fresh ways. In the words of Sabrina Carpenter, "Switch it up like Nintendo"!

Accept and Learn from Mistakes

Many students don't realize that their fear of mistakes is slowing down their progress.

These students may take a long time to speak, choosing their words extremely carefully, which often results in unnaturally slow conversations. Other students may barely speak at all!

As obvious as it seems, reminding them that it's OK to make mistakes can help to reduce the pressure students often put on themselves. Improvement means getting over the idea of "perfect" English; they will only get better if they're willing to mess up along the way.

In fact, encouraging a sense of humor about mistakes can be very helpful. Rather than fearing them, laughing at — and learning from — errors is a much healthier way of thinking about things that can't be avoided anyway.

Dust off the Dictionary

Here's an interesting fact: Only about 400 words are used in 75% of most spoken English.

It's possible that students who feel stuck have mastered the majority of these important words. This could lead to a feeling of "plateauing," or maintaining a particular level instead of going higher.

Encourage these students to spend some time with a dictionary or thesaurus to expand their vocabulary. In addition to learning new words, they'll be listening and thinking with more focus as they look for opportunities to use them in their conversations.  

Of course, this may result in some funny situations in which they try to force a word that doesn't quite belong. But that's a good chance to remind them of our previous point: Embrace mistakes and the lessons they provide!

(Besides, funny mistakes tend to stick in our minds and help us avoid similar errors in the future.)

Think Positively

This is a simple but very effective tip. Students must resist the temptation to feel sorry for themselves and give up on ever improving.

If you've been tutoring a student for a while, think of an area where they've gotten better and tell them about the progress they've made: 

• "Do you remember how shy you used to be when you first began studying?"
• "You used to struggle to use the past tense well, but now you use it with no problem."
• "I remember when L and R sounds gave you so much trouble. Your pronunciation has really improved."

Encouragement that reminds them of how far they've come can motivate them to keep working toward the next level.

Wrap-up

The road to any goal will have high points and low points. When students are feeling stuck, suggest expanding their vocabulary and speaking about unusual situations that will push them to use their English in new ways.

Additionally, remind them of how far they have already come, and encourage a sense of humor about mistakes rather than fear. These tips are sure to get them on the path to positivity and progress!