Research on motivation in learning situations has shown that presenting well is perhaps the single largest influence on students' motivation levels. The ARCS motivation model divides the idea of motivation into four general concepts and suggests practical strategies you can use to motivate your students. The concepts and major questions teachers should ask themselves when wishing to build motivation into their instruction are listed below. Some practical strategies for building motivation into your instruction are listed below. Although not every one of them will suit your needs and situation, they should give you some ideas of the kinds of things you may try on your own.
Attention Start with a puzzle or question which can be answered through that day's learning.
Sustain interest by making sudden or unexpected changes in the environment. Change your voice level, change light intensity, use humour to effectively get attention again. Change what the students see, hear, or feel every 20 minutes or so. For example, take a break from lecturing to have students discuss a question for five minutes. Relevance Tell students if they learn the new knowledge or skills they are more likely to achieve an important present or future goal.