In the classroom, motivation often comes down to one simple truth
Aug 19, 2025In the classroom, motivation often comes down to one simple truth: If learners don’t see the cake, they won’t want a slice.
So how do you put the cake on the table without turning every lesson into a circus show?
Here are three practical moves you can try tomorrow:
👉 Start with a spark, not a slide.
Begin with a “what if” question, a riddle, a surprising image. Curiosity opens the door before content walks in.
👉 Show the product before the process.
If learners know what they’ll create, build, or share at the end, they understand the journey. Whether it’s a poster, a podcast, or a working prototype—make the goal visible from the start.
👉 Make it theirs.
Invite learners to connect the topic to their own world. Even a single choice, what example to use, what tool to try, creates ownership. That’s when motivation shifts from your lesson to their learning.
The secret is simple: learners need to taste the relevance before they’ll invest the effort.
Don’t: We will learn to identify the persuasive appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos.
Do: "They want to ban phones in the school cafeteria. Today, I’m going to help you write a powerful, 60-second speech that could actually change the principal's mind."
First the taste, then the effort. Always.
How will you put the cake on the table in your next lesson?
