Ah, the new school year, a time of fresh starts and classrooms full of energy. Kids are eager to learn and motivated to start the year off strong. But what happens a few months in when some of that momentum wanes? We’ve gathered up some strategies for how you can use IXL to keep students’ enthusiasm and natural curiosity strong all year long.
The Spirit of Competition
If you’ve ever had recess duty, you’re probably aware that kids are naturally competitive. So why not use IXL to harness that energy for class- or school-wide contests? There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to spur students on to answer more questions and master more skills! You can recognize contestants over the morning announcements or in a small awards ceremony to give participants a chance to bask in the limelight.
Reward Hard Work
We believe kids have an intrinsic desire to learn, yet small incentives can have a huge impact on motivation. Try giving simple rewards, like stickers or pencil erasers, to students that reach certain goals, such as practicing for a set amount of time or mastering a skill. Another option is to let students earn tickets for a class raffle by achieving a particular SmartScore on a skill. Then, every month or quarter, you can hold a drawing for prizes, either tangible (e.g., dollar store items) or experiential (e.g., lunch with the teacher).
Show Off Those Certificates
At IXL, we want to recognize the hard work of your students, which is why we automatically send certificates for reaching noteworthy milestones. We also offer customizable certificates so you can acknowledge all of your students’ achievements! Showcase those certificates around the classroom or school hallways as a reminder to students of all they’ve achieved. And, when your class answers 100,000 questions, send a photo of them with their certificate to rockstars@ixl.com, and we’ll highlight them in our Rockstars Facebook album.
Ideas from Power Users
IXL’s Elite 100 is a group of our top teachers who know how to leverage IXL to motivate students, encourage engagement, and drive achievement. We’ve rounded up a few highlights from their tips below, and you can find even more here.
“My students enjoy having IXL ‘Jam Time.’ We turn off the lights and turn up the music. The students love to sprawl out on the floor and work in the dark.”
–Ashely Organ, Montezuma, IN
“I have a few lanyards with tags that say ‘Math Leader,’ ‘LA Leader,’ and ‘Top IXL Usage.’ I let students wear them about once a month.”
–Angela Schnieders, Eckerty, IN
“To encourage students to complete each section, I often allow students who master each section first to choose a book of their liking from our book club. I also use the same reward for each student who has shown the most improvement in each section.”
–Dan Tomas, London, Ontario, Canada
“I pretend that we are playing a one-on-one game. If the students score above a score of 80 in twenty minutes or so, they get to write their name on the board as winning against their teacher.”
–Rod Wolford, Portland, IN
“I have done individual rewards, like stickers or even a sweet treat, for completing an especially difficult skill. As a whole group, if everyone in the class completes a skill or series of skills we can earn extra recess time or free game times. These individual and whole class incentives have provided great opportunities for students to give peer support (i.e., a student who has mastered the skill will peer tutor the peer who is struggling) so that everyone feels successful.”
–Mattie Walton, Billings, MT