







































Education, Society and Human Studies 
ISSN 2690-3679 (Print) ISSN 2690-3687 (Online) 

Vol. 1, No. 2, 2020 
www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eshs 

105 

Original Paper 

How to Motivate Students to Study Online 
Julia Koifman1* 

1 Beit Ekshtein High School, Rupin, Israel 
* Julia Koifman, Beit Ekshtein High School, Rupin, Israel 

 
Received: August 12, 2020       Accepted: August 18, 2020      Online Published: August 24, 2020 

doi:10.22158/eshs.v1n2p105                     URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/eshs.v1n2p105 

 
Abstract 

Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented change in education. All the schools in Israel and 

other countries had to find all the possible solutions to convert their teaching and learning to remote 

online options. According to the research, distant learning with the help of online boards is supposed to 

catch students’ attention and make them interested and motivated (Newton, 2020). You can do it with 

the help of such smart boards as Zoom, Miro, Wakelet, Socrative and others. They provide teachers and 

their students with a wide range of eye-catching materials, such as highlighted pieces of text, pictures, 

videos which enhance general understanding of the material and enlarge students’ passive and active 

vocabulary. Moreover, kids can create their materials themselves and share them with their classmates. 

Sometimes it is the only way to keep them motivated and to prevent them from leaving “boring online 

lessons”. It also has a great educational effect on those students who struggle while using traditional 

textbooks and misunderstand the tasks. Besides, online Learning Technology (LT) helps them to 

develop the skills of collaboration, negotiation and leadership which is especially important in 

international communication. 

Keywords 

teaching online, motivation, creativity, learning disabilities, collaboration 

 
1. Why don’t Kids Want to Study Online? 

In many Israeli schools each class is equipped with a projector, a TV screen and a computer which 

enables each teacher to conduct a collaborative frontal work, so that students would be able to 

participate in doing tasks on their mobile devices. But the spring 2020 “brought a sudden shift for 

teachers and their students into an online setting” (Ralph, 2020). During the quarantine Israeli schools 

practiced teaching via Zoom and other boards in order to involve kids into online classroom activities, 

including self-checking tasks. For many teachers it was their first experience, so they had to learn 

immediately and it was frustrating trying to help students in this way. 



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“Teaching an online course requires different methods from the traditional classroom, so it’s important 

that teachers adapt or develop their skills to the online learning environment” (Cooper, 2016). Due to 

coronavirus pandemic schools in many countries of the world had to conduct lessons online. Many kids 

and their parents did not accept this idea and complained that it didn’t work well. There are some 

reasons why school children refuse to study online. 

• They are bored 

• They are not very strong students 

• They are afraid of making mistakes 

• They use their personal devices to play games and to communicate with their friends only 

• They don’t like studying 

• They are too young 

• They are distractible 

• They have Specific Education Needs (SEN) 

Research studies show that computerized lessons enhance learning in less motivated students. 

Nevertheless, they might be bored while sitting in front of the screen for 45 minutes. So, with the help 

of videos and other online activities distant lessons become “student-centered and offer the possibility 

of new classroom management and new relationship between teachers and learners” (Fazinic, 2015). 

 
2. How to Catch their Attention? 

2.1 Problem Solving in the Online Classroom 

No child left behind! Education leaders are tackling the unexpected challenge of providing distance 

learning. According to C.Seale, “Distance learning has the strategic advantage of making it easier in 

some cases for teachers to pinpoint specific academic struggles”. Therefore, due to modern smart 

boards, teachers can make their lessons effective and help their students to complete the school 

program in accordance to the national curriculum. In Israel and other countries, it requires developing 

students’ listening skills, enlarging their vocabulary, improving their spelling and grammar, developing 

their writing skills and developing critical thinking. For successful online learning teachers need to 

provide students with tasks that should be interesting, success-orientating and require students to 

interact with each other. By sharing the same screen content, such as a virtual textbook, picture, video 

or chart, enable your students to see exactly what they are supposed to do. Avoid too complicated 

instructions that might cause confusion or misunderstanding. Besides, it must be built on the previous 

material they have learnt recently.  

In order to prevent difficult situations, you need to be creative. As Einstein once said, “Creativity is 

intelligence having fun”, it is an important aspect of teaching. Being a creative teacher means that you 

need to be an actor, a singer or an artist in order to entertain your students. It means that you need to 

“solve problems, think up new ideas and have insightful ‘eureka’ moments” (Brann, 2017). For 



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instance, if your students get bored you should offer them a game, a song or a film that contain 

vocabulary, grammar or a topic that your students are learning currently. Therefore, you should have 

2-3 lesson plans in store. Besides, you can play a piece of background music to catch their attention, to 

help them focus while working in pairs or groups or as a sign that it is time to start or stop the activity. 

If you teach in elementary school, you can play a “switch on-switch off” game. Thus, you can offer 

them to switch off their cameras and ask questions, such as: “Who has a cat or a dog at home? Switch 

on your cameras if you have a dog. Great! Switch them off. And now I want you to switch on your 

cameras if you have a cat”. Then ask them to comment, for example, “Dan has a cat and Jane has a dog. 

But Mary doesn’t have any pets”. For junior high and high school students you can prepare the similar 

game based on more complicated questions, including English Literature. If the forenamed game is too 

easy for them, use Kahoot and other online quizzes. Creative teaching is also important because in this 

way we can help our students to believe in themselves and to be more confident in learning (Smith, 

2017). 

 

2.1.1 Teaching Kids with Specific Education Needs Online 

If you teach students with specific education needs, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, Attention Deficit 

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other disorders, LT can help them because they do not need to 

write and be afraid of making mistakes. Before the coronavirus pandemic LT had become very popular 

and made a great progress in SEN schools in Israel—therefore remedial teachers used screens for 

frontal work and students continued doing tasks on their devices individually and in pairs or groups. 

During the quarantine it was practiced distantly on smart boards. 

Israeli kids like playing computer games and watching films in English. Therefore, usually they are 

good at speaking, even SEN ones. Nevertheless, the latter ones lack motivation when it comes to 

grammar learning and practicing it in the classroom when they are taught in a traditional way. They 

make a lot of mistakes and get frustrated or even start making troubles. During the quarantine some of 

them even blocked their teachers’ accounts on their personal computers and telephones because after 

the range of failure in virtual classes, they got frustrated and gave up studying. 

If you teach SEN students, be prepared for unexpected situations. Misunderstanding the schoolwork, 

emotional problems, anger and misbehavior often take place in SEN classes. “The behavior that 

accompanies this dampened motivation may range from quitting (“school is boring”), avoiding any 

attempt (“I’m stupid; why try?”), clowning (for attention), denying (“I don’t care about English”), 

being impulsive (“There! I’m done!”), bullying in the real classroom or trolling online” (Koifman, 

2017). Many SEN children hate school but go there just because they have no choice. They do not feel 

motivated to succeed at school and stop participating in the lessons even so they still dream about high 

grades. So, the aim of their teachers is to make them focused and interested in learning. Since they like 

playing computer games, they should be offered to do the spelling, vocabulary and grammar ones. 



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“The key to motivating the child with attentional problems is to modify and adjust the learning 

environment” (Lavoie, 2015). Therefore, when remedial teachers start giving online lessons, they need 

to create a dyslexic-friendly atmosphere in the virtual classroom. Many SEN students find it difficult to 

focus in class, mainly those who have both dyslexia and ADHD. Therefore, distractible children should 

be focused and involved in interesting and success-oriented activities which can be done with the help 

of audio-video tasks. As it was mentioned above, such materials provoke students’ interest. It is also a 

sort of learning autonomy that makes each student busy and motivated. Since SEN kids have 

difficulties with reading and spelling, they can have a real help from smart boards and exercises, which 

correct their mistakes. In addition, it can be successfully used on the exams, which is already done in 

the range of the countries including Israel. 

In my opinion, the forenamed activities can be done distantly on Miro. This smart board provides 

self-checking tasks. Furthermore, it contains charts for graphic organizers which can enhance SEN 

students’ learning. Since many SEN students are visual learners, we offer them diagrams on Miro to 

improve their reading comprehension and general understanding of stories, poems and novels. Those 

who are aural learners, can be taught with the help of listening to their teachers, peers and audio 

materials uploaded on Miro before the beginning of the lesson. Both the visual and aural ways work 

well to develop their Reading Strategies (RS). Remedial teachers should provide SEN students with 

detailed graphic organizers to guide them as they read a particular text. Such organizers might be the 

series of prompts that ask the students to preview particular features of text and note how they are 

related to the main body of the text. It is an effective way to teach RS. Moreover, teachers should 

divide the classes into online groups of 3-4 kids and they can prepare their own graphic organizers, so 

that the groups will exchange them later.  

“When doing group work, they realize what they need, they can begin to take responsibility for their 

own learning” (Rosenberg, 2018). Therefore, this is one of the ways to motivate SEN students. In fact, 

they would like to succeed but they struggle, so Miro enables them to do works in groups, take part in 

discussions, design a research project, illustrate key concepts, leave feedback, and facilitate group work 

easily. Besides, you can engage with your students of any level wherever they are. And what is the most 

important, they can complete and upload their book reports and other projects as a part of the 

curriculum. And finally, Miro is a very good board for collaboration and other important skills of the 

21st century in SEN and regular classes. 

 

3. Studying and Developing Important Skills 

No doubt that teachers who work to help students achieve their goals may struggle in the distance 

learning environment. But there are countless apps that can help educators gather the necessary 

information in a distance learning environment. “To define success, presume that every single student 

has the necessary support to participate in distance learning” (Seale 2020). Online teaching supposes 



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not only academic achievement but learning all the necessary skills of the 21st century, such as: 

* active learning and learning strategies 

* creativity 

* critical thinking and analysis  

* collaboration 

* leadership and social influence 

* debate and negotiation 

Schools today provide a lot of material that can be found online and might be necessary for their 

projects and homework. Step by step the ability to choose and analyze leads to academic achievement. 

So, students can set their own academic goals for distance learning and follow them in their own pace. 

On the first glance it seems difficult to learn such skills online but educators can help them with clear 

instructions and doing works that must be submitted before the deadline. 

As it was mentioned above, creativity is very important not only for teaching, but for studying as well. 

In the online classroom it increases motivation, empowers learners and helps them to develop a sense 

of excitement and self-esteem. You can encourage your students to create their own activities and share 

them on such smart boards as Miro, Google Classroom or Socrative, depending on what you choose for 

them. Teaching is much less important than focusing on whether and how students are learning and 

creating tasks themselves (Seale, 2020). Making their own activities based on the material that has been 

learning currently is not only a great way for students to create innovative products using technology 

but also a powerful tool to increase their motivation, creativity and autonomy. Many students are good 

at technology and may be interested in preparing their own materials and share them with their 

classmates. In this way, they will get an opportunity to express themselves.  

Thus, many kids like making their own videos and share them with their classmates. They can do it 

individually or in groups. Other groups can create their own materials, for example, quizzes, 

crosswords, word games and other appropriate materials for the class smart board. Such online 

activities make lessons much different from the traditional ones in the real classroom and with 

textbooks and notebooks. During the lesson you can divide the class into virtual groups and they can 

exchange their materials with other groups. Later they can give classroom presentations and evaluate 

each other’s materials and performance. In this way they develop the skills of critical thinking and 

analysis. “Asking students to analyze and interpret primary materials and timely content can boost their 

critical thinking and engagement” (Ralph 2020). 

Besides, in this way they learn the skill of collaboration. While in a real classroom students meet 

in-person, during online classes, teachers and students need additional resources to collaborate 

virtually. M. Hart claims that for the virtual classroom teachers need to use the following tools in 

order to build a collaborative online learning environment: 

 



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1) Video Conferencing 

2) Lesson Recording and Video Creation Tools 

3) Learning Management System (LMS) 

4) Cloud-Storage Tools 

5) Exam and Assessment Software 

6) Scheduling Platform 

7) Library Resources 

In many countries, there is a strong tradition of the authoritarian role of the teacher and the 

transmission of information from the teacher to the student and most of the lessons are teacher-centered. 

Nevertheless, nowadays in Israel EFL lessons are student-centered and it is acceptable to challenge or 

criticize the views of teachers. Besides, Israeli culture has a strong oral tradition, based on story-telling, 

rather than on direct instruction. Moreover, Israeli EFL teachers started teaching the subject of debate 

and diplomacy some years ago and their students learn the skills of leadership which enables them to 

conduct negotiations. 

 

4. International Communication in Israeli School 

For the last decade international communication and diplomacy have become a part of Israeli EFL 

curriculum. Although this subject is not compulsory, the ability to conduct negotiations is necessary 

and some lessons are devoted to debate. Taking an online course in diplomacy develops skills and ideas 

that are often highly applicable to many life situations. Moreover, learning to communicate with others 

in a diplomatic manner is beneficial to relationships at work and home, and in social situations. 

Therefore, some students choose the subject of international communication and diplomatic studies as a 

part of their matriculation. 

Taking a diplomacy course can provide the beginnings of a successful career in many fields, but it 

requires a good command in English. The program of the forenamed course is designed to provide 

knowledge, analysis tools and advanced thinking processes in modern diplomacy and conflict 

resolution. Students in 11-12th grades come to the educational experience with different expectations 

and backgrounds, especially immigrants from different countries. As a result, there are often major 

cultural differences in students, who start learning diplomatic studies, with regard to participating in 

discussion-based collaborative learning that in the end reflect deep differences with regard to traditions 

of learning and teaching. So, teachers need to be aware that there are likely to be students in any class 

who may be struggling with English language, cultural or epistemological issues and they might quit 

the course, especially new immigrants.  

During the pandemic Israeli teachers found out that teaching diplomatic studies online was a sensible 

way for high-school students to gain knowledge about the field of diplomacy and practice critical 

thinking. The virtual classroom is an online learning environment that allows for live interaction 



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between teachers and students and gives them an opportunity to expand not only their knowledge, but 

also your network all while staying at home. Therefore, it is a real collaboration and a brilliant 

opportunity to develop the forenamed skills of the 21st century. In order to motivate high school 

students to take a diplomacy course online, teachers should let them know that it “…offers the 

opportunity to create a highly social learning environment, characterized by participation and 

interactivity for both students and instructors” (Brindley et al.). 

 

5. Conclusion 

According to the research, many of the strengths and challenges of collaborative learning apply both in 

face-to-face or online learning contexts. We can teach schoolchildren of all ages and levels online. 

Some teachers claim that there is no or very little difference between online collaborative learning and 

well-conducted traditional classroom. Others think that it is still challenging to catch their attention and 

to keep them in front of the screens for 45 minutes, especially when you teach kids in elementary 

school or SEN ones in junior high and high school. Therefore, they need eye-catching materials and 

games on virtual smart boards. Once again, we see that the form of conducting a lesson is less 

important than the structure of the lesson, the way of teaching and keeping them interested and 

motivated. It can work well in both contexts. Indeed, it is possible to conduct either model 

synchronously or asynchronously, at a distance or face-to-face. In my opinion, there is enough evidence 

that collaborative learning can be practiced online in any age. Teamwork has traditionally played a 

critical role in traditional schools. And these days, while many of teachers and students find themselves 

physically isolated, their collaborative work with one another may be more important now than ever 

and it really motivates them to study together. 

 
References 

Brann, A. (2017). Creativity. Is your intelligence having fun? https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v10i3.675 

Brindley, J. E., Walti, C., & Blaschke, L. (2009). Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in 

an Online Environment. Retrieved from 

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/675/1271 

Cooper, S. (2016). Five strategies to improve your online teaching. Retrieved from 

https://elearningindustry.com/5-strategies-improve-your-online-teaching 

Fazinic, V. (2015). Filmmaking in the classroom. IATEFL 2015, Manchester Conference Selections (p. 

142). 

Hart, M. (2020). How to create a collaborative online learning environment. Retrieved from 

https://www.owllabs.com/blog/collaborative-online-learning 

Kaldonek-Crnjakovic, A. (2017). Multisensory, structured, metacognitive method in teaching English 

as a foreign language to dyslexic learners. IATEFL Inclusive Practices & SEТ Newsletter, 1, 17. 



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Koifman, J. (2017). Teaching students with specific education needs. Retrieved from 

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NAL.pdf 

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http://www.ldonline.org/article/19975 

Newton, D. (2020). Most teachers say they are not prepared to teach online. Retrieved from 

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Ralp, M. (2020). Teaching strategies of award-winning online instructors. Retrieved from 

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-strategies-award-winning-online-instructors 

Rosenberg, M. (2018). Learning styles and activities for them. META Conference brochure, May 2018, 

35. 

Seale, C. (2020). Distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Retrieved from 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/colinseale/2020/03/17/distance-learning-during-the-coronavirus-pan

demic-equity-and-access-questions-for-school-leaders/#1f09050b1d4d 

Smith, A. M. (2017). Creating an inclusive classroom: Raising awareness of dyslexia and 

neurodiversity. IATEFL 2017, Glasgow Conference Selections (p.128). 

 

Biography 

Julia Koifman was born in Ukraine and graduated from Simferopol State University in 1995 and 

received an MA degree in TEFL. In 1999 she immigrated to Israel and has taught English in junior high 

and high school. Now she is an English Coordinator in Beit Ekshtein high school in the settlement of 

Rupin in the center of Israel. Julia has published articles about overcoming dyslexia and SEN. She is a 

member of IATEFL and TESOL and a regular conference presenter. In 2018 she won a scholarship for 

participation in IATEFL conference in Brighton UK. 

 

 


