Offer feedback. One way to get students proactive is by providing them with regular feedback on their progress. To encourage them to try harder, give constructive criticism about what needs to change. To help them understand what they are doing correctly (so they continue to do it), praise exactly what is working. Ensure your pupils that you are paying attention.
Connect with your students. To get your pupils serious about learning, communicate with them one-on-one. Display to them that you are a genuine person who cares about their well-being and educational success. If a student is having a hard time in class, bond with him by relaying to him times when you may have experienced problems in school. Inspire him by talking to him about how you then overcame your difficulties with a lot of hard work and perseverance.
Promote participation. Allow your students to be a part of the learning process by encouraging interactive activities in your classroom. Organize activities that are involved around solving problems, using imagination and thinking critically. Frequently ask students questions to keep their minds jogging and to prevent them from getting lazy.
Talk about forming goals. If you want to get your students on the road to achievement, instead of telling them simply to study more, help them put together tangible goals. If your students have goals, it will help them be able to clearly visualize precisely what they need to be doing. For instance, suggest to your students perhaps doing a minimum of one hour reading (and reviewing) of the textbook every evening after class.
Relate your teachings to contemporary life. Students may sometimes feel detached from an educational subject. A student may not feel like the topic applies to the modern world and reality. To motivate students, find creative ways to tie your subject in with what is going on in the present. If you teach a history class, for example, try to compare American government from 100 years ago to the politics of today.
Have high expectations. Indicate to your students that you are not satisfied with mediocre work and that you want them to go the extra mile in the studies. Voice the fact that you want the best out of them, but also make sure they know you are reasonable.