Enthusiasm

Great excitement for or interest in a subject or effort, or the source or cause of such great excitement or interest. An enthusiast is an enthusiastic person. Enthusiasm is an important ingredient in motivation to produce art, as well as to study and enjoy it in other ways. It is a quality that springs from the personality of artists, teachers and other lovers of art. Instructors develop their students' enthusiasm most effectively by demonstrating it. So much of school life is routine and mundane that teachers and students can slip into a business-as usual rut. But enthusiasm in the classroom is the spice that brings new zest to learning for teachers as well as for students.Some strategies for educators: Plan special events that break the routine. For instance, rearrange furniture, change displays, reassign seating, change procedures, go on field trips, use new teaching techniques, media, etc. Employ motivational statements that sell the value of the subject matter. For example, "I've got a great work of art I know you'll find interesting right now. I want you to think about what TV show it reminds you of! And, who does this remind you of Tom?!" Speed up your physical movements in the classroom. Be in a hurry to get on-task. The loss of engaging activity at the beginning of most classes is a motivation damper. Enjoy your work and let your students know you enjoy it, not only by being enthusiastic yourself, but by directly stating it often. Also see achievement, art criticism, attention, bias, critique, effort, goals, interesting, posterity, praise, and success.