teaching English to unmotivated kids?

[Boresoff]

I'm currently working in a country where students see English as "unnecessary extra work"... How can I help them change their point of view and see it as something that is going to help them in whatever they choose in liffe?

[Torsten]

Have them come with a list of goals they want to achieve. Ask them for things they really enjoy doing or things they like. Usually, they will tell that you like listening to music, buying nice clothes, traveling to foreign countries, driving fancy cars, going dancing, etc.

Then you can show them that most of the things they like are already connected to English:
pop music
sports (they want to pronounce such words as roller blades, mountain bike, kite surfing etc, correctly, don't they?)
fashion
technology (especially IT)

How can they travel abroad without being able to speak English? How can they become famous without speaking English? How can they emulate their heroes if they don't speak English? They are so many ways you can motivate them to learn English.

Let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Torsten
PS: What country are you working in?

TOEIC listening, photographs: A construction site

[Boresoff]

Thanks for your input, I also have a motivation speech where I tell my students that learning a second language can also represent better income and more opportunities in life in general. It has been very successful with my adult students, but this year I’m working with eighth graders (13 and 14 years old). I was told but other teachers of different areas that that’s the age when students become interested in the opposite sex. And that is a priority for them. I’ve tried everything; music, magic, video, games, and even competitions with real prizes of their choice. When I worked in a British school, students were motivated for the joy of learning. But now… here we are only allowed to fail 5% of the students and I have 20 st. in each group.

Ps I’m working in Colombia