There are so many ways to increase motivation. Honestly, just talking about subjects out of the classroom is motivating. Discussing math, science, or writing with a living, breathing, new human being is a liberating and refreshing experience for many students. In addition to that, I think there are a few ways to increase motivation. They include using specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (SMART) goals and building a personal relationship between students and the material. I like to use SMART goals with students because SMART goals make achievement easier and more tangible. By breaking down large, nebulous, long-term goals into specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely mini-goals, students can develop a sense of accomplishment and progress. Take, for example, writing an essay. One could break the large essay into smaller SMART goals. It could be something as small as writing one sentence every day. The student can easily meet the goal every day, and by the end of a week, have a solid paragraph finished. Chances are, once you've sat down and written one sentence, you'll find it worth your time to write another one or two. A second method is to make the subject matter relatable. This is an obvious approach that most teachers attempt to employ at some level. Tutors have a greater degree of freedom in how they can make subject material relate to a student and can specify their examples for each student. As such, tutored students have a greater chance of "buying into" a given subject. Once a student is brought in, they see personal value in progress--the motivation is self-fulfilling. Combining SMART goals with personal relevance is the ultimate goal. Students feel the personal investment that comes from relating to their coursework and the intrinsic satisfaction of meeting goals.