I always try to blend the theory with what they will see in their career field. So I will give practical examples of how the information is used.
Amy,
"Peer-induced" learning has proven to be a very effective approach, to overall student comprehension. In some cases, instructors have taken on the role of "facilitator", in an effort to encourage this type of learning.
Tremayne Simpson
That is a great idea because sometimes a student is open or sees something as valauble when it is from a peer. Thank you for the suggestion
Amy,
In addition, students can provide great resources for the course. I generally try to create an assignment, that provides my students with the opportunity to share resources with their peers. In many cases, I adopt the resources and use them as examples for other classes.
Tremayne Simpson
There are some great resources here for my profession. There are multiple speakers I can have come in to share on the topic. There are also videos and handouts from companies in the profession that we can use.
The text books tend to be very similar but there is a great deal of research on the field so use of professional publication and creating a journal club might be a way of making the information interesting and allow the students to interact in their own learning.
William,
It is important that institutions not only "keep up" with technology, in order to provide students with the tools that they will use in the industry. Does your school have a Faculty Council established? If so, upgrading technology should be a primary topic.
Tremayne Simpson
The school I work for has got to keep up with todays standards, There is always new material and thoughts to be concidered. We have to keep up with the industry, like computors and cell phones they may be new today, but they are obsolete tomorrow. It is a must. OLD IS GOOD TOOO!
Paula,
Indeed, collaboration is very important. Sharing contact with other instructors (that teach similar courses) can ensure that the students are receiving consistent information, regardless of their enrolled section of the course. Also, hearing from other instructor experience can be used to enhance your individual, instructional approach.
Tremayne Simpson
Kimberly,
I like the idea of giving your students a chance to immediately apply the concepts that they learned during the lecture/lab demo. Also, providing the students with the lab topic is a great tool for encouraging to pay close attention to the lecture, because they will be using the concepts to complete their lab activity, later in the session.
Tremayne Simpson
Course content is established by the course learning objectives established by our department as a body. Each instructor then has the ability to determine how to deliver those learning outcomes. I work with the others in my department to be sure that I am building adequately on previous coursework while preparing the students for future courses. Collaboration is the key.
Objectives for the course are outlined in the syllabi. When customizing the content, I generally take a "real-world" approach to what content the students need to understand to succeed in their careers as a result of being in a veterinary technician role for 10 years.
I know my strengths and capitalize on them. PowerPoint lectures are part of my instructional methods followed by a lab demonstration of the class material.
At the beginning of the class I will tell the students the lab activity for the day and what they will be working on. It keeps the students engaged in the lecture and the demonstration; if they know they are required to complete the lab activity.
I review the selected text and the course expectations and consider what has been taught in previous courses. I then prepare lectures based on these factors adding in my personal experiences creating a lesson that will be engaging and fulfilling to the students by providing them with information that will help them in their chosen profession.
I review key points of the given text, consider what has been previously taught and what will be expected next. I then apply my experiences and develop a plan that will give the students a step by step walk through on the subject matter and how it will apply in various aspects of their chosen field.
james,
As I mentioned earlier in the post, students are typically intrigued by the opportunity to receive an "authentic" learning experience. Anytime an instructor can present an example from their desired field or discuss uncommonly known facts about the subject, the students will tend to be more engaged, during the lecture.
Tremayne Simpson
I always try to relate our standardized course content to real world experiences. I notice the entire class perk up when I mention, "in the real world." I then am able to demonstrate how what they are learning now is important and has relevance in the work force.
The school I teach at requires that I cover much of what is taught. I do have great latitude on how I teach it and can use personal experience also.
For my field, content is constantly changing and upgrading. I am a memebr of 2 organizations that keep me up to date witht he latest technology and news that is happening in the industry. It also shows me the newest journaals/books that are out so that I can plan my lessons accordingly.
I also require my students to sign up with at least one of the organizations so they can also stay in the loop.
Jacqueline,
You have brought up an excellent point. Book review is a very important task in regards to course curriculum building. If instructors are not able to connect with the majority of presented content in the textbook, it will be difficult for them to encourage the students to find use in book. Furthermore, there could be contradictions in lectured vs. textbook methods or theories.
Tremayne Simpson
One of the ways I select course content is by reviewing the book or material that is to be presented to the class. Then I evaluate it for effectiveness and usefulness in the actual working field, such as medical assistant from my own personal experience. If there is material that I have not encountered in my employment in a medical office, I present it but not to the extent that I would more pertinent applicable information.
TIMOTHY,
I also use this instructional approach, when addressing my students. From my experience, students seem to respond better when they perceive their instructor as a "course facilitator".
Tremayne Simpson
