Hi Aimee,
Right you are and I believe as do you it is our obligation to share information about the field that is accurate and realistic. This helps the students to see what they are getting into.
Gary
Hi Stephanie,
I think you are going your students a real service by presenting both sides of what the are going to encounter when they enter the field. The need to see it as it really is rather than having it painted in a way that will disappoint them or drive them from the field after they have been in it a while. Keep up the sharing of your experiences.
Gary
Show them the relevance to their chosen career field.
To motivate my students, I bring in actual cases I see in practice that relate to what we are learning in class. It helps them to see that the physio they are learning is relevant to their career and that they will be prepared.
-Dr. Vuolo
This is a great question! This is my fifth group of students and it is amazing to me how they are all different learners. Some are excited about their rotations and others are dreading it. I try to help them understand that over a 10 week course, they will become more confident in the clinical setting. I meet with them individually. I send out a detailed letter/syllabus so we are all on the same page.
I like the idea of inviting a guest speaker. I am already excited as to how to plan my guest speaker for my future class. Based on what I have read in the threads, I know that the right guest speaker for my class will enlighten them to keep going.
There is a fine line between scaring a student and telling them the truth. I think it is our moral obligation to tell them the truth good bad or ugly. There is good and bad to any job but it is all in how you deliver the info.
I try to relay personal experiences from the field, but I don't want to sugar-coat the experience for my students either. The field they have chosen to persue is not an easy one and can be physically and emotionally draining. I don't want to scare them off, but I try to balance out the positive with negative.
Tonia,
You have a good point. If you are not engaged it’s too hard to fake genuine passion for what you are teaching. When this happens your students will pick up on it pretty fast. I have found when I am not as enthusiastic as I should that it is easier to break the material up into little sections or add video's to class. I have a folder full of videos that I can play at any time. When the videos are playing it gives me time to regroup and get some of that enthusiasm back. I want to be at my best when I'm teaching.
Hi Tonia,
Well said. Excitement is contagious! We need to remember that each time we step into the classroom. We have a great job don't we?
Gary
Seeing 1 of the videos in this 1st module really struck me. The discussion about an instructors enthusiasm for the material. It made me reflect on instructors I had in college & what I found engaging about them. When someone has passion for what they're teaching it shows, you can't fake that kind of geniuine passion! That in itself can motivate. I find that that is when I am at my best, when I truly feel passionate about the material I'm teaching. It's easier to keep students engaged when you are engaged in it yourself.
I try to relate to the students on a personal level, since I have been through some of the same things they are going through.
I try to motivate learners based on past experiences in the workforce. Also, I try to provide a lot of what if scenarios. Meaning I will ask the class if they were in a certain situation....what would you do? I try to incorporate humor when talking about certain subjects to engage the student. Also, I teach accounting, so I think it is critical to do certain accounting problems visually and then discuss why it is done a certain way and if applicable, provide an instance where I had to apply that specific problem or situation.
Hi Aimee,
What are some ways you help your students to keep their motivation up when they start to get discouraged?
Gary
Hi Michelle,
This is a great instructional format because it builds the confidence of students. They learn and then they apply. This is what application and relevancy is all about. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Michelle,
This is an ongoing process for instructors and I really appreciated your remarks about the need for this type of encouragement. The key as you mentioned is help them see what they are doing now is a part of their future. They have to keep their vision in front of them if they are going to stay enrolled and working to succeed.
Gary
students get stressed and overwhelmed they lose site of their goals but a instructors passion helps to regroup them.
Hands on experience, I like the when I lecture and tell the students that they will only have 30 minutes to set up for a exploratory laparotomy procedure and I watch the student sink down in their chair. Once we start working in lab the students learns how to make sponge sticks properly load their surgical blades, setting up the surgical instuments. That's when the students with alot of practice becomes excited because they are mastering the task when I was lecturing about the task the students thought that it was impossible.Thaat's why I think hands on experience can motivate a student because seeing is believing.
I think if you are excited and passionate that your passion and excitment will become infectious to the students.
I have to motivate and stimulate my students on daily bases; In this crazy economy a lot of the students are struggling with their finance to make ends meet.When the bill collectors start calling the pressure starts to build on the students and the students loose focus on their education and I have to direct the student attention back to why they are here in school and get them to focus on their work and encourage the students to complete the program. Constantly telling the students to keep their eyes on the prize.
