I gave them a project and told them they have to be creative. They were all looking at me for more direction. i have to give them examples. It seems like they don't want to think anymore.
by showing them new ideas and thoughts. Give them the most up to date material on the subject and make them want to learn more about it.
give them compliments. make sure you acknowlege their accomplishments. reassure them it is ok to make mistakes and learn from it.
practice lead manage rather than boss manage techniques as a way of explaining the value of the material they are learning and its applicability to their life/career.
Since most of my students are training for a career change, I review each of their work histories/experiences on their resume and highlight one characteristic or experience. Then in the classroom settings I show how this particular characteristic/experience will give that person either an advantage, or supplement what they are learning now. This seems to help relieve some of the apprehension of entering a new career field.
I usually try to relate the subject with real life situations that the students have encountered or will in the future that will motivate them to learn it.
One way to help students become motivated about your course is to clearly link the importance of the course to their current or future job. If students know that the course will make them a better preformer they'll be eager to learn. Another way which I have seen used very effectively is guest speakers that are known experts in their field.
I like to create excitement concerning my upcoming online classes. I want students to attend because I know how much they are going to gain from the live instruction so I might state phrases that can motivate attendance in emails such as "I will provide helpful tips you will need to know", "you do not want to miss this very informative class chat", etc. I am also trying to find ways to connect with students on something besides school so I will know what motivates them and can use it to encourage class participation. I have noticed if I complement a student or offer my concern first, I can then say by the way you need to get into class and have students be more receptive to this approach. I recently started using another motivator which is other students. One of my classes requires students work in a group project. If some students are participating and others are not, I recommend the participating students email their group members to inform them that they really missed an important chat, remind them to listen to the archive, and ask if they will attend the next chat. This works
Hello:
One of the most effective ways that I motivate and excite my learners is by making daily contact with the students. I do this by posting an announcement that discusses something we are working and providing a resources such as a handout or web link that will be helpful in understanding that concept. I, then, email this announcement with the resource as well. This has been mentioned in many of my student evals as a most appreciated tool in maintaining enthusiasm for the duration of the course.
Best,
Renee
I give real world experiences and case studies to keep them interested while still learning the material I set out to teach for that day.
Hi Laura,
Keep working at it. You may be able to "win" them over. If you can't at least you know you did your best as an educator to share your course content with them. Also, the other students will appreciate and respect you for your efforts and that is very important when it comes to class management.
Always be on the lookout for methods you can use in your classes and you will be surprised at how quickly you will have a number of different strategies, games, activities and deliveries that you can use in your class. Collecting and using these methods will make teaching more fun for both you and your students.
Gary
Hi Robert,
Great approach. I am sure you have some very interesting discussions as you cover current law and lawsuits. I know your students appreciate you bringing in these types of cases and letting them talk about them.
I'm interested in the livestock one and I'm not even in the law area.
Gary
I have a couple students in my psychology class who are there only because they have to be. It's surprising to me that convincing them of the relevance of the course to their chosen field is difficult. Sometimes I wonder if their mocking tones and apparent disinterest are just posturing. Maybe looking interested in a topic they have no interest in is not a "cool" or "manly" thing to do. I'm new at teaching at this level and finding "fun" ways to teach is difficult for me. I appreciate the ideas that others have shared here.
1. Real world examples of even mundane things can be used to stress their importance
2. I'm teaching paralegals so the use of "I once won a case because I knew this and the opponent didn't"
3. News articles or blog posts can bring an obscure point into the lives of the student. Example - in an otherwise mundane lecture on artificial insemination in Family Law I opened the discussion with a conversation on the recent controversy at the Iowa State Fair involving cloned livestock
I often start by showing my enthusiasm and share stories or examples of how I helped someone's life for the better. For example, I have told students about times when a client had a computer issue and was unable to use or access any files/data. This is catastrophic for most people who store tons of important documents, family pictures, etc. on their PCs and have no form of backup. By simply fixing their computer, removing a virus signature they were forever grateful and so appreciative. Those types of experiences are very rewarding and I challenge them to shoot for that high level of customer satisfaction within every case study or troubleshooting scenario.
Hi John,
The challenges of integrating the learners into the educational setting in an online situation are there but with some planning it is possible to overcome them just as you have done. With your student first planning your students are getting good instruction along with the personal touch.
Gary
I teach online so many of the standard techniques used for stand-up training are not possible. With the online tools that are available to me the two that have become most useful to me to connect are chat and discussions. I do have online whiteboard and always have the camera going but the VOIP component is often technically challenging to learners so we fall back on chat.
With the tools it is important to use them frequently with all students to keep them engaged in the learning.
One of the challenges I face is teaching students with English as a second language. Now these are adults but getting them to speak in class is difficult because they don't want to look bad in front of their peers and more importantly in many cases their subordinates.
Does anybody have any helpful tips in dealing with intermational student participation?
I try to incorporate my enthusiasm for my subject whenever possible. I also try to have my students draw on their existing knowledge and experience to help them engage with the material.
I also try to remind them of the broad range of real-world applications to which they can apply their classroom knowledge after the completion of the course.
Showing the student what is learned in the classroom can be apply to the real world
