James,
Time your content to specific examples and case studies. The more you tie your content to the real work the more motivated they become. Also, give examples of income that can be earned in the field. Dollars make a lot of sense to these students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
John,
The more real world examples they can have shared with them the better. They need to realize that what you are teaching them is based upon industry standards and years of experience. You are not just making things up to teach them but all content is factual and needed.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Bradford,
Like your sequential approach. As a former construction person myself I appreciate how important a solid foundation is to learning as well as for a structure. You are giving them both theory as well as application in this format.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
kind you give more example of some motivation of student.how to excite them to want to learn more
Having become an Automotive instructor recently, I often remind myself that I have been in their seats during college, and after years of using the the education in the working world. I like to Give them real life examples of the importance of the learning material that has been used in my own career.
I have found that establishing a base knowledge of the subject matter is important. Once that has been determined I am able to begin instructing new material to my student. I teach construction so I often will have the students immediately apply the new skills in a real world setting. They gain confidence by realizing that they just learned something new(I taught them something), they have the skills to preform the tasks(self confidence) and now they are excited to learn more because I can refer back to this "win" when they get discouraged.
Jeannette,
Students really like hearing these stories as the help to make the content real for them. Keep sharing.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Rod,
This is what career education should be about. Helping students to see their future through the current courses in which they are enrolled. If we can do that with our instruction and support then we will have achieved our goal which is consistent with the goals of our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to share experiences from the field and how they are going to be such a valued employee that can make a difference. I also let them share their goals to eachother and I encourage them that all is possible.
At our campus we understand that adult students are not here to just "learn". They are here to change their lives. What I mean by those statements is that they are about obtaining the new career that the eduction provides them. With that said we tend to focus the students on how what they are learning in class will help them to achieve that new career. Our instructors talk to our students in each lesson about the specific type of career that the lesson applies to. We find the best motivationg for our students is knowing what type of career they have waiting for them when they graduate. Helps them to keep their eyes on the ball!
Tiffany,
Good point and one that needs to be reinforced to the students. If they can see the value and application of math in their career fields then they start to see the ROI of how they are being prepared to enter their career field. I teach a gen ed course and it always my first day challenge to show students that in fact I have something valuable to teach and they don't have to worry about them not doing well in my subject.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am currently teaching Mathematics at a local Trade school and I find that on the first day of school I get many of the students telling me that "Math was never their favorite subject" or "I was never good at math when I was in school". It can so easily become a self fulfilling prophecy! As an instructor your MOTIVATION piece comes in when you have to tell your students to speak more positively when it comes to the things that they may not do well. And your challenge as an instructor becomes making that particular subject matter simple enough to comprehend. Peace.
Hi Kamice: I agree with you regarding instilling confidence in students, especially since every career involves interacting with a diverse group of people. by Sandra Drab, Dental Assisting Instructor
Edward,
Your experience and dedication as a professional educator combine to provide support and useable instruction to your students. You are a valuable resource and contributor to their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I usually reference my experience in the industry and how it pertains to what they're learning. I find clear communication and honesty goes a long way in holding their attention as well as driving their passion.
I think informing those students of what is expected of them in your class ( so there are no surprises) also relating the material to real life experiences or tons of hands on activities ; or if you are in a laboratory.
Tomoko,
Students really like hearing stories about the field. They help to make the content real to them and increases the value of the course as it relates to their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I bring a lot of field experience to classroom to excite them about what they are about to learn. This seems to help truly see who they are about to become.
Sharon,
I like your use of words about how students approach your accounting course. Enthusiasm is right up there with trepidation and anxiety or maybe it isn't. They do come to class with a fear about the content and often a feeling that the content does not really have any application in their lives. You are doing a good job of turning their opinions around from negative to positive by showing them they can be successful and that we all use basic accounting in our daily lives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach accounting. I find that at the basic accounting courses (i.e., financial accounting) most students approach this subject with the same level of love and enthusiasm as they would a statistics course (well perhaps the words I was looking for is trepidation and anxiety). To capture their attention, I discuss ways they currently use accounting but perhaps do not realize it. I suggest practical applications of accounting (i.e., if you can interpret the annual report and its financial statements you can tell if your potential employer can afford to pay your salary). What I find is when students realize they already do much of the type of math used in accounting and that accounting has a practical application for them, they are less apprehensive about the course. Once the level of apprehension has been diminished, we can then work on motivating them :)
