Student Motivation
Truly understanding your student population is the key for successful student motivation. Having a sense of their learning styles and issues that may plague them from doing their best is what we as professionals must be tuned in on.
Lacy,
The more you know the more you have to work with in terms of customizing instruction and getting students engaged. You make a good point about this with your comments.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I completely agree with you. The more you get to know your students and their backgrounds, the easier it will be to understand their learning styles and possible issues that may arise in their learing experience. This is very important and will not only help the students but you as an instructor.
Tonya,
Good point about reaching each student. It is our professional responsibility to try and engage each student. We may not always be successful but at least we know we have done everything we can to help them be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my opinion,Your students competency is a reflection on you, the instructor. It is our jobs to make sure we are reaching every student, even if it means enhancing our teaching styles or strategies.
Diversity is good and keeps us on our toes :-)
Melvin,
The more you know about them the more accurate your instructional delivery can be. Plus having information about the students and their learning preferences enables you to provide support at critical times throughout the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
James,
Sounds like you have a very interesting situation in which you teach. The fun of all this is that being in your school cannot be boring. Enjoy your diverse student population and continue to provide the support that is needed to help them see that they in fact can be successful if they are willing to put forth the effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
AGREE. In thinking about this, Gibbon seems relevant: "The power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy except in those happy dispositions where it is almost superfluous." (!)
I teach at a small technical (certificate) college where the student population is diverse, frequently former military, and as "non-traditional" as might be possible. Their learning styles often BEGIN with a range of phobias, skills deficits, and insecurities about (their terminology) 'School' and 'Homework' (etc.). In each class, it's frequently the case to have every possible learning style even in a small population of students -- visual learners, "hands-on" experiential types, 'book smart' personalities and so on.
A key element to success or toward success is getting a gauge EARLY in the term of what their 'fears' are and addressing them head-on, using repetition and Q&A techniques to build up a comfort zone for each student.
It's true: Seek to understand...THEN to be understood.
Cheers,
J. Vivian
Colorado Springs, CO
