I agree with Nicole and Julie...being excited and animated like I am, my students tend to be drawn in, and in turn they become excited about the subjects I teach. When you can make Microbiology and Pharmacology exciting, you know you're really doing something!
I agree with Nicole. The best teacher I ever had was a histroy professor who was absolutely passionate about history. He got so excited about the topic that the rest of the class couldn't help but catch his enthusiasm. I think motivation is something that we can model. By sharing our passion for our class content, our students have the possibility to match our energy level. Additionally, I think that sometimes teachers need to connect the dots for the students, so to speak. They don't always clearly see how the class content applies to their personal and professional lives. By making the connection for them, they often seem to have greater motivation.
I know this isn't the case for everyone but my energy is contagious. My students comment every quarter about my positive attitude and enthusiasm about the course.
One way that I have found that students get excited about the content is to see the result or outcome of the work that they will complete. This can be done with guest speakers, videos, field trips, etc.
Hi Jeff,
There are many strategies you can use. I will be glad to suggest some if you can supply me with some additional information. What types of courses do you teach and what are the current instructional deliveries that you are using?
Thanks.
Gary
The best way I found to get them excited is to show them how the course of study will apply to their everyday life. The best way is to bring a student from a previous class and have that student show the new students how the course changed their lives. This will take some work on both the instructor and the person you would like to give the presentation. You will need to have them speak from their experiences not from a written speech.
