Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation
What are some strategies for increasing student motivation?
Kevin,
I like and use this approach for the reasons you state. It gets all students involved at one point or another plus I learn a lot from the different perspectives that are presented in the class discussions.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Dianne,
Yes, this is a good point. In addition, as they work in groups, some students learn from other students. As they see that others can retain the information you impart it functions as modeling for them to give themselves permission to grow and learn, too.
On many occasions I inform students that school is a lot like life. The more you put into it...the more you get out of it. I want my students to feel they are challenged yet enjoy the experience. A small thing that I do is award participation points for each class. When we do presentations, I inform the class that the comments and questions that they raise to the presenter will also factor into their participation score. I find when you set this expectation participation becomes more active.
Daniel,
You are offering a comprehensive approach with your instruction. You have the expertise to share, knowledge to impart and support to render. This is what being an effective instructor is all about. I wish you much continued success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am an instructor in the field of criminal justice, and the students seem to gain confidence in their decision to pursue an education in this field when I tell them about the career opportunities that will be available to them. I share my own 34-year experience having "come up through the ranks." I also try to give them realistic expectations concerning their career track, and I vow to help the students find employment who have helped themselves by giving a solid effort in my course.
I like that strategy, and would definitely use in my class. Sometimes students have their mind fixed at a point that they will not be able to understand the concept. At times it is difficult to get them see beyond that point.
One strategy for increasing student motivation is to discuss with them the concept that the knowledge is in the village. That they come to the class with information that can be shared and will bring value to the discussion.
Samantha,
This is a common question raised by students and you are doing a good job of showing the "why" for the content. They need to see the ROI of the content in relation to relevance and application.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The biggest question I find students have is, Why do I have to learn this? Well, if you show them that in the lesson, they will be more motivated to learn it and retain the information. I try to make examples and labs as close to the workplace as possible. They operate with the mindset that they are treating an actual patient, so they understand that they are learning this information for a reason.
One strategy that I use is emphasizing the importance of the skill as related to processing knowledge of health care claims. These students know that I am a manager in the field that they are studying. An emphasis on a skill or course will be a strength used during the prospective interview process.
I think about how I am motivated and try to apply what I know about myself to help motivate my students. I have learned that giveing something your best and rewarding yourself for your efforts is a way of staying motivated. I try to have small not too difficult assignments or quizes that the students can have some early success. These early small successes help to motivate them to continue their learning.
Cliff,
Good question and one that has a depends answer. I agree about the students needing to be able to function alone because they will be doing so in the workplace in a lot of situations. I use group activities and learning groups to reinforce concepts and make applications. The majority of time the students are doing case studies and problems when in groups. I would estimate I use groups for 25-30% of the course though this is not a hard and fast rule because a lot of it depends on the students I have in the course that phase. Hope this answers your question in a a way that you can use it as a guideline.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
That is an excellent point Gary. Working in groups will mirror what students would encounter in the real world (job site.) I wonder though - how much of a course should be dedicated to group learning - 100%,80%,50% or less? At some point a student will be required to go it alone as an employee, and develop something required for a job task,(creating a speadsheet, an analysis, etc.) It feel like a portion of a course should be devoted to a group...perhaps 50% or slightly higher. Any suggestions?
I teach three business courses. I find that after a short lecture on a topic, it helps to have an online seach for some information the students find immediately useful. For instance, after a discussion on consumer protection laws, the students visited the Federal Trade Commission website. They accessed their credit reports for free. After discussing property taxes, students visited websites for real estate and had to compare the property tax on appraised properties in three different cities. When I talk about management hiring practices, the students find real jobs online and the criteria necessary to apply. Frequently, they discover info that will impact them immediately. I think this has been a good motivator, especially when I notice they are on the websites after the assignment is over.
i think we need to bring new strategies to the table for the students and keep them motivated every day new ideas how to explain things to them so they can understand better what u try to teach them.
Chuck,
Good strategy in terms of showing how the two fields are interrelated. This fact makes it essential that the students see the value of residential house wiring in relation to their career success in relation to servicing air conditioners.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It's good to show enthusiasm. It also helps to point out success stories from people in the field.
I like to point out how invaluable the information covered can be and how it is used in the field.
I am an instructor in an adult educational refrigeration trade school. I have a unique situation in that I am teaching a course in residential house wiring. It is a required course and I am constantly asked "why am I taking a course in house wiring when I just want to learn to service air conditioners"? It is a valad question that requires a motivating answer, otherwise the students start out with a negative attitude towards the course. I generally start off with "If it wasn't for electricity, and you wanted to be in the refrigeration field, you would have to move to Alaska and cut blocks of ice"! Then I go into the fact that 85% of equipment failure is electrical and that they will be doing this type of wiring during instalation. Also during the course, I make use of every opportunity to tie the two trades together as a reinforceing motivator.
Absolutely, teamwork help students to not only learn from each other but also an opportunity to teach one another.
