I try to engage their participation in the learning environment. As we get to know each other they become the creative source of planning for future classes and demonstrations. Most of my students have me as their instructor for several classes. I find this beneficial to new students. That comfort zone becomes closer with everyones input.
I find that the sooner the students are involved in the learning process the more they are motivated. With each success the motivation seems to increase. This requires constant monitoring of the students and the activities.
What I have found in motivating anyone is that people only do what they want to do, not what you want them to do. Once you discover what their "WHY" is, you can ask them if they wouldn't mind you holding them responsible for it. I use their "why" as a reminder to them, when class & life gets tough and challenges are presented, you can always refer back to that personal reason that they created themselves (goals, money, accomplishment, etc.)
Yes, the first day can be challenging because the students are just as nervous as you are! Having time for effective introduction is crucial to the start of the class. First impressions make a huge difference in the teacher student relationship. This is where it first starts, so I never want to be in a hurry to rush through introductions.
Some strategies for increasing student motivation begins by explaining the goals and objective of the course and how it relates to their career path. After the explanation, I have the students provide me their career goals and something about themselves. This information helps to certify how the course will enrich their success to meet their final goals.
For instance, today they had to write two collection letters in our English class. After they wrote the letters, I explained why the exercise was assigned and the relationship of composing a letter in the work office setting, such as better communication among peers and patients, any documentation to be typed in the practice management program, etc.
I also had them write a paper on the number zero and the color blues for added interest. But, the two fun papers the students had to underline the nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. to ensure they are using proper English grammar.
Lauri
I teach developmental math, so it is very important to build the students self confidence up. I allocate a portion of my 2 hour class to allow students to work on their homework problems. This allows me one - on - one time to get them started and over any hurdles they may have. When they see they can solve the problems they are much more motivated to continue working on the assignment.
We as instructors must be able to tie the class in with the career field. It starts by providing accurate and relevant information. I also try to incorporate guest speakers and field trips. I poll the class at the start and ask them what they are interested in as far as guest speakers and/or field trips. This usually is quite popular. It gives the class some “realism†when I take them to the courthouse, or to a police department or a prison. It is also popular to bring in guest speakers of interest. These things help!
Scott
i agree, setting a great example is most important.
Hi Marilyn,
This is a great way to being the real world into the classroom. I use my graduates frequently and they are always a hit with my students because they can see themselves in that person.
Gary
I have previous students that have completed the program and are now employed to come and speak to current students.
Thank you for your positive comments. To me, working with students is the highest privilege, as well as responsibility that I can think of with my life.
Sincerely,
Doug
By making course objectives clear and supporting student learning with proper instructor support, students can remain motivated to do well in any class. The instructor must find new and relevant ways to keep their students motivated.
Hi Doug,
Well said. You have a number of approaches that you are using to reach your students and this way you are not leaving some of your students out of your instructional delivery process. This is critical to teaching success and you are being the instructional delivery expert that your students need.
Gary
Sometimes making the classroom environment fun and interesting, like assigning group activies, can really get the students motivated. Also, presentations for extra credit also works well.
Dr. Gary Meers,
I believe the most effective means of motivating students initially is providing encouragement and support to my students within the classroom learning environment. Students like feedback and I attempt to give them an opportunity to participate in the classroom and positively reinforce their comments. I also am a big supporting in relating how what they are learning can be applied to their choosen career goals. Prior to class I have the students submit general information, and I attempt to explain throughout the course, by examples, how what they are learning will be useful in what they are currently doing, as well as how it relates to their future career goals and objectives. I also enjoy getting students involved in case studies that are applicable to real world situations, and with the students working in small groups, they have an opportunity to interact and share what they are learning about how to solve various business problems presented in the case studies. I bring an excitement and passion to teaching, because it is what I love to do. I trust that it is displayed in the classroom.
Sincerely,
Doug
Hi Christina,
You raise a very common question. Most foundational or core instructors face this situation. I teach such courses myself and so I face the same questions from students as do you. What I have done is to sit down with the instructors in the career areas and talk with them about specific uses of written and oral communication, math, etc. Then I take their input and create examples of how my course content will be used. I don't always get the best integration but it does help the students to see the application phase of my course. In addition, I work with my student on personal discipline. In life and work we all have to learn and apply content that we don't care for. By doing so we help to advance our careers so in fact the math/English course really does help in career development because of the discipline that goes with it.
Keep up your fun approach because that helps to keep the engaged and with that comes learning.
Gary
Increasing student motivation is something I am always addressing. As a math instructor, how can I get my students motivated? Math is just one of those things where the students are not looking for motivation, but an asnwer. Most of my students have the same questions, "Why do I need to learn this?" and "When will I use this in the outside world?" If I were to hand my student a finite answer to those questions, I might be able to motivate them. However, as a massage theorpist, when will they need to know how to add and subtract integers? I simply let them know that when they become familiar with mathematics, they become better problem solvers and are able to do all kinds of things. I mention balancing a checkbook a lot. Almost every adult does that, unless, of course, their husband/wife does it for them. Balancing a checkbook is adding and subtracting decimals. Something my students learn with me. Learning about ratios helps them to be better gamblers at the races. Wanna bet on a horse with 9 to 1 odds or 3 to 1 odds? But what about those who do not gamble, like myself? What can ratios do for me? It can be very irritating for me to hear this from my students, especially since I do not have the answer. If my student will not need the info outside my clasroom, it is very hard to get them motivated. My students may not be motivated, but I do my best to make learning math fun. Just the other day, during a review for the final exam, I was singing "To the left, to the left" (a verse from 'irriplacible', a song by Beyonce) while reviewing scientific notation. Had some students laughing. In the end, I may never know if I ever did motivate them, but at least we had some fun together while learning about math.
I like them to talk about what their career goals are. From there, the students will hear about their classmates and I will get a feel for what to motivate them more specifically about!
Hi Kristen,
By bringing in these real life examples you are helping to your students to see application and relevancy to what they are learning. This really enhances their motivation and excitement.
Gary
I am currently teaching part-time and working in my field part-time. This allowed me to come to class every day with examples of why the material I was teaching was important for their future career.
I also found the hands on activities I did in class kept my students motivated. I believe this is because they are procedures they will perform once they are out of school.
