Kimberlee ,
What are some successful feedback methods you use in your courses? Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Give frequent feedback. Create a positive and open environment.
Scott,
Sounds like a comfortable fun way to do introductions and work through an ice breaker while everybody get settled into the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I play a name game the first day of class. The majority of my classes range between 20 - 30 students. I ask the students to choose clock wise or counter clock wise with no other instruction. Upon choosing, I then determine the direction of the activity. I introduce myself as Sassy Scott or Sarcastic Scott. The first student then introduces themselves with the adjective starting with the letter which starts their first name. The second student then repeats the first and then states their name, repeating until the last student has to repeat all names in the class. This creates a fun environment and the ability to learn their names quickly.
Scott
Keeping them excited about class, reminding students of their goal and that some people stop one step short of their goals. At times I just listen for a minute or two about their frustrations, even a hug or encouraging word is what keeps them going! Our curriculum is fast paced, I remind students of this and to let their family and friends know they are making a commitment to their education, to help them by not asking them to go out when they need to be studying. Eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, no tv or other distractions- that at the end of their schooling, they will have achieved their goal and that it will be well worth it. Student always come back and tell me it really was worth all the blood, sweat and tears!
I use immersion techniques to get the class involved as a group
I have tried that also. They want to know what will be covered and what they need to prepare for.
I agree as well. You have to let the students know that tasks need to be accomplished in a timely manner. They will test you to see how long you will let them work on a particular task. The more you show them you value the course requirements they will respect your passion for learning as well.
Bill,
How do you reward these scores. Food, recognition,???? Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I always reward the top scores in my class after each test
Ivan,
Good points about how to increase student motivation. The more they can see value from what they are learning the more engaged they will be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
There are many ways to develop student motivation. Encouraging them to set goals, giving students more control and a chance to create their own personal choices such as choosing their own ways (with my agreement of course) of completing assignments, learning new or complex tasks, etc. Relating as much as possible, assignments and class projects to real life situations is also a very good motivational tool.
I instruct PTA students, so I try to motivate them by sharing the relevance of the information taught to their career, model or demonstrate excellence in a particular skill, and convince them that striving for excellence and developing their "soft skills" will lead to career success.
James,
Good strategy. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
While looking to increase student engagement in the content, I found that if I grab a chair and sit among the students, transitioning the classic classroom to a quick meeting, the students were very attentive, participated, and were on the edge of their seats. They knew this was different and it sparked their interest. This is especially helpful as I have the last class of the night an most students are working all day.
Learning something about your students, so you can apply the knowledge on a personal level in order to keep them motivated.
Motivation is the teacher’s responsibility to engage the students, as opposed to the teacher expecting students to come to class naturally and automatically engaged.
Brendon,
Students as you know like examples and stories about their field. They help the students to see relevancy to what they are studying. The message you share in relation to wages they can earn reinforces why they are in school. The combination of the two areas can be a powerful motivator for them as well.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I like to give examples and how often the course content was used in my personal experience in the field. If that does not get the students attention I'll include the benefits for this such as monetary, time savings etc.
David,
This can be a common problem with learning groups. They need to be created in such a way that each student is evaluated based upon their contributions and not hurt by those that don't contribute. Thanks for raising this issue with us instructors.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
