Hi Liz,
Great attitude about sharing your career and professional knowledge. I am sure your students can see how excited you are about your content and that you enjoy sharing this information with them.
Gary
I try to show my individual motivation and love for my field and joy of learning. I love what I do and try to let that come across as I teach in hopes that this will motivate others. I also try to motivate others by giving them an opportunity for them to teach the class about something they are passionate about that relates to the class material and this is usually a fun activity for some students.
Hi Sharon,
I like your approach to teaching a subject that many students dismiss as being unimportant. You are right about feeling like you have done something when a student thanks you for the class you taught and the content you shared.
Gary
I typically have been cast as the "Politics" instructor (Nevada and United States)and approach my instruction as a challenge. More often than not students are not interested in this topic much less want to take time out of their schedules to vote! I even became a voter registrar so that I could personally assist students who wanted to participate in elections and I also encourage them to run for public office. I try to bring local and national current events into the classroom (the more bizarre, the better) to encourage participation. Students have indicated that my information has made them aware of how they are affected by laws and regulations that are passed by legislative bodies. I frequently see former students in my travels around town and they remember my classes and lectures. There is nothing better to make a great day than to have a student acknowledge you away from campus and reinforce what they learned in class.
Hi Sharon,
You made a number of very good points about how instructor excitement can help to motivate students. In your experience what are some examples of how this has worked for you?
Gary
There is nothing so disheartening to an educator to see students who are not engaged in your class - either through lecture, demo, project, etc. I believe that there is always some method available that will motivate and reach students who are not particularly interested in certain subjects. "Why do I have to take this course since it's not relevant to my profession or career?" If you, as the educator, project genuine interest some of this enthusiasm will become contagious and motivate students through their participation and discussions.
Reinforcing how the goals of the course are directly related to career goals seems to be a great motivator. If the student is given through example or direct experience how the class will promote said career growth, focus tends to expand exponentially.
