motivate
I feel that you must motivate the student to keep them interested in what you teach, regardless of what you teach. Make class fun, add humor and talk about real world experience.
Keep the students on their toes by involving them more with an open discussion type lesson.
as the class goes on and you get a feel for the class, you normally will know how to motivate them better. With humor, experience, or whatever they need to stay motivated and excited about class.
Hey Kerry, Bang, nuts on! When I think back to some of the teachers I have had, I wonder how anybody got through their class. Not that they weren't interesting, its just that they were boooorrring! I think we can hold their attention better if they're wondering what the heck you are going to do or say next!
This is very true if you are able to motivate and make the class fun you are not only holding the students intrest but your classes will be highly attended.
You have to capture their minds to focus on what is going on now not the problem they may have
Hi Mitchell,
There are so many variables that influence students it is hard to say just what method would work best to refocus the students on the course content. A couple of methods that I have used that have proven to be very effective are individual attention and immediate success. I visit with the students that are having focus problems and let them know that I care about their success and that I will try to provide any support that I can to help them succeed.
The immediate success intervention is I have the students to do activity/project/assignment that is quick and easy to complete. This lets the students have some success immediately and it helps them to stay motivated even though they are struggling with outside influences. The added success and points really seem to encourage them.
Gary
What if the ouside forces distract them so servely that they cannot get back on track? For instance, if they have transportation issues, financial issues, family set backs? What tools would you recommend to guide them back into the mainstream of their educational goals?
That is definitely the case. Students sometimes lose focus and forget about the goals they set for themselves when they began the course or the school. Adding a motivational component to your teaching helps them to stay on track and complete their course work. This is especially important for students who have outside forces (family, work, etc.) that can distract them from their goals.
