Involving students in a discussion
Always ask to see if the students are interested in what the subject is
Hi Perry, Wow - that's a great approach! Very motivating! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Dave,
You have the same problem I have. I teach live audio in a course curriculum for students who want to produce or do studio work. In my opinion this is a problem of perceived value. The students don't immediately see the value and so they blow it off.
You and I know the importance and we just have to find a way to convey it to the students. I try to do this with a question:
On the first day, I go around the class and ask about their interest and goals. I let them know up front that I know many of the students are not here with a goal to learn about live audio. I know it is a requirement of the curriculum. If they are not crazy about being in this class, that it is OK, we will still have a good time............ "BUT, ......let's say your group or the act that you are managing hits big. They can't stay in the studio forever, eventually they have to perform. Do you want to have a clue about how to make their live stage experience a good positive one ......... or would you rather PAY ME or someone like me THE DOLLARS YOU COULD KEEP to handle it for you?"
I promise you that for the students who are serious, that question will pique their interest and their drive for the class. The question illustrates there might be something important that they do not yet know, but the even bigger 'hook' is there is $$$ involved!
I don't know what that key 'hook' might be for automotive, but I'm sure there is something you can find to show them the value of your class.
Depending on what the topic is, some students aren’t always interested in or have their interest piqued in a topic they don’t feel they need. For example… I teach an electronics class in an automotive venue. The students that come here are more interested in the hands on classes and not the theory of electronics. Some don’t feel they are going to be doing electronics in their chosen field so they blow it off.
Hi Orvileta, Thanks for your post to the forum. Absolutely, by helping students to see that they already have knowledge/experience on the new topic, we can capture their interest. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
In addition, to asking the students I think it is good to develop prior knowledge about the subject so that the students become interested in the subject matter. You never know what students have experienced in their lives.
