Kathryn,
The more personal investment in the content (in your case the applications you are making to their lives) the greater the retention of the content. Also, the value of the course content is increased because they can see how it can be applied in their own lives. This is good ROI for them to realize.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach General Education classes for new students entering my school. We have alot of nontraditional students who might be returning to school after many years or who might not have enjoyed attending their other schools. Therefore my students need to see what they might be fearing and why they might not have enjoyed it before or have been successful. We have some motivational activities for them to experience their fears or their attitudes to what they are experiencing. We work on what they need to do to succeed in school and in life. They learn how they learn and what their intelligences are. All of these activities are part of making the content and delivery relevant for them. We work on how they learn and what is the best way for them to learn and therefore succeed.
I always apply information back to students lives and back to the careers they want to go into.
Claire,
Two words need to be a part of our instructional planning. Relevancy which is what you have commented on and application. Seeing the relevancy of the content and then making application of it reinforces value and ROI for students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ask them what their expectations are. Students perceive something as being relevant if they perceive it as related to their personal needs, or personal goals. When students perceive a concept or assignment as relevant, they see it as valuable. It has importance. Therefore, making content relevant to students is an instructional strategy that contributes to student motivation.
But relevancy alone is not enough! Making content relevant must be combined with other instructional strategies that gain students' attention, help them feel confident, and help them feel satisfied with the class.
Katie,
It is so important for them to see value in what is being offered. Your comments illustrate how we need to make sure they see not only the value but also the relevancy to what is being taught. If they don't many of them will leave.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Mindy,
I think this is a great strategy to follow. Your use of the 4th grade math level gives you an idea of their skill levels but is low enough for them to have some success in recalling basic math principles. This helps to get the students thinking about math in a way that they probably haven't for many years.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Adult learners need to see and understand that what they are learning is going to help them in their future career and real life. They need to be able to not only understand the content, but be able to have that "ah ha" moment where they connect with the information and its importance.
By finding out what knowledge of a subject students have at the beginning, you can find out what to help students with. When I teach math, I take some pages from a 4th grade math book for teachers I got from an office supply store for basic add, subtract, multiply, divide and give that to students as a first day assignment. I call it "let's knock the rust off of your math skills" project. Then I look at the results to see if folks are going to have trouble getting started. Mindy Smith
LaToya,
Relevancy and application are two words that need to come up frequently when teaching adults. Your point is a good one because adults are wanting to make sure that the content being offered has a connection to their future. They don't want to waste time. They want to make progress.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Adult learners always want to know how what they learn relates to what they will be applying in the future. As an educator it is important to find relevancy in what I teach. I teach math in a medical school and I alway express to students how this is important when calculating medicine dosage which they know will be an important factor in the field. With this information students are more motivated to learn.
Eric,
You have touched on the key elements of what makes a successful career. You are helping your students to see the value of these elements as they develop not only their technical skills as chefs but also the soft skills required for career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As an instructor in a career education field, I view all of my students as individuals who are investing in their future. It was not too terribly long ago when I was in their shoes, and when I was a student I approached my education in exactly that light. I needed to learn how to think and act and move like a chef, and there was far more to my field than knew at the time.
The skills my students learn are pivotal in their careers, but they may not necessarily realize it at the time. I need to be able to relate what we are currently doing not only to the rest of their education, but as to how it applies in their career paths. Different students are motivated by different rewards, though in a career, money ties it all together. I often times link the possibility of a higher paycheck to those who are able to master the skills they are learning now.
I have to agree with Tim on this. The curriculuum at career colleges is so different than at degree-awarding programs. I had a student complain to me just last week that he wasn't getting a degree, just a certificate. When I explained all the classes he would have to take to get the degree, all the extra work and time involved, he was very happy to stick with his certificate program. He didn't want to take the "irrelevant" courses such as English and History to learn to do his job.
Dale,
Your approach sounds both fun and engaging. You are helping your students to gain an appreciation for what has been done and how that history (machine)impacts them today. Thanks for sharing this approach with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My class is technically based on historical machines. I draw constantly on the relationship to the modern machinary with which has occured in the past. The students learn the transition of technology from era to era. With this knowledge the students begin to become forward thinking, reaching beyond what is technically viable today and drawing possible conclusions to what they may see in the near future.
Raghda,
Thank you for the good points you make about how to make instruction relevant. The students need to see relevancy and application to what they are being asked to learn. When they see the value their motivation level increases and they start to see their future opportunities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
By attending a course, students know that they need to add to their skills and knowledge. By knowing the level of their knowledge, an instructor would be able to add to their prior knowledge instead of repeating the things they know. Moreover, course contents must be relevant to its uses in real life. Students must be able to apply what they learned.
Rosemary,
Relevance is so important for students to understand in relation to starting a new course. They need to see and hear how the course will help them to move toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Irina,
Repetition is an important teaching tool. As instructors we need to come up with creative ways that we can repeat the content with our students and keep them engaged during the process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
