Melissa,
You raise a very good point and one that instructors need to be comfortable in answering. If we can't answer the "why" question then I think we need to exam what we are offering and make sure that the content we are sharing can be seen by the students as having application and being relevant.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Relevent instruction is extremely important. When I first started teaching adults I absolutely hated the question "why do we need to learn this". I still don't particularly care for it but at least I have a better understanding of the reason they would ask. I now know that they must feel like everything links to the their chosen career. They have busy lives and the decision to come back to school was hopefully not taken lightly. They have the right to know how one lesson links to the other.
As a whole, the culinary field is ever evolving. It forces me to constantly research or even lean on those students who do have a strong basis to help with the progression of the class.
Marjorie,
This is a great way to connect the course content to the lives of the students. The use of speakers reinforces the value of the content and will increase the retention of knowledge by the students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
When trying to make things relevant I try to tie the information to something they already know. that way the transisition is easier for their brain. I also try to show real world application for the matierial. If we are working on A&P then I relate it to the environment that they already live in and make the body parts relate to their world. Also, I try to show them how learning the material is what they need when they enter the industry by bringing in speakers and panels for discussion. This way the students see their "competition" and are able to see the quality of information they need to have to enter the industry.
Monika,
I am a big supporter and user of service learning. It is a valuable tool for connecting students with the real world as you mention. It builds on their skills and lets them develop expertise in the field.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Service Learning is a great way to show students what they are learning and how it applys to where they want to be in the future. I think staying future focused will help the student to absorb more and apply more when they are going through the course and then when they graduate they will knwo exactly what's expected of them.
Thomas,
Good point. Building on their past experiences to create future success is a great way to increase motivation as well as build confidence in their knowledge and skill development.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Melissa,
When students get to use their live experiences in classes they really light up. Many adult learners are afraid that they will not be successful upon entering college after many years of being out of school. So the more connections between their life experiences and their classes the better.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
By knowing your students wants and needs is a start. If you know what field your students are looking at and where they have been you can use the past to map the futurefor these students.If you can use the past experiences that they already have mastered and mix it with something new it has unlimited possibilities.
My goal is to make as many assignments as possible relevant to the adult learner, in adult learning classes. I ask them to use their life experience as examples. To share their learnings with others. The skill being taught is tranferable and it is up to the adult learner to describe how they will transfer to their unique situation.
Curran,
Good point about how you need to plan carefully to integrate learning activities that keep the students engaged and the course moving forward.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
This is a battle that is going to take some experimentation to be good at. Most students now have expectations of the classroom being fun and not feeling like work. Keeping on topic and having fun and learning takes a lot of effort and thought and planning on the part of the instructor, but fluid goals like this are ones that we have to be willing to strive for and miss and adjust our perspective and contiue trying for to be truly effective at this career.
Increasing the level of comfort of the student will help them to feel "safe" to actively engage in group as well solo learning. Once they feel safe the walls can come down and the learning process can be expedited.
Pattara,
Sharing stories and examples from your past is very important. The stories reinforce what you are teaching the students and it gives value to the content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Its important for students to be able to relate to your class content. As a culinary instructor, I do this by relating my past professional experience in the culinary industry to my instruction. This paints a picture for the students allows them to have a goal and see the end.
I think one of the mostissue that keep your students pay attention to your talk and instruction when you tell them how the information you are about to discuss will serve them in their career prfession, missing these information will make them less experienced and will effect their skill.
David,
Good point and very important for effective instruction. Students need to hear and observe examples of application and relevancy in terms of the course content. The more you can do this the greater the content retention is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It would be relevant in the fact that and adult learner has an expectation of what their final outcome will be and we as instructors must show them that the course we are teaching in going to directly affect what is going to happen in their career. I feel the best way to make the content relevant is through examples from life experience of what actually happens in a restaurant and when this happens to them how they can handle the situation correctly.
Mary,
Good strategy. The students need to see relevance and application to what is being taught. If they don't they will not be engaged.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
