I can gear some assignments towards something a student could use in their portfolio if I know why they enrolled and what their end goals are.
Hi Monica,
This is very true. Plus, by sharing this information you are developing rapport with the students which is critical in the overall instructional picture.
Gary
I teach Visual Communications. I relate the students background and expected outcomes in the critiques. I know that relating their experiences to the new material will help tie the new knowledge to their current set of experiences. This gives the student a real tie to the material.
Hi Ellen,
I certainly understand your concerns as your students are dealing with people's lives. It is also important in business for us to know where our students are heading so we can help them achieve their goals.
It is important that the instructor understands the needs and motivation behind a students decesion to enroll in a career college. With this knowledge an instructor is better able to provide a program of study that complments and reinforces the needs of the student.
I find that knowing why a particular student is in my class is valuable in many ways.
First is gives me information to help him/her achieve their goal especially when they hit rough patches in the course.
Secondly it allows me to 'tweak' the course in terms of additional information, readings and outside material to suppliment their learning.
Thirdly, knowing their background helps me as the instuctor in relating the course work to 'real-world' applications that they maybe able to connect with.
Lastly, after sharing their background with me I in turn share mine with them. This also helps build our classroom 'community'.
Knowing some background as to why a student has enrolled can be a very powerful motivator that can be applied again and again. In working in a lab setting, students are asked to preform tasks that are motor skill based. By knowing a little about 'why' the student enrolled, I can tailor my one on one delivery to include either the 'basic explanition-as to why and how' (for a beginner type student) or a more detailed delivery of 'here's the background, here are some similar applications that you may have seen in the past...' (for a student that has some existing experience not get bored with the task at hand and the people around him.)
students in our college enroll for the sole purpose of betering themselves. I take great pleasure in assisting them along the way
Hi Andrea,
Good point about how knowing why a student has enrolled in the program. This information helps with student interaction and career development. Also, you can see what some of the motivators are for the students and use these motivators throughout the course.
Gary
Knowing why a student has enrolled speaks to their motivation, which definitely informs my approach to instruction. Students who have very clear ideas as to what they want out of a program require more structure and want to get things accomplished. Students who are looking for some semblance of the college experience need more time for socializing (within reason in the classroom) and group activities where they can feel they are a part of something.
Knowing why students have enrolled in the program will help me, as an instructor, see each student's own vision/objective and allow me to tailor specific flexible portions of the curriculum to fit those needs. In a way, knowing these individual motivations will allow me to advise each student in order to help facilitate the completion of objectives and goals.
Hi Michael,
I like the way you tie your area (bread baking) into global preparation in the culinary arts. By showing the students how different areas within the field can benefit them you are giving them additional knowledge and skill sets that will assist them with their career development and growth. This is extremely valuable to them in the long run.
Gary
First, the reasons for enrolling may shed some light as to how motivated the student might be for the course. Those students that enrolled simply to meet graduation requirements probably won't be that motivated for the class and will require more attention to them on my part. I teach a class on bread baking at my culinary school and some students indicate a lack of interest in breads. they are in school to learn how to made wedding cakes or chocolate candies. I try to create an open-mindedness to bread baking by stating that even though they may not be interested in breads now, people's interests change over time and down the road they may develop an interest in the topic and they would be grateful to have learned what they did while in school.
Hi Richard,
As an experienced instructor what are some strategies that you use to establish rapport with your students? Sharing these will be of help to beginning instructors as they develop their teaching expertise.
Thanks.
Gary
Because it will give me an understanding of where they are at in life and what is driving them to come to school. Then I can work on my rapport with them and gain their trust and hopefully they will continue with their education here.
I was told that as evening instructors we had to earn some CEUs. I believe it was 3 per year. I chose the ED102 because I wanted to learn how to retain our students more effectively.
Thank you,
Richard Stevens
It is important for an instructor to know the reason why a student has enrolled in their class because they will be able to better tailor their instructional plans to fit their wants and needs. If a student is in a class because they haven't had experience with the topic before, then an instructor may have to start out slower with the basics; help the student build a solid foundation. If a student is in a class because they are looking to advance and sharpen their skills in the workplace, then the instructor will want to tailor activities that would more closely represent their career objectives. If a student is enrolled in a class because "they have to" in order to meet program requirements, an instructor will likely need to work a little bit harder to engage them in the classroom and demonstrate to the student the importance of the class to their educational and career goals.
At the beginning of class during the introduction ask each student why the choose this program
Students reason for enrolling is because they need a change in life, not just to have a job but a career.
Hi Rebecca,
This is a good point. Assigned students require additional effort to "sell" the course to them. By showing them application and relevancy you create in their minds a connection between the required course and their career development.
Gary
