Hi Byron,
You are very right about the impact teachers have on the lives of students. We must always strive to be positive consistent and supportive. To do less is not professional. This means we also have to be truthful when talking to students about issues and performance. I wish you much success in your teaching and the impact you have on the lives of your students.
Gary
Dr. Meers,
I think that is a great way of stating things. I think that all teachers have an impact on students, unfortunately some are negative.
Hi Stephen,
Great example of the impact a teacher has on the lives of his or her students. Yes, the key is to find the key to their learning and them help them open the door to their knowledge and skill development. I am excited at how excited you are in helping your students to do this. This is what has kept me in education for over thirty years. The thrill of discovery is never lost as I start a new class. I wish you the very best in your teaching career.
Gary
Dr Meers, I feel that this topic becomes a problem for instructors in every class. I have come to the conclusion that every student is a locked door. As an instructor it is my job and obligation to find the key. What gets this student exicted, drives them, grabs them. This is the part that i like. I create an inviroment that is fun and interactive so the students are at ease. When this happens i start to collect my keys and open the doors, and the majic begins.
Hi Tony,
I can only imagine all of the experiences and stories you have to share with your students after 25 years. I am sure your students see you in a different light when you share something from your past that helped to bring you to their classroom. As you say it really helps to motivate them to keep working hard so they can get into their career area as soon as possible.
Gary
I would say that you have a good approach to helping the students understand the field in which they have chosen. I actually know what a sally port is, I have many relatives in law enforcement. I had an Uncle who worked at the Pontiac Prison in Pontiac Illinois, and that is one that would change many perceptions I am sure. Unfortunately I do not have the ability to take students on a tour, but when I have the chance to have a guest speaker in the class room I welcome them.
Bryon Hibbs; I have been in the Criminal Justice field for 42 years. To answer your question about how the students react to guest speaker, The students gets to talk to the person and they answer any and all questions they have. When I take the class on a field trip they see for themselfs what the field is like. It helps your students to make sure that this the field that they want. When I took my students to the Federal Prison at Lewisburg, Penna.,[something happen to prove this point]. One of my students stated that she wanted to work in correction and nothing else. At the prison they put all the student in a locked section to get ready for a tour, this is called a sally port, and the student wanted out. she could not be locked in. I was happy that she found this out, so she could take another field. Al
I also like using live work experience's to motivate students. Events or curcimstance's where I solved a complex problem, came up with different repair technic, designed a special tool or made a nice chunk of money from an idea. After 25 years in the automotive field interesting things happen and these stories are a great motivating tool.
Gary; Here are some of the examples of the effective motivation techniques that I use in the Criminal Justice field. I have guest speaker come in to the classroom from all fields, F.B.I, State Police, Courts, Corrections, Municial Police, Judges, Probation Officers, Sheriffs, Federal Marshals, Attorney General from the federal and state, Security personal, and Officers from Home land Security. The other technique I like to use is field trips to Courts, prisons, police departments, and Probation offices. This is one way for the student to see in the real world what the field they are seeking is like. You can't explain the look on the students face when they are in a Federal Prison and 1,800 inmates are walking around in the yard along with the students, or the students is talking to an inmate about the crime they committed, or to a County Judge sitting in their classroom, or the court room and he addresses the student by their first name, OR your students get the call to respond to a area where a crime search, or a search for a lost person is going on. You can not teach this in the classroom. Also being a career instructor you must use all of your skills and reach each student and be there for them to guide them in the direction for the career that they have chosen. Al
Al,
I am guessing that you teach in the Criminal Justice field. I think that having guest speakers from the field the students whish to enter is a great idea. Do you notice students to have a better understanding of their field after this? I am sure some students enter various sorts of schools, without having a good understanding of what the real world will be like. I have had the good fortune to have some various guest speakers come and visit as well, and I think it really gives the students a positive charge.
Hi Al,
Great job of bringing in "real world" people to tell your students about what they do. These efforts I know give your students a very clear picture of what to expect in their jobs as well helping them to see the relevancy of what you are teaching them.
Gary
Gary; I take my students on field trips. We go to the Federal Pen at Lewisburg, Allenwood, and to County lockups, Juvenile detention centers, and to the Court room for trials. I also have guest speakers come in to speek to the students. I HAVE THE State Police, F.B.I, Local police, and Sheriff departments come in to meet with students one on one and to tell them what they are looking for and the requirements for the job.The County Judges, and the DA'S, Probation officers , and the U.S.Marshals also come in to my classes. I find that this helps the student get on the right track. Al
Hi Al,
Great story with a positive path that is being created for this student. I trust that this story will also have a happy ending and that this woman can realize her dream of being a part of the FBI. The human aspect of teaching is critical to the success of our students. I commend you for your attitude and care about working to instill motivation and success into the lives of your students. Keep inspiring your students!
Gary
Gary; I will try every motivation technique that I know and used in by 37 years of teaching. I was getting ready to reply to this question, when the office call me to take a telephone call. The call was from one of my students, a very good student that want to go on to the F.B.I. I was informed that she has missed 5 days of classes, and she has received a letter from the school that if she is not in school December 8, 2008, she will be dropped. I talked to her and asked her to come in to my office today to talk about her problem. She is divorced and her x husband agreed that if she was going to school she and the child could stay in the house that they rented, and he would pay the rent, and give her money to keep the house going. Well the xhusband found out that she had a boyfriend, and he served her and the child papers to move out of the house, and stopped all money coming to her. This is just one problem that I am dealing with today. I talked to her and went to financial aid and we are working this out for her. The motivation that she has now is that she see light at the end of the tunnel. I can not do any more to help her at this time. But she knows that I am here if she needs me. I had to take a break from writing this, The admission department came to my office with 3 people that want to take Criminal Justice and I talked to them about the subject. I think that every move should be a motivation technique. Al
Thanks, Gary.
My students respond well to fun! I have used movies as a motivator, also. A group of my students commented that there was a movie they had heard of but had never seen. I told them if they attended for a week without missing, I would bring the movie in. Guess what... it worked!
Even though my students are technically adults, they still respond well to the same motivators that kids do... having their name on the wall when they achieve certain goals, for example.
Hi Ricardo,
Thank you sharing these strategies for helping to generate motivation for your students.
Gary
I've used some techniques that work for my students & I. My students come from a wide spectrum, some like hands on & some might like more theory, But whatever the case may be, I try to gauge my students as to their learning style. I've found that one student who likes to be put into study groups will motivate the rest of the students. And students who prefer lab (hands-on) will motivate the others. I also try to use teaching aids like power point presentations, interactive CD-ROM's crossword puzzles etc. Field trips are great motivation for the student, of course the field trip corresponds to their training. Guest speakers also provide some motivation. Ex students who are working out in the field come in and speak to the students about their experiences out in the field, answer any questions the student might have.
Hi Kathleen,
I am all about food. To me it is amazing that no matter our age an opportunity to eat some food and chat with each other is a great reward. A simple thing like the pizza party had great impact on the motivation of your students. You are doing a great job of keeping them coming to class and engaged in the learning process.
What are some other motivators that you have used with your students?
Gary
It is important to discover what motivates the learners! Although it might seem basic, food is often a wonderful motivator. For students who are attempting to balance home/work/school, there is often little time for an actual meal.
I combined postitive reinforcement with motivation when I offered my students pizza for good attendance. I challenged them (GED Prep students, ages 17-21) that if they ALL came to class every day in a week, we would have pizza at the end of the week.
In addition to very successfully motivating good attendance that week, it had long-lasting repercussions. The students CONTINUED to attend, felt really great about having earned the reward, and learned that I follow through on my promises. What an amazing experience!
Hi Searcy,
Students do like variety. It helps to keep their interest in the topics being covered. As you say with consistent content but different approaches to delivery you can maintain their interest and they will be focused on the knowledge and skills they need to acquire.
Gary
