I can be a motivating instructor by being enthustic about my students and the subject matter. I can show my students that I care about them and their learning needs.
Heather,
Students have a tendency to wear down during courses so taking the effort to keep them focused on the goal is most worthwhile. By being refreshed as to why they are in the course you can get them ramped up again so they will finish the course with enthusiasm.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I keep students focused on the goal. I put things in perspective for them. I also make sure that I seem to be a human being..not some person lecturing them with information.
Dana,
The WHY is so critical so you can make the connection with students. Yours is a good point about the value of having good rapport with them so you can provide the support that is needed at the right time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Not all students are motivated in the same way. I think its important to establish rapport with them, find out their "WHY" and then motivate according to their needs/desires
Kevin,
Like the way you approach learning and instructional delivery. Our world needs more critical and reflective thinkers so the more you can help your students to become such the better.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kevin,
Many students as you know have a built in fear of math. Novel approaches like those you list are great ways to show students that they can learn math while still having fun in the process. Good ideas.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kevin,
You are helping your students to see how they are evolving as professionals with this approach. They are getting the latest information from you as a fellow professional and this goes a long way in their development as prepare to enter their career area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Joanna,
Passion for one's field should be brought to class each time it meets. Combine that passion with enthusiasm for teaching along with applications of the content and the formula for learning success is set. This is what makes teaching fun for both us instructors and our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try to bring entusiasm, humor and a "daring" creatvity to much of my content. I find assignments for which there are few or no established paradigms for are often the best ones because they must rely on creativity and critical thinking. In creating instruction that I enjoy, it seems to draw the students into the enthuisasm more.
Math can be challenging to relate to students especially at culinary or design schools. I once knew an instructor who had a very creative approach to instructing about Math. She would include popular movie content and ionvolve students in the mathematical concepts invovled in a dramatic plot in a movie that would involve submarines or space vehicles.
I find sharing my experiences and future interests helps to motivate them. I attend a lot of extracurricular meetings related to my program and enjoy sharing new knowledge with them. This comes across as conversational and I think makes them feel as if they are getting special knowledge above and beyond what the class entails.
I have found students to be more motivated when I can show how this may be relevant knowlege in their field. I have also noticed that the more excited I am about a topic the more the students reflect that excitiment and start to think about the subject in a more curious questioning manner. I like to ask questions throughout to get them to think critically about the subject and may enjoy the brain challenge.
Valaire,
I like knowing this about my students as I start a new class. Knowing what they know or at least think they know gives me a baseline upon which I can build my instructional delivery. The more I know about them the more I can customize what I am going to share with them in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Asking students what they already know about the topic, ask what they want to learn and then provide them with real life experiences to keep them motivated are the ways i motivate students. Also, a lot of times just validation that they are on the right path and they are getting the information can be motivating in itself.
Karen,
I agree because timely feedback is a valuable learning tool for students. Knowing their class status and receiving feedback on a recently completed assignment keeps them current with their learning and engagement in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believe you have to be able to stay up to date on the mechanics of the classroom (grading, assessing, etc.) so you can give motivation at the time it is needed. Also, it allows students to gauge what they need to do to be successful.
Ray,
An upbeat attitude is valuable when it comes to class management and engagement. If the students know you are excited about being in class it will spread to them as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
What i have done in class is share two positive stories in the class and tie them into what the class is about. Also I always walk in with a smile.
Kellie,
Sharing your field experiences increases the value of the content being offered. The more examples shared the more connections that are made between what is being taught and how it can be applied. This increases the ROI of the course to the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
