Octave,
Good point. Relevancy and application are two components of successful learning. We need to offer both as often as we can in our instruction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Motivation is generated when a student learns something which is relevant, because one instinctively feels the excitement of possessing useful knowledge, versus merely storing information.
Chloe,
Students need to be able to "connect the dots" between course content and their career field. The more they can do this the more value they associate with what they are studying.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As mentioned a few times throughout the course, students enrolled in career colleges have unique reasons and motivations for enrolling in the college. They may want to forward their careers in the field to become more successful, change careers, etc. These kinds of motivations are different from a more general education (i.e. high school or liberal arts degree). As an instructor it is thus important to ensure that students understand the direct relevancy of the content and feel that they are able to apply their newly acquired knowledge in the field. In doing so, we're helping to students to stay motivated to achieve their goals within their specific career path.
CAROL,
They have to be able to internalize course content or it has no value to them. This is why your approach is so powerful for the students to become engaged and focused. You are showing them how your content will aid in the shaping of their future career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I absolutely believe that students learn when they are able to internalize the course content. There are various tools that may be used to make something conceptual come to life for students.
I often use "role-playing" to help students learn episodically. Pretending to be a "Marketing Manager" and to apply marketing concepts will help students to understand how a concept is applied in a real-life situation. When the student pretends to be the one responsible for managing activities and they need to use the concepts to resolve a business situation, I believe this creates an episode (or scenario) that helps learning.
Role playing cn make something that is distant seem close and more relevant. Role playing can drive the application of concepts. I think this is a great tool for facilitating learning.
Jeffrey,
They really do. This is when they start connecting the dots between what they are studying and what they will be able to do upon completion.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ken,
You make a number of good points about how to work with students and provide support to them as needed. They really do need to see themselves in the learning process. We instructors cannot learn for them we can only provide learning opportunities. We set the stage they must walk across it if they are to have career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If, a instructor cannot reinforce a student the belief that the course inwhich they have enrolled in, is revelent to the their career goals, by use honest methods. Then the instructor should relise that much too valabule time and effort is being wasted by the student. This wasted effort will only bring frustration and failure in this person's life and it becomes a sad ending to the student's future talents, instead of a redirected sucess. At some point in the student school training, the student has to self-examine their carrier path to reach a decession within himself that "this is what I want or not". Positive motivation will help the student to reach their correct decission. As a instructor, I am not to convince the students that this is what they should do, but give them a understanding that this course subject could lead to a life career and how to reach that goal.
Venusa,
Good points about what adult learners are seeking in their courses. If we don't give them relevancy and application in relation to course content they will be gone in short order.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Adult learners tend to find reason on what they do. They seek rationale of what and why they are asked to do "things". Students' motivation are largely influenced by their environment and happenigs around them. Finding the connection between the relevance of what they are learning and its application in their real world, students can easily connect and engage themselves to keep learning because it makes sense to them in relation to their real world.
Charles,
Application and relevancy are two words that need to be a part of all instructional planning. When students realize that the content that is being shared has both relevancy and application to their lives and their future they start to move forward in their understanding of their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When students apply the knowledge or skill the have just aquired it boosts confidence. From that point I might add that it wasn't that intimidating after all and point out skills are yours, and can't be takin away.
Jacqueline,
Learners like to apply newly acquired knowledge and you are helping them to do that. The more they can see application the more relevancy they see with the content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is motivating because students are able to utilize what they are learning and the relevancy excites them because they have specific career goals and they are able to see how what they are learning is tied to their future career.
Having the students apply what they learned by doing a hands on activity and working in groups.
The concept of applying the lecture on what they learn on that day in class. The student can see how it relates to the topic.
Dena,
This approach helps to validate the course content and shows the students how they can apply what they are learning. These stories are great motivators as well because they get the students excited about what they will experience when they enter the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When discussing material in class, I use my own personal experiences from my professional past to reinforce or elaborate on materials that we are covering. I feel that this gives them some motivation by just knowing that the knowledge being provided is something that is truly relatable in the field.
It helps students see that their goals are attainable.
My students excel in their lab classes every term. I think this is because they are motivated to want to learn the hands on skills they will use in the feild. They are also required to take a course where they rotate to different locations out in the feild to get hands on experience. These classes tend do go very well because they are learning the skills they will use in their career.
