I always share stories of the experiences I have had in the hospital as it relates to the topic I am discussing. This tends to perk up their attention,helps them see what they will be facing, and how important it is that they understand what they learn.
Louis,
Students as you already know really perk up when a story from the field is shared. These stories increase the value of the content to the students as well as shows them relevance and application in relation to their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I tell my classes true stories, of events in the field that not only keeps the class interested, but can relate to the subject I am teaching. When I detect a drop in the class interest, one story is all it takes to bring them back to the classroom.
Joe,
What are some ways you keep your students interested in the course content? Thanks for sharing your strategies on this.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Very true you must keep them intrested in the material or else you have lost the battle.
LaShondra,
I give my students specific guidelines in relation to their topics. Then I have them give me the topic they have selected and how they propose to cover it in their presentation. Generally it is enough. If I'm not clear on what they are doing then I ask for an outline and go over it with them. I make sure I maintain the time otherwise they can get carried away and ramble on or say everything in 10 seconds. I generally give them a time frame of no less than three minutes and no more than five or something like that. This way they know how to plan.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is great information. When letting the student speak to the class , do you ask for an outline of what their going to talk about? Or. Are you just letting them give a brief on a situation? With questions, and answer after?
MorningStar,
Students really perk up when stories about the field are shared. These stories increase the value of the course and show them relevance in relation to their career preparation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Absolutely. Its great to have stories to tell about the field. It also breaks up the lecture time a little bit to give their brains a break!
Irving,
What are some ways that you keep you students engaged and motivated.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
We have to keep students engaged and motivated.
Gilbert,
I use these individuals in my classes like you are. They help "sell" the content to the students because they tell it like it is and that increases the value of my course content to my current students. You are right it is a powerful motivator for sure.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I often have former students of mine who are working in the field to give talks to my current students. This method works like a tonic to motivate students.
Cynthia,
They do. These stories help to make the content both relevant and have application. This increases the value of what you are telling them and gets them engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree that students love hearing stories about their field of student
Brenda,
Yes, they do. By staying current instructors are showing both relevance and application of what is being taught. This increases the value of the course to and for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes they do, students want to be instructed by someone that is current in the field so that they can learn from their experiences
Viviana,
What a great teaching environment you have. It is so exciting when you have learners like you have and as their learning leader you get to experience their growth and enthusiasm for what they are studying.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my dental classes, I show lots of pictures or videos of procedures the students are learning to see real world action for their career. Even bringing in dentist friends of mine to share with different procedural outcomes has been very beneficial. The students are non stop with stories of their own, or questions. We often end class a little late because they don't want to stop the discussions.
Ruth,
Yes, students to have many support options available to them today. You are so right that the entire school needs to be a part of the retention effort. Each person on the campus has a role to play in keeping students engaged and forward focused. When this is done by the entire staff higher retention will result as evidenced by the results of numerous retention studies.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
