I find it very helpful and motivational to my current students to hear about the success of past students. I also try to have a past student come talk to my current class at least once during our time together.
Annette,
The more connections of this type you can make the stronger engaged students will be because they can see the relevancy and application of what your are offering them in the course. This becomes a motivator for them as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try to do someting similar. I will relate the topic we are discussing with a real life experience, that I've experienced. I explain to them how it will relate to their lives once they graduate and are in a position.
Debra,
We are the learning leaders so we need to strive to keep our students engaged in the learning process. This involves both instructional planning and the development of student rapport.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believe the responsibility relies on the instructor to keep the students in class. No matter the issue, the instructor can get involved. It's a choice.
Elmer,
Not sure of your question. Can you expand on this? There are two forms of retention, one being retaining a student through a course and a program and the other is retention of content by students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
How do we know this unless it can be measured. How was this evaluated?
Ed,
Talking with colleagues can help to gain insight on how to support different students as well as introduce specific strategies for student success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Agreed. One thing I find helpful is constant communication with other instructors who may have had many of the same students in the past. I've always found that this prepares me for students who may have additional hurdles in their life and helps direct some of my lessons more specifically toward their needs/interests.
Granted, you may also find that one instructors description of a student doesn't seem to fit the same student sitting in your class, so being informed but remaining open minded seems to have worked for me in the past.
Ginny,
It is great when those situations occur and they realize that you actually do know what you are talking about and teaching them. Sometimes students get the idea that we have never had any real life experiences so we can't possibility understand them. As a result the often dismiss what we are teaching them. When they see the transference from classroom to life they get real excited because they see both application and relevancy.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes, life experiences definitly are effective in getting the students to listen attentively and often times they have similar experiences in class when they are in clinic with outside clients which only verifies what you said in class.
Tricia,
This is what learning should be about. Goo point.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Making class fun and an environment they can feel open to ask questions and speak their mind, in a professional way
Julie,
Yes, students do like to hear stories from their field. These stories help to make the course content real for them as as motivating them to learn as much as they can because they soon will be in the field and acquiring stories of their own.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have worked in the Cosmetology field for over 23 years, I have had plenty of life experencies that I can share with my students. I really feel that they enjoy hearing them because they know that someday they may have a similar situation at hand, and hopefully they will be able to handle their experience affectivly and professionally.
Julie Decker
Kurtis,
This has been my experience as well so we need to incorporate such elements into our lecture preparation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a student, I have always found it easier to retain information from lectures when the professors included humorous or meaningful anecdotes to their material.
Aldorey,
Good warm up for the beginning of class. You are helping them to get settled into the course and ready for the learning that is going to occur plus you can relate your content to the life experiences they have had.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Before I start the lecture I ask student what life experience they had yesterday or even going to school. I called it life experience sharing whether it's good or bad experience and then you will here a lot of feedback that will help them engage and motivated during the lecture.
We like to do something similar by focusing what they are learning in class for that particular day to a actual job or career that the student will need this information in. This keeps the student focused on graduating as well as why they are in school in the first place, to get a new job!
