I find showing students the end product from previous students really gets them excited to begin their new journey and gets their focus early!
Hi Warren,
What a great excercise to get students interested and invovled. I also like how you followup with the assignment.
Patricia
Hello Wendy,
Do you have your students bring in various current events? What type of discussions have you had from the current events?
Patricia
I use real life examples from my past or from the newspaper. It stimulates discussions about their how they can effect their lives.
At yhe begining of each course ask each student to write down 1 specific accomplishment the would like to receive from the courrse. After the three week course cycle we review there notes. then we discuss what was accomplished,
What went well and what did not. It works very well with small classes.
Hello Barbara,
PowerPoint presentations are excellent for teaching. Students love the visual aspect of this teaching tool. I also do a lot of hands-on and group activities as well to engage students.
Patricia
Hi Dr. Jeffries,
It is obvious you use a variety of ways to get your students involved and interesed. Based on the variety, I bet you motivate your students to want to come to your class. Great variations of teaching methods!
Patricia
Hi Linda,
You got me interested in the course just from reading your response. Any time you talk about food most people become excited, interested, and involved. You have a course that a lot of us are genuinely interested in. I know your students get excited about your courses.
Patricia
Since I teach baking and pastries, it's easy to draw from their experiences with baked goods and relate them to the course material. For example, if we are working on laminated doughs, I simply open with, "Who likes croissants and danishes?" Then I get them to name their favorite kinds. From there, I tie it into the syllabus and course material.
Hi Christine,
It is important for instructors to get to know their students. You ask two good questions to get you class going.
Patricia
At the start of a new term i spend a few minutes asking my students what brought them to school adn what their long term carreer goals are. I find this gives a a better baseline understanding of each class and the individuals. Based on thier answers I try to relate the content to real life goals or situations they may encounter "in the real world".
I try to get the students to relate their respective careers to the course content. I talk with them as to how the course fits into their academic program and some of the learning experiences they will have in order to fulfill course requirements. I inform them that everything we do has a purpose. I inform the students that they might want to share how they might like to accomplish the requirements. I want them to think about activities they would benefit from in achieving requirements of the course. We've had role plays, speakers, field trips, displays, group discussions, position papers among other activities. I also have the students relate to the world in which each lives.
Hi Diane,
Current invents and life stories make for a very interesting and involved class. They are great conversation pieces.
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
As excellent educators, we must also be excellent motivators. I learned early in my teaching profession, what motivates one student may not motivate another. We must learn each student to know what motivates them.
Patricia
I certainly agree it is of vital importance to communicate with our students. Most students who know the expectations in advance, and when assignments are due will strive to meet the intended goal. Yes, there are students who will not and for those we must work in different ways to motivate them. I also like to use powerpoint and find that most students like to have it in front of them to take additional notes, and yet others just like to have something to manipulate while listening.
I like to bring current events and relate them to the course content. I also like to use real life examples and relate them to their chosen profession to help students understand course content
I go around the class room and ask the students what they are interested in pursuing as a career. I ask the students how they think they learn the best. I try to incorporate powerpoint presentations in my lectures and give the students shorter versions so that they will have to take notes as we discuss the most important areas of the course chapter. I make sure to discribe what I expect when I first start a class and every class after that I let the students know all assignments and when I expect them to be completed. I feel I am learning a lot from this course and I am starting to think about changes. I feel it is very important to communicate with the students.
Hi Vanessa,
It is important for you to be excited about art history as the instructor. I am sure you excitement is obvious to your students. Students love an enthusiastic intructor; it makes them want to continue to attend class.
Patricia
Hello Kay,
It is important for the instructor to explain how the course will be beneficial, especially a course like Psychology. Some courses are obvious as to how they pertain to a student's career, others are not.
Patricia
I teach general education classes in a technical school. I explain how Psychology will help them work with customers, understand trends in their field, and improve their skills in working with others
