I am enthusiastic about art history. It surrounds us. My students see themselves as artists in their chosen field whether it's animation design, fashion design or interior design. I try to show that we are not in a vacuum and the history of the arts is a response to the essence of the time it was made. they are the history recorders of their generation.
Hi Scott,
Whenever the students benefit for our experiences, then we have done our jobs.
Patricia
Hi Patricia,
Great use of the first day. I like how you put it back on the students to see the importance of rules.
Patricia
Hi Daniel,
Often you will find $$$$$$ when spoken of always motivate students. They become really excited and interested, and they want to find out even more.
Patricia
i tell them how i started and what i did in the feild and how much they could learn and how much money they could make
Hello Tyson,
Students appreciate knowing that they have a voice. Once students know that they have a voice, they have more of a positive attitude.
Patricia
The first day of class I spend a few minutes getting the students acclimated to the other students as well as myself. I let them know I am a real person and I understand how they feel coming into a new setting. I will discuss parts of the syllabus and then we will briefly discuss it and answer any questions. I then give them scenarios of situations they will find in the office and we discuss how the material they will learn will help them in the situation or give them ideas of what to do if they dont know how to react to the issue at hand. I also take a few minutes to find out their basic understanding of what this course intales and how they think it will benifit them. I also ask them to honestly answer some questions about missing and or late work.I want them to see the importance of it rather than just saying "that is the rule"
Hi Sarah,
If you know that students may possibly belly ache about something, I feel as though it is best to be proactive about it, just as you do. Don't even let the students get started.
Patricia
Hi T.,
Whenever you can present material from a practicality standpoint, it is always a win-win situation.
Patricia
Hi Shaista,
Activities other than lecture normally brings on interest and involvement.
Patricia
Understanding course requirements and expectations is the most important thing you can do during the first week of class. This is what you will be looking for in the students during the course.
I like to show students the skills that they will learn during the course of the class. This usually gets the students "buy in" to the course, and gets them excited to jump right in to the material.
Regarding the course requirements, I usually give them a 5 question discussion activity. As an example, I might ask, "What should I do when a student turns in late work." We will go over their suggestions, and then I will tell them what I expect why. During this "quiz" I will also ask them what their expectations of me are. We also go over these. This makes them feel as they also have a voice.
Tyson
Creating some activities like field trips, videos, newspaper clipping related to the content can enhance their intrest of the students.
I try to relate the course to their everyday life. I am sure in some courses that might be a tad harder than others, but it gives them they buy in we all want.
"stories from the trenches": tales of the workplace...tales of projects gone well and projects gone less-than-ideally...especially when the latter are coupled with the lessons learned. The student then knows that he is benefitting from your experience, and can avoid similar foibles in the future.
Since I teach English, Speech and Literature at a culinary arts school, I often have an even greater challenge getting students interested. A frequent response when they find out that they have to take Gen Eds is, "But I came here to learn to cook!"
I make sure to address this concern on the first day of class, whether it has been voiced or not. I do this by asking them to give examples of when they might need to be able to express themselves in their future careers.
I also spend one week of our six week term talking about food writing and the assignment that week is a culinary-related essay. I let them know on day one that it is coming and by the time we get to that part of the course, they are often producing excellent work. I think it's a combination of having practiced some writing strategies first and then giving them a chance to apply those strategies to something they really care about.
Hi Jennifer,
It seems as though you have great testimonials to share with your students. You can testify as to how your training prepared you for the real world.
Patricia
Hi John,
I like that additional idea as well. I can see how that can add even more fun.
Patricia
Hi Carrie,
I love anecdotes. Students think all the answers are right. all the answers are plausible, but there is only one correct answer. The student really becomes interested in learning why or why not.
Patricia
Hello Barbara,
You are on point. We need to use our relevant personal stories to aid the textbook. Students want us to share our experiences.
Patricia
Hello Barbara,
As an educator, It makes you wonder what did we do before PowerPoint came out. It's an awesome package; I use it all the time.
Patricia
