I teach math and it seems to be the one subject that people hate the most. I would not call it necessarily 'getting them excited' about the subject matter but I do make sure they are comfortable in my class. I feel if the students have to be in a class that they do not enjoy then the environment should at least be one that is fun. I like to get the students involved without making them feel pressured to know the answers or ignorant because they don't.
Hi Linda,
I love your creativity and the extra length you go to in order to add excitement for your students. The instructor has to be creative in order to generate excitement. I am sure with the creative ways of teaching that you use in your classroom your students retain the information. Kudos!
Patricia Scales
Hi Corey,
I love what I do for a living as well, and it makes me so happy when students are succeeding, and I know that lives are being changed.
Patricia Scales
I totally agree it makes it a better learning envirnoment for both student and instructor. I enjoy what I do for a living and it really makes it more enjoyable when I see the students receiving and growing in their knowledge.
As an instructor in the Massage Therapy program I can tell you that most of the students are excited about any lab/technique class. It is the lecture courses that are more difficult to spark their interest. In Anatomy and Physiology I try to bring in as many "props" as I can come up with: Respiratory system - balloons to show how the aveoli work; Skeletal system - get the butcher to give me a femur and cut it sagittaly to show the students cancellous bone, compact bone, yellow and red bone marrow, I have them make pizza or cookie "cells" using different item to represent the organells etc.
I agree that just mentioning this might be a question on the boards helps to gain their attention.
I will be teaching a pharmacology class for the second time to associate degree nursing students. It is difficult with a lot of memorization of latin names for meds. I loved teaching the course the first time and so I hope my own enthusiasm helps my students find some of their own.
Hi Shanika,
Students are genuinely interested in our experiences/stories as to how they relate to the course content.
Patricia Scales
I like to get students excited about the course by offering some of the experiences I have had in the working world and allowing students to ask questions and relate back to the topics being taught.
That can be challenging depending on the course. I use examples from my own experiences. I try to help them see how the course fits into their career goals as well. I bring guest speakers so that the students can get yet another perspective and hear about another's experiences.
I recently taught a leadership course to a group of IT students. As they had talked about sports, especially football, during breaks I thought it a great opportunity to relate leadership concepts to football. It wasn't too difgicult since I am a fan of football as well. There was participation from the students but not as much as I had expected.
I think active participation is a great tool. Praise accomplishments and constructively critize mistakes. Be patient with classroom discussions and be accepting of different points of views.
Hi John,
There are plenty of free hands-on activities on the computer. Students really enjoy interactive type assignments.
Patricia Scales
Psychology can certainly help. I ask the students what they think would make the course interesting and incorporate those aspects. For example, if they feel that hands-on activities are more interesting than warming a chair, then I provide course related hands-on tasks. It helps if the school's leadership is willing to budget for such activities.
Hi David,
Students really enjoy it when they can see visuals that pertain to what they are learning. Great class discussions generate from applicable videos.
Patricia Scales
Hi Brittany,
Students really need validation from us. Once we give them the okay to try something, they feel more at ease because they know we will catch them if need be.
Patricia Scales
I teach a law and ethics course and I usually try to find a very current video clip where someone has committed a crime or breached their responsibilities. Then we have a class discussion on the impact to the accused, their victim, families and society. How would the student handle it if they discovered the "breach" or the "crime". It is a good way to introduce many aspects of the course, like criminal vs. civil law and law vs. ethics.
Typically my class structure revolves around project based learning--So at the start usually students show confusion or hesitation.
Generally they light up when I encourage them to try things out that they think might work for the project such as 'Go ahead and try that button/function and see what it does'.
Also trying to get something satisfying but small at the start of the project seems to help a lot.
An example of this would be if we are creating an animation in flash-Have the students do a quick roll over button, or make a quick tween /before/ focusing on the final project animations' needs and requirements!
Hi Mickey,
You are right the word Chemistry is just intimidating. Students tend to understand better if they can relate the concept to the real world.
Patricia Scales
Because the general chemistry course that I am teaching is a pre-nursing course, the method that I have been using thus far to get my students excited about chemistry have been primarily applying the material to health and medicine. I also try to show how the various aspects of chemistry apply not only to their career but also in other aspects of their lives.
Many people are scared of chemistry because it seems so complex and abstract. I know that it excites me to be able to understand a concept and see a real-world application of the concept. That is what I am doing right now to help get my students excited about chemistry.
Hi Korey,
You are definitely correct! Excitement starts with the instructor! You have to be excited about what you are teaching before you can get anyone else to buy in.
Patricia Scales
