I give students examples of how the course relate to an experience that they have already encountered. I asked them to explain how they feel the course they are taking will be beneficial to them and others, which give them the opportunity to sale the course from a student perspective.
Curtis, That is great idea.
I have a lot of adults and type A personalities attending my courses. It isn’t tough to get them going, but as adult learners, I start by completing a kind of psychological contract with them. I explain the preface of adult learning and then have them write an objective statement of their own. This objective serves to keep them focused throughout the course and it is what they want to accomplish.
The question is “What do you expect to get out of this course?†or “What is your main goal?†There are many variations, but I do this before reading them my course objective statement. They don’t always marry up. However, each individual has one and it should be kept where you can revisit upon your request.
At the end of the course, I always ask them did you meet your objective. Did I meet mine?
Hi Jaceita,
Have you tried using simulations, technolgy, guest speakers, and/or field trips?
Patricia
I'm not very familiar with billing and coding, but when you have a class in the evening and it's for 4 hours...any activity that will get them up and moving would be wonderful. Think about the spelling bees we all participated in back in elementary school. Break them up into teams and make a game out of terminologies or other concepts you are trying to teach. You could also use a "jeopardy" type competition. It would be easy to make a board with poster board and post-it notes with categories and answers. The prizes could be as simple as supplies for class. (post-its, highlighters, small notebooks, etc., can be picked up at a dollar store, or even lollipops or candy, just be sure to include sugar-free options for students who may need it). I hope this helps. These types of activities have served me well in long training sessions.
I tend to be a very dramatic and animated person myself however I have one class that I cant seem to get engaged in anything. They are evening students and most seem too tired when they come in the door. I have them for 4 hours however before I get them they have one other instructor for 1 hour before I get them. I tried all types of things but to no avail. I'm not much of a power point person. I am teaching a coding class and a medical office billing course any suggestions?
Some methods I use to get students excited about the course content is different methods of teaching; I show clips; do slide shows, powerpoints; real life stories; and hands on demonstrations with the material we are learning.
In order to get students excited I like to demonstrate the skills they should have at the end of teh course and if possible show a short cut to get the job done more effeciently.
I have found that if I embellish a little it halps keep the students intersted.
It is critical to share real life examples on how the information will be useful in the relevant career field. When students understand how they will use information discussed in class, this naturally creates some excitement for the content (and the future career).
Deborah,
I agree that discussing real life situations in applying the information makes the information relevant to the students. If they can actually see the meaning the materials have for them, they are more apt to take an active interest in what you are trying to teach them. It can be difficult when time is a factor for covering a large volume of information, but by engaging the students, I'm sure you find less of a need to revisit material. If they are interested at the outset, they will be more likely to retain the information on the first go around.
I teach online courses so I agree with other posts that voice inflection is a key to getting students excited. I also try to make my courses fun. I have a cruise theme for my course. I refer to screen sharing of my campus as a guided tour. I refer to the tools I am giving my students as souveniers for success. When offering assistance, I tell my students I keep a supply of "life jackets" on hand and am willing to toss them one whenever they need me to. They respond well to the "fun" aspects of my courses. I think as educators teaching adults, we forget that they like to have fun too. This helps to engage the students and make them WANT to tune in for Live classes and participate in their success.
Hi Selena,
Students love hearing about their instructor's practical experience in their field of study. The more real you make theory, the more excited students become.
Patricia
Hi John,
Absolutely! Visualizing is crucial when students are trying to be successful in college! I tell my students all the time to keep their eyes on the prize.
Patricia
Hi Kerry,
Absolutey! Enthusiasm starts at the top in the classroom and that is with the instructor. Believe it or not enthusiasm is really CONTAGIOUS!
Patricia
What you project to your students is often times what you get back. If your enthusiasm for the content of the course can be felt by your students, then they may show more entusiasm as well. Also, if you can demonstrate how the course will help them in their future careers they seem to become more excited about it.
I try to incorporate real "life experiences" to let them know what they will be facing when they get out in the work world. The students seem to like examples of what to expect.
I have scheduled a field trip to a facility that will demonstrate new technology that is not available to them at school. I give many examples of how they will use the skills taught in this class. I gave them each roles to act out the process of producing an x-ray. I allowed each student to select their own topic for a class presentation. I try to bring in recent news related to x-rays.
I like to use real-world applications of the course objectives to underscore relevancy, and demonstrate more clearly the student's role in the application field.
Generally, the more a student pictures themselves in the workplace, the better they seem to be motivated to excel at the course material.
I like to demonstrate skills when appliable, and/or give examples of how knowledge of specific skills are used in the real medical office. Giving actual situations that I have encountered in the office really helps to reinforce the information. Again, the students have the rationale for learning the information.
