Hi James,
Today's students, especially Generation X, they love hands-on activities and utilizing technology. Any time we can uutilize technology with our students, we should. Students buy in due to technology.
Patricia
Active student interaction during discussions and Hands-on-Labs where they can do something and receive a result.
Finding out where they are coming from and using their current experiences or future goals to illustrate topics is one way that I help students to understand how the course fits in with their current lives and/or future career goals.
I am not sure what you mean when you say getting buy in from students?
I do this also in my live chats as I teach on-line. It stimulates a lot of "discussion".
I like to use hands on approach, doing a demo first then turning the students loose to try in smaller groups. Without singling out a group or person I show the common mistakes that can happen and then asses the final product as a group.
If I understand the term "buy in" to mean engaging their interest in the course, then asking the student personal experience directly related to the course or reasons they are taking the course.
Hi Timothy,
I like to share my educational credentials to let students know how qualified I am. I also like to showcase my expert skills in teaching to let my students know that I am extremely knowledgeble in the subject matter as well.
Patricia
Students already know that the instructor is qualified to teach the course, but how qualified?
I Inform my students of some of my life experiences; that will make them feel more comfortable with the class. Students appreciate instructors who have life applications to the text.
Hi Jeff,
Great point made! We want to always motivate our students how education can change their lives for the better, but we also have to let our students know the purpose of each course and how they will benefit from the course. Students become more interested when they understand what is in the course for them.
Patricia
Thanks
I had forgotten all about the study guide. This is a new school so I have a lot of prep work right now and i'm working another job as an RN in the hospital. It was a good reminder for me.
Anna Smith
Hi Lorraine,
I like how you are very straightforward with your students. You do not sugar coat things. Students need things told to them directly and not in a round about way so that they get it.
Patricia
Hi Anna,
Students love study guides. Students seem more at ease about taking the test when study guides are utilized. When a student is given a study guide, and they do poorly on a test, they take full responsibility for not studying and failing was their fault.
Patricia
After completing ED104 , I was reminded of a simple thing I used to do in a former school in which I tought. I handed copies of my outline as a study guide for the students. There was something in this section about how handing out study giudes will help adult students. I will return to that practice. This has been very informative for me.
i remind students that they are adults and they are paying for their education. i try to make class discussion relevant to their experiences and to the real world and what will be expected of them. i also tell them that i don't give them grades, they earn them. i just calculate them.
Hmmm…this is an interesting question, since it devolves either on the matter of relevancy (always a hard task, especially in English courses) or on another matter that a colleague mentioned in another post (regarding the WIIFM principle, to which I replied last night.
I think that the primary way to get students invested in the course material and to participate in class is to show them that, although their personal lives may contain challenges, what they do in the classroom is a way to get out of the messes that they think they are in.
In essence, then, the classroom becomes a safe haven for them to think new ideas, exchange those thoughts with peers (and even older students!), and to receive feedback about whether what they write or say is a “valid†or correct answer in reply to a textbook question or faculty comment.
Thus, I don’t think students need to be persuaded that getting their degree will help them earn more (the most immediate relevant factor in getting an education); I think that the more intrapersonal nature of education itself is a motivating factor that gets their “buy in.†Of course, being able to generate the classroom as a safe haven is the faculty’s responsibility, something which can be challenging at times.
I’d like to hear others’ comments about this idea (hoping it’s not too philosophically heavy!).
I like using a mix of humor and real-world examples. I think students become more engaged when they hear about how what they're learning in class can be applied to their careers, especially if it's in a funny or light-hearted manner (when applicable). I try to engage students and get their feedback about what they want to get out of the course, and how that will help them in their jobs or other aspects of their lives.
Hi Jeremy,
Students are sold on the course when they understand how the course can help them with their personal and/or professional life.
Patricia
Hi Kim,
Sharing stories that are applicable to the lesson is a great way to get buy in from the students. I like to bring in classified ads that pertain to the skill the students will obtain in the class so that they can see how marketable they can become from gaining the skill.
Patricia
I am very new to teaching in a school environment. I have been teaching patients for many years now. I am trying to give the students personal examples of how the information I am covering is applicable to the work world. Many of my students also have some experiences that will relate. I encourage them to share their stories as well. I am working on finding other activities that will get them involved as well.
