I find guest speakers are a great way to drive home points I make in class about our industry. To have people with field experience share the same experiences, so valuable! They also bring a level of excitement.
I love good guest speakers in the classroom as they help to motivate the students and me as well. I teach dental assising and to have a dental assistant come in that has been in the field for years come and motivate them on why they need to know dental charting or instrumentation is so inspiring to them. They get involved, ask questions and the discussion continues on with them seeing the end of the tunnel.
Hi Lynn,
I concur! Guest speakers are a great motivation to discouraged students and a super inspiration to others.
Patricia
It is most beneficial to ask former students who felt the same way with students who are discouraged and about to quit my class in the sense that the current students may know and hear that there were other people whose problems (such as financial, personal, level of understanding, no experience of formal math class, poor number competency)and weaknesses in being successful in my class were far greater than what they (current students)are experiencing. Student speakers are proof enough for the other students to get motivated to strive,knowing that if others can do it, they can do it, too given the same circumstances.
I have found that students start to hear me say things and I sound like Charlie Brown's teacher (wah, wah, wah....). But when a guest speaker comes in and says the exact same thing, it suddenly makes sense. The students are able to see that I am not just making things up.
I also try to bring back former students who had a hard time getting through school too. I want the students to see they are the first or only ones to go through things.
Guess speakers give the students encouragemet,
that they can also be successful.
Hi David,
I concur, this is such a great and positive way to break the monotony.
Patricia
I find this a great tool in breaking up the book learning process. It takes the student out of the book and gives them a change to hear about what the real job is going to be like. Students look forward to these days of not hearing the instructor lecture or participate in a project day after day
I recently asked a student who had already graduated from the school to come back and discuss the career opportunity they received upon completion.
During the speaker's presentation (past student) she explained that the courses she took at the school broaden her vision of the work place, enhanced her ability to understand what employer expectation may be upon completion of the course, and also set the path for "what next" ... what classes did she take upon completion at this school to earn her B.A. and eventually her M.S.
The students were totally engaged in her presentation, very casual and inviting. Many students asked questions, and gave comments concerning the relevancy of taking a computer course when they planned on taking care of patients.
Having this guest speaker, someone who attended their school, got a career, stayed focused on her Bachelors, worked her way up the career ladder, and then completed her M.S. gave the students that extra belief in what they had chosen to do in their coursework was good! They told her they were able to envision themselves moving ahead upon graduation, just as she had done.
When you teach the same students for several classes, it is wise to bring in a speaker to give a different point of view. The students listen to you but after you tell them the same thing again and again in different ways it is quite refreshing to hear it from someone else. Occasionally, the speaker will have some interesting stories to tell the students and the instructor. Their information is hands-on experiences that only happen in their specific field and we as instructors and students have not had the privileges.
Students are able to get yet another outside view of the situation and hear a success story that is not coming from someone related directly to the school.
Hi Lori,
You are definitely thinking along the right lines! Guest speakers can serve as a great inspiration to students.
Patricia
I believe guest speakers do motivate students by sharing examples of how they were motivated to continue their education and the outcome of their decision that has led to a successful career.
I think that by having a guest speaker come in, it can motivate students who are discouraged, especially if the speaker mentions the times that they were discouraged but persevered. It provides the student with a renewed energy and commitment to follow through with their educational goals, even when it gets tough.
Hi Unique,
You are right! Guest speakers are awesome. They can really shed light about the real world as it pertains to a particular profession.
Patricia
A guest speaker is a great concept to help encourage student to study hard and gives them a realistic goal for the future.
the guest speaker serves as a role model with whom the students identify. who by his /her shared example of managing personal problems and still completeing the course will be motivation for others.their presence will
show new p[ossiblitis or options to the students to contiunue the course and hold on.
Having a guest speaker can make a student more aware of the value of their education. It's an addtional hope that they too can be a success. When a student can be this close to someone who has walked this same path, it breaths new life into their own dreams becoming reality
Hi William,
I personaly will agree with having guest speakers as resources. This can motivate students to see their future being in the program. Experential learning from who succeed in the course will motivate students very well.
Medhin.
Good points. They instill hope, energy and motivation, where they may not reside beforehand.
