Being excited about your career field
As instructors we need to be excited about our own career field, if we are, our enthusiasm will spill over into our work and will motivate our students to have an excited interest in their choosen field also.
James,
I think this is a great technique. Students like stories, and sharing information like this has been a mainstay in education for thousands of years (dating back to Socrates). Students can often relate to the human aspect told in a story, and hopefully the message contained in that story is meaningful and memorable to the students. I also think as long as the name dropping is not the focus of the story but rather the experience that occurred, it would seem that would only contribute to a more interesting story.
Barry Westling
I work and teach in a very technical field that sometimes involves working with someone "famous". I have found that using examples of things that the students know outside the classroom and telling stories about how a particular technique worked for so and so engages students and makes them want to hear more about each topic. The trick is making sure I don't sound like I am name dropping or bragging but using the stories purely for educational purposes.
Being able to show passion to the student is a major part of thier learning experience.
Hi Charles:
There's nothing quite as inspiring as a dynamic and enthusiatic instructor that brings stimulation, expectation, and anticipation to a lesson. It's like an upward pull that draws even the most disinteresyted student into the mix.
For lengthly classes and providing this kind of energy day after day requires a lot from the instructor. Yet, creating that environment breeds mirrored results, and soon, students are expectating that environment, so why not involve them in the instructional process and let them both share the experience and the result of improved satisfaction in their learning?
Regards, Barry
In addition to just being excited about the career field, it is also important to relate "real world" examples of the career.
I always begin with a story, if I forget, my students ask.
This should be mandatory, we want to teach a skill that we are interested in.
Hi Deborah:
Sharing stories, situtaions, past work problems, or even hypothetical problems can be made very interesting and an important activity as it requires students to both reflect and think. Students like stories.
Regards, Barry
During each class period I usually give a brief summary of the tasks and problems that I had on that particular day. Then I ask my students how they would have handled the task or problem that I illlustrated. It usually gets a very lively discussion started and I am able to tie it into the subject for the day
Deborah Balentine
Hi Robin:
Excitement and enthusiam are hard acts to follow. It's contagious, and only someone having a really bad day is going to get caught up in the upward flow of this positive learning environment.
Regards, Barry
Not only am I excited about my career field, I believe in what I do, love what I do and want every single student to love their future career! :)
