My goal for educating students is to prepare them for their new career. I want my students to be ready for whatever may happen in the "real world". I want the things that they learn in the classroom to help them in their daily lives as well as in their new career.
Daniel,
Yes, it is wonderful to see students bring to fruition the benefits a good education can provide. I think if students can apply the knowledge they learn in school, and that has included thinking skills for use in the workplace. we'll have accomplished an admirable accomplishment!
Barry Westling
It is to provide them with not only the content of the class but also giving them specific demonstration that will validate and help them understand the why's!
It is wonderful to see the students apply these new techniques they have learned.
Karl,
Good. Preparing them beyond just knowledge but with ability to sustain their employment for a better life is a goal that any tacher could be proud of.
Barry Westling
I feel the end result of educating students is giving them the tools to help them be successful, whether in their chosen career, or with life in general.If the student has the aptitude and the desire to succeed, they will apply "their" education, presented by a knowledgable instructor, to the goal they chose.
Mike,
This a great aspiration for your students. It may not be totally realistic, as what most teachers acquire through education, training, and work experience (and sometimes life experiences) cannot possibly be tranfered via a class or series of classes, or even a whole program. That said, I think it's realistic to teach students to be able to critically think through situations they can apply in school or at work that over time create excellent workers who perhaps, could acquire the skills to teach the subject.
Barry Westling
My Goal as an instrutor is for my students to be
as good or better than me at there firld of work
Karen,
Broadly speaking, we need to assure that our students are prepared with the skills and knowledge that prepare them to be effective in the work force. Adding professionalism (attendance, dress, business etiquette)also better prepares them for sustanining their employment once they find their chosen work place.
Barry Westling
I agree. In the Culinary arena, are first goal is preparing students, first, how to hold a knife. Going forward, how to use it safely. Once comfortable, how to acurrately use it. Next is adapting to the different products and asessing what knife is the correct one to use.
Paul,
Great. There is some theory that most classes require and students just have to learn. But then there is the situational problems that occur in class and the workplace that can never be fully addressed beforehand. So getting students to the place where they can think on their feet is a lofty, but important goal all teachers should aspire to impart to their students.
Barry Westling
For me it is ensuring students have learned the material, of the course, well enough so that they are able to apply the new knowledge on their own, outside of class. I try to get them to a point they are able to look at a situation and determine the best solution based on the material they learned and there understanding of how to use that material in problem solving.
Margaret,
One way to say this is "prepare to get a job, and then to keep it".
Barry Westling
Randy,
Most career colleges focus on job jeadiness. Yet it's said "a good education prepares one for life". Broadening knowledge about the world around a student, teaching critical thining, learning where to find information, and developing into a professional worker with traits such as common coutesy, dress and demeanor are among many attributes a good education should provide. Developing a sense for life-long learning would be wonderful, and the above mentioned traits contribute to that goal.
Barry Westling
My Primary goal as an Instructor in educating my students is not only to give them the skills that they are taught in the clasroom, but to also give them the skills that they can take with them in their chosen fields.
Margaret Clarke
Without saying, it begins with preparing the students for their entry level occupation. However, it goes much further. Learning changes the way we think, preceive and feel. I always emphasize the critical thought process and challenge students to look at things from many different perspectives and to open themselves to the ideas of others that may provide information that challenges their own belief systems.
I believe that education opens new doors and enables individuals to think and perform on a higher level than what was previously possible. Edcuation and learning creates a permanent and postive change.
Jody,
Meeting course objectives, with the pertinent skills, knowledge, and professional "affective" traits (punctuality, attendance, dress, appearance, language, etc.) achieved would be a terrific goal. Many students struggle with some material to some degree. I use "checking for understanding" frequently, which consists of stopping every few minutes and randomly asking students questions (I use a deck of cards with names taped to it for randomness). If they got it, great. If not, that cues me to review more before I move on.
Barry Westling
My goal is to teach my students the objectives i am required to,whether it is through lecture or one on one hands on,power points etc... Sometimes it is a challenge to figure a student out if he or she is having trouble understanding something. being able to get through is rewarding.
The goal of educating students is teach them the skills and confidence to use the skill in their real world environment.
Eric,
Yes, no disagreements here. If we can add professional topics (attendance, punctuality, dress, language, appearence, etc.), to the skill set, we are futhering the students chances of sustaining their employability. The majority of persons discharged is not for inability to perform the technical aspects, but rather the interpersonal and employer policies. So preparing students in this way helps them beyond the technical skills learned in the program.
Barry Westling
The goal of educating students is for students to gain new knowledge that can be applied in various ways in their chosen profession.
