Guest Lecturers
I think there is great value in having guest lecturers in your classroom! Invite a colleague (we have the ultrasound instructor give a lecture to our students during their diagnostic imaging course, and the cardiovascular instructor or advanced CV students teach EKGs, and the dental hygiene folks give a demo on dental rads) or local professional or former student or industry rep to give a guest lecture! Your students will get new perspectives, make connections in their field, see different options of jobs w/in their field and they enjoy the novelty of having somebody new speaking to them. Plus, you'll enjoy the vocal rest... :)
I find that having a quest speaker really adds some excitement. Often the speaker will get the students excited to graduate and begin working in the field.
I love the idea of guest speakers. I try to use at least one for each class. I use experts in specific areas but I have never used an alumni. I think this is a great idea! This can help motivate the current students and help them see what their end-goal is. Having someone else come in and talk about their experiences and expertise is a great tool to use to really enhance your classes.
This is a great idea for me because it helps show students what to look forward to in their field in the future as their career. It's one thing learning it and another hearing someone talking about how they are currently applying it in the real world.
yes, guest speakers are almost a wonderful addition to a classroom. They give another voice to the students...and perhaps they are a bit tired of ours!
Students at our college enjoy guest lecturers because they can see how what they are learning applies in clinical situations.
Taneshia,
In this case, repetition can definitely serve as a "positive". Hearing the information from an active member of the industry, can verify (for the student) that the content learned in class, will be useful once they enter their career field.
Tremayne Simpson
I love to bring in guest speakers, because it adds more value to my content. Even though the speaker may say things that I have already stated, it makes the content more real.
I would recommend guest speakers to come to the classroom, or to take the students to a site. I have had outside guest come in to speak to my Medical insurance, and Medical Coding class. They were excited to speak to someone who is actually doing what they are going to school for. They enjoyed asking questions.
Shiketheia Thornton, MA
being in the motorcycle industry there are a lot of guys that the student want to be like when they get out of school. It's funny when they meet some of the celebrities they find out they started just like them so it shows them that their destiny is in their own hands.
Ann,
Based on this eclectic list of guest speakers and I am sure that your students are excited to take your course. I also teach Communications and I am always providing my students with examples of how communication is inherent in everything we do. Providing them with this selection of Guest speakers gives them an opportunity to hear how these individuals use communication within their occupations and lifestyles.
Tremayne Simpson
Your comments match my thoughts exactly. Students definitely need a break from me! We have four-hour classes, so a guest speaker or a community representative or even a business contact are great resources to keep things fresh and lively. My speakers have included: a member of our school's advisory board (which should be a prerequisite for being appointed to the board, don't you think!), a jail matron, three State Troopers (now that one really got everyone's attention), a Firefighter/Haz Waste expert, a person suffering with a debilitating disease, and current students and alumni. It's pretty easy to get these contacts to come by, and they always say they love it...as long as you select people who believe outreach is part of their job duty or service to others. We have also made some great field trips, to the local Armory (National Guard and Army recruiters), and to the State Police Post to see the Criminal Investigation lab. You may wonder what in the world I teach? Communications...and you know it's inherent in everything we do!
Troy,
Do you find that you receive the same amount of motivation (as the guest speakers), whenever you discuss your experience within the field?
Tremayne Simpson
i also feel the same way.Ibeleive guest lecurers excite the class.Iam a barber instuctor and if i bring in barbers to the school and they talk about the field and all the things they have encountered motivates the class even more . Plus it reinforces what i have already been teaching .
It's a policy through our Gen. Ed. Department chair in an effort to improve retention. It started a few months ago. I see the point of helping students see relevance through the eyes of others, but agree that in some classes it shouldn't be "forced." Thanks for your input!
Sheryl Exler
Cecil,
Do you find that students begin to "second guess" their career aspirations, once they have heard the reality of the industry from a guest speaker?
Tremayne Simpson
here at our school we have people come in all the time. The students aren't real thrilled about it. I love it mainly because it acsents what we have been telling them and they get it straight from the industry. most don't sugar coat and tells it just like it is.
Sheryl,
I feel that guest speaker usage should be optional, in regards to planning for a course. There is relevance for bringing in guest speakers, however the connection should not have to be "forced". From an economic standpoint, mandatory guest speaker scheduling can prove to be expensive for an institution (for the most part guest speakers are paid for their contribution). Is this a new policy for your school?
Tremayne Simpson
I agree that guest lecturers stimulate the students learning. During an Integumentary Nursing Care class, an adjunct instructor that works in our local burn center did a wonderful presentation on a day in the life of a nurse on the burn unit.
I agree with most of the replies related to guest speakers. They certainly can be a great asset and valuable component to the learning process. I teach English classes, though, through the Gen. Ed. department. We are supposed to all have at least one guest speaker in each class each term, and I disagree with this. Yes,they should have guest speakers related to their field in their core classes, but to have a guest speaker in English doesn't make as much sense to me. What type of guest speaker could we have that would really be relevant to English. Yes, I could have a nurse, for instance, come and talk about how writing skills really help them for their job, but is this the best use of class time? I could convey this to them myself in a few minutes. I know one English teacher who brought in a guest speaker who was a professional writer. Interesting, yes, but truly relevant to the life and careers of my students? No. Worth the loss of instructional time? I don't believe so. I also disagree with the requirement of having a guest speaker in each class each term because of the time and energy involved in that. It can be very challenging to arrange and as adjuncts, we're not paid for that extra time. What are your thoughts?
