Motivation of Students
When my students are doing practical application for 8 hours how can I continually keep them motivated and on task?
Hi Luz,
This form of instruction is called "chunking". Breaking down the content into bit size nuggets of information. It is much like answering the age old question. "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time." We need to always keep this in mind as we plan our instruction.
Gary
Breaking down my lectures into smaller inqrements seems to keep my students attention a little bit longer and they show much more interest in participating.
Keeping the student active , both in the class room, with pass around parts, ect., and using the lab for demo and examples seem to work good. I also enjoy sharing my life experience in the field that is relevant to the topic at hand. Last, but most important,I try always to show them the passion I have for both teaching, and the subject that I'm teaching!
One way of motivating students is to find personal intrest in the student and try to link it with the class corse.
Hi Jason,
Good point about helping students see the "big picture". They often miss the real reason they are in the training program they are in. It is for their future. Anything you can do to help them with the vision will be helpful.
Gary
I find it is hard for the students to see the big picture. They forget what they are going to school for. I try to give them real life scenerios to keep up the excitement of why they are here.
Hi Carroll,
That is the challenge and the reward of being an instructor. The constant change that occurs each and every day you are in class. Thanks for your comments.
Gary
Hi Warren,
With your approach your students are still involved in the learning process and this helps them to catch "fire" and grow with the class and the content.
Gary
Hi Warren,
Good point. Students need to see relevancy and application in their learning.
Gary
Agree on being flexable.I am constantly re-adjusting things.
Myself as a Instructor, I find myself maybe setting standards a little too high. But we always seem to find ways to keep students involved. I believe if everyone is enjoying the class, they are more likely to relax and soak up the infromation at hand. This really helps keep me involved in the class and allows me to be able to read class.
Along the same lines as that. I encourage my students by ,when presented with a problem.That its not a problem ,its a opportunitiey.
Most of the time my students enjoy real world cases that are related to there lab projects I encourage them to come up with a differant solution than I came up with for the same project or problem.
I too like to use competition as a meens to keep students motivated. This makes the lab fun for the students, and for myself too.
My biggest asset as an educator is the ability to be flexible. Just as students have different attitudes of their life's situations every day, I need to recognise this and adjust my delivery to meet this and not allow students to get bored with a particular "pattern" of teaching. Their are no two days with the same "MO".
During essentially an all day scenerio, the students need changes in subject material, even if it is just slightly. Some times, just having them rotate from different aspects or angles of the learning objective. Different states such as hands on, the switch over to the learner verbally talking out the task for another student to listen and follow the instructions. Another student could at the same time, take notes to have to explain in a different way.
Sometimes I have students in Pit Crew that have a very hard time doing certain tasks but I still encourage them to do their best. As long as they work hard and do their best that's all I can ask for.
well i like to make a competition out of some of the like having the students have a and reassmbleing differnt components in a timed manner winner gets an extra point or something
Hi Ray,
Thanks for sharing several good ideas that other instructors can use in their classrooms.
Gary
