Keep them motivated and interested
One way I do this is, as I get ready to start a section I will ask questions about it before actually discussing it. Yes sounds simple but if everyone in the class answers wrong or most of them, they are now concerned with what the right answer is. I have found by doing this the students actuall pay attention and remember what they heard. Simple but effective. Bye the way wanna have fun and see their eyes realy open ask them something from out of the blue. For example when will the batteries in the Hovel Telescope die. Who was the only man to be interviewed in a national magazine under 2 different names. Keep them wanting to learn more than they have to. Make them learn more than they need to. Heck just tell them its fun and a day without learning something new is a wasted day.
I like this approach, I was in a class last week and tried it. The students seemed to listen more to what was being said in the class.
Hi William,
The examples you cited help to bring reality to the learning setting. Students can start to see a transference of knowledge to application as they grow in their professional training.
Gary
A way that have found to keep students interested is to bring things to their attention that is relevant to their interests. Since I am a political junkie, it usually includes a political question. For nurses, all the discussion of universal health care and its ramifications and their take on it gets a discussion going. For computer students, the prosecutions of the mother who goaded the teenage girl into suicide and the girls who beat up their friend to get famous on utube. Both raise questions about what constitutes internet crime. It also invites research and reporting without seeming academic.
The puzzel
Always keeping the students wanting more by giving them a future piece of the pie so to say? I enjoying watching students flexing the dynanmic that is there intelligence. Allowing their inter motivation to learn create the drive to succeed. Success greatly out ways the reward created from montary achievement.
Jack
When working with a group of individuals with varying skill sets and interests,the challenge is to determine how to present the learning experience, cirriculum and lab tasks, that suits the goals of each one. Meaning tailoring the enviorment to the that person's goals as best as possible.
Hi Darrell,
Thanks for sharing this strategy. I am sure it will benefit a number of the participants. You are making the content of your courses relevant and applicable. Way to go!
Gary
I usually post a question for the day on the board and have a prize (stickers) associated with the correct answer. I usually start off with a question concerning someone or something about that weekends racing and then from there I begin asking questions that pertain to the subject matter at hand and how it relates to the weekend of racing and how that subject would be important to them to know and understand if they want to achieve that level of expertise.
Hi Joshua,
Yes, it helps them to start thinking in a problem solving way.
Gary
Is this mainly a way to jump start their thinking process?
