Motivating Students
From a professional standpoint, it is important for students to realize the overall goal as to why they are attedning college. College is and will be apart of them throughout their adult life. It is important for students to comphrend why they take the classes that are required and how it will benefit them in the long run. I think it is important to motivate students through self-discovery rather than telling them why they should be motivated.
The majority of my students are going to school, because their employers force them to either go to school or lose their jobs. This puts a different element on their everyday attitude. So how else can you motivate this kind of students, besides them losing their paycheck?.
Hi Jessica,
Good point. No matter how much preparation is put into the planning and presentation of a class the instructor has to be engaged in the process as well. Excitement is catching so we need to bring it with us each time we step into the classroom.
Gary
The Socratic Method can be effective, but only if the instructor is also engaged and excited about the lesson. If the instructor is not engaged, sometimes use of the Socratic method can make a student feel like they are being "picked on" or singled out for perhaps doing something wrong. However, if a student feels like the instructor is excited, when they are called on, they feel like they are special for being asked into the intelligent discussion.
Very well put Jessica we have to get our students to understand the inportance of college,and how well they perform will follow them through out there life.
Hi, June. No apology necessary. Any time we share ideas, please feel free to be honest and open with your ideas. It is how we grow. I appreciate the feedback.Thank You, Carla
Hi, Carla. I didn't think that you believed that, but Socrates did, which is why he used that method. Sorry if this was not clear. Thanks.
Hello June,
I do not hold to the Socratic Method entirely. I do not believe that he existed prior to his physical birth on earth. I simply hold to the hope that we can help our students find within themselves goals, plans, and dreams which help them to stay the course through their own learning process. My goal is to help them get from their current state of mind to a vision of where they want to be academically, professionally and personally. Challenging students to think often helps show them that building a personal plan must explore timelines, resources, and actions for obstacles, hurdles, and road blocks while understanding that they must view that plan as a living document which can be molded to fit the life of the people involved.
Sincerely,
Carla Denman
Carla, Socrates said that because he believed we all lived before we inhabited earth with human bodies and that the instructor just refreshes our knowledge of all we knew before we entered this side of the veil. Therefore, he cannot teach but only prod us to remember what we knew. Nevertheless, the Socratic method is still of value even if one does not believe he existed prior to his physical birth on earth.
Hello Jessica, I could not agree more. So often we are challenged to help students understand that only they can determine why they choose a particular degree plan and the level of energy they give to the outcome of the courses taken. I believe Socrates had it right when he said "I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think". I hope this is an active discussion thread, it certainly is a needed area of discussion.So many students enter college with no tools to prepare them for the journey they have embarked on.
