Kamice,
Good comments about those students that don't step to the plate and become engaged in the learning process. Yes, they do make that choice and they have to live with the consequences. They need to see that it really is up to them to be successful. They can't blame others for their failure, even though they generally do. As a professional educator if you know you have done all you can do to help them in the course then you can feel confident in your efforts even if they don't take their educational opportunities seriously.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kamice,
Good strategy. They need to have the confidence to do the job when they graduate. Knowing they can be successful will go a long way in their career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kamice,
All of these effort contribute to an ongoing growth on the part of the students. They see that you are recognizing their effort and sharing valuable content with them. This is a part of the developmental process for students. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
What I have learned is some students go to school for the wrong reasons, often times just to be doing something. With those students, I give all I have and at the end of the day I can rest in knowing that everyone was treated equally with out bias received all the same opportunites in my class. If they choose not to become the greated possible then I remind myself we all have to make our own choices in life.
I focus on my students being motivated to be the best in the profession not just focusing on the test. If you absorb and digest what I am feeding you, you will do more than just pass a test, you will make an awesome contribution to the industry. I try to incorporate self confidence and confidence in your skill sets.
There are many ways you can excite and motivate students about a course. I like to reward them a lot when they make an extra effort or when they can help out a fellow student. I like to make comments on their graded test like “good job†and “excellent workâ€. That may seem like nothing but a little encouragement goes a long way. On their evaluations I try to point out some of their strong skill sets and strong traits along with areas they need to work on. We play games and have celebrations at the end of each quarter after finals just to symbolize we all made it through together.
Anthony,
The more connection you can make to the real world the more engaged the students will be. This is what a comprehensive education is all about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The instructor can relate the course content with the real-life examples that they will encounter in their career.
Scott,
Good way to engage the students and get them focused on the course content. This way they can see the value from what is being taught and how you are helping them move toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As an instructor you must stress that the material is relavant to the students future sucess.Several methods are efective:
1) Field trips to sites where the student sees professionals employed in the field of study. The student will see the material presented in class being applied in the work enviorment. It is helpful to have the student imagine a potential customer interaction as an underprepared semi professional and how much fun that would be.
2)Early on in the program of study review content outlines of professional certification tests they will be taking. Frequently compare class content to the certification content outline. This should motivate all but the most clueless student.
Ruby,
So true and so important. They need to see they are moving toward their career goals as a result of what they are learning in their class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important to help the students see the progress they are making towards their career. Allow them to use the skills and knowledge they have learned. They will get motivated and be excited to learn more sills.
Ted,
This is such a great reward in teaching when this happens. The students find out that they can be successful and that the course has value in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Peter,
Since I teach such a course I can really appreciate your comments. My course is required for state certification. So it is my task to get the students excited about the content and how they can make application of what they are learning. I really enjoy the challenge because at the end of the course most of them see how valuable the content is going to be in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students are often hindered by their emotions, especially the fear of failure. By teaching them the cognitive skills to turn their fear of failure into a love of learning, they will be intrinsically motivated to excel the course work.
One way to help students to become motivated and excited about your course is to repeatedly try to apply the content of your course to students' courses of study. Especially in general education classes, an instructor can begin the course with a simple questionairre about the students that includes their course of study. Then the instructor can work on ways to apply their content to real world situations that the students will encounter in that field.
The coursework I teach is an extension of what my students have already learned in their past coursework, so I try to encourage and motivate my students by presenting the practical aspects of the course information in how it pertains to their future career and how it will lend to future coursework.
Deginald,
These are good ideas about how to engage learners. Students like activities that get them engaged and using the newly acquired content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think by creating activities that they can do as a group, or games they can play that are related to the course, I have found they love to compete against, and it also encourages them to study the material so they know the answers.
Mark,
You hit on both of the connections needed for learning. Your enthusiasm for your field and the integration and application of content by the students. This combination is what "sells" the course to students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
