Falicia,
Good advice for instructors to follow. We need to bring to the classroom a level of excitement that our students can see and appreciate.
Gary
There are various ways including the methods discussed thoughout the topic to help students become motivated and excited about your course. Other methods include being motivated as the instructor. Showing that you have a vested interest in the subject as well as your students. Being excited when you are teaching, making the subject come to life will help the students bring the pieces of the puzzle together.
Susana,
Students are a great resource to use and many instructors overlook their use. Your comments are right on about how the students respond to each other. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us.
Gary
I think the ability to teach course content; in various modalities, so that all students can reach their learning capacity according to their own learning style is very important. If you also add variety to the environment,and change the seating...usually keeps students more engaged. Sometimes they need to bust open their click...they ususally object at first, but soon settle into a more openess that lends itself to more class participation.
I love that...i think it works very well; in that, all the students are more at ease and more participation usually kicks in...I like how they are very intent on helping eachother when it comes to having a fellow student up front and center..[I think it has to do with seeing themselves in that position and hoping that the favor would be returned]. It also makes things seem that more managable...if another student can do it, well than so can I.
true life annecdotes, usually peak their interest. I like to pepper the class content with real life examples; as it gives them practical information while they can see themselves responding in the situation...they see themselves, and they aspire to be there; which makes them want to work for it. If anyone feels intrepidation, I like to remind them that I use to feel the same way; that noone starts out feeling secure, but before you know it you're doing what you have learned...and eventually with proficiency.
Michael,
Good field to be in. Respecting the fact that they have many opportunities in the future really helps with the motivation factor. Thanks for sharing this perspective with us.
Gary
Fortunately I'm in the medical field of education, so motivating students is not too much of a problem. Applying real world examples keeps this student demographic excited and interested. Certainly with adult learners letting them share their medical experiences is icing on the cake.
Susana,
Great job of showing relevancy and application to what they are learning while helping them to see the rewards of what they are doing. They are helping people that are hurting and are in need. This is a great opportunity for the students to share a bit of themselves through their work.
Gary
Regina,
The more you can do this the more valuable the course content becomes. The general education courses are required for a reason and the more we can illustrate to our students relevancy and application of content the greater their engagement is going to be.
Gary
Yes, I agree.
I find my students are hands on learners. Group projects, real life questions and answers, and games. My students love games that go along with the course work.
I think one of the things that sparks them is to know that they are always at the front line; when it comes to patient care, and that they usually spend more contact time with the patient than the doctor. This gives them the sense of their importance to the field; as I give annecdotal examples of where they may find themselves, and how their expertise is relevnt to the patient care outcomes.
I want to be able to teach them what is necessary, but I always want them to feel that it is within their grasp...and that we all feel overwhelmed at first, until we learn what we need to...and then we feel quite accomplished, because the material that they will learn is content that is not generally or widely understood. this makes you most valuable; therefore the more you learn the more useful and the more an employer will appreciate you...and the patient's are very grateful [at least 98% of the time]....very rewarding field.
Some students feel that if the courses are not directly related to their field of study they shouldn't take them. It is because of this that I tend to use real life examples with my students. I feel if I can relate what they are learning to what they will eventually be practicing in the field it will hold more relevance with them. I also try to teach with excitement, in hopes that they can see the excitement that I exuberate after working in the field for more than 20 years.
Salvador,
Good strategy. Students like to hear examples and stories about what their instructors did in the field and what they will encounter when they are in the field themselves.
Gary
I pay close attention to their attention spans; I find that at those times attention is waning, I get them up to the board to do games around the lesson plan and it works every time. I love to change the delivery up once in a while; the students love it also and become very involved.
Positive reinforcement is great even for the students who do very well on the assignments. I have to remember that those who do well also need some good positive reinforcement. Where I sometimes fall short is when a student does such a poor job that all I can say is something like "good start on the assignment."
Positive reinforcement is great even for the students who do very well on the assignments. I have to remember that those who do well also need some good positive reinforcement. Where I sometimes fall short is when a student does such a poor job that all I can say is something like "good start on the assignment."
What you say is so true about keeping a postive attitude. I also think having being enthusiastic is good. Sometimes I'm tired and I have to remember that the students students don't want to participate in a chat session were I just mechanically go through the requirements for that particular assignment.
It sounds simple but I agree that consistency does help students. Sometimes I have students who have no idea of what is expected of a professional and so being consistent is a clear motivator for them.
I teach a computer applications course online so I have to work hard to communicate with my students in the "cyberworld". I make sure that in the chat sessions that I discuss and demonstrate uses of the software applications that will benefit the students in whatever job/career they pursue. I give some positive feedback for all student work no matter how poorly the assignment was completed, then I give some constructive feedback on how the assignment should have been completed.
