Get Your Students Hired
Sally,
These stories are important in creating a connection between the course content and the future of the students. You are right they are good motivators for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Mark,
Like your style in terms of demonstrating your concern for student success. This student benefited greatly from your effort to follow up and encourage him to be in class. He showed and he passed. It is amazing how attendance in class and doing the course requirements can impact a student's grade. When one of my challenging students starts to attend and does the work and his or her grades go up they start to figure out that this is what success is all about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ah, the apathetic student is a peculiar sort. I believe the students know whether the instructor cares or not. Recently, I literally called a student over the phone because he was in danger of being suspended due to attendance. Although I he didn't answer, I left a message and sure enough he showed up the following day in class. I followed that up with a positive comment in class and before it ended, I approached him to ask if he had questions or concerns and that he still had an opportunity to pass the course. Needless to say, he passed.
Marcia,
The more of these examples the better because you increase the value of the course content as a result of this sharing. You are showing relevance and application and this helps the students see the reason that certain content is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I share real life examples with the students how the course they are taking is relevant to their future career; this in turn emphasizes the importance of the course to them as students "in training".
Vanessa,
Good ideas and ways to keep students engaged and focused for the duration of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Some strategies are to provide rewards upon completion of certain goals. It may be extra credit or maybe even just simply words of encoragement
Stacy,
I think this is good to do because it shows the students that you have been where they are. Sometimes students think we instructors were just given our degrees and experience. They need to know we work hard and struggled to get to where we are so that we do understand the challenges they are facing.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When introducing myself to a class, I include my personal education journey and experiences to show them what they can acheive if they work hard.
Jon,
Passion for your field and excitement about teaching about it goes a long way in getting students engaged in the learning process. As we know excitement is catching!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My enthusiasm and compassion I feel are key stategies for motivtion students. If I'm excited about what they are about to learn, then maybe they'll be motivated to be more apart of, attentive, etc. to the course. By showing them my compassion, it also may lead to motivating them into becoming great at what they are learning
Frantz,
I think you will like the reception you get from your students when you try these two new strategies. Your students are going to appreciate how you come across and what you have accomplished in your career.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I 've gotten some good ideas reading the replies in this post. i'm excited about my topic but I come across as low key during class. I am going to try to tell more stories from my days in the industry that would be relevent to the day's topic. I may also show them examples of my work in the field.
Robert,
I think this is a powerful message to send to your students. Many students do not see how course content can be applied in other settings. When they have this pointed out to them they get excited because they are learning something they can use in their personal lives. You would think that they would know this already but it seems to be missed by many students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Robert,
They are a good way to make connections with the field as you mention and they also give students an idea of what a professional in their field is like. They get to see and hear from someone that is doing what they want to do so and this increases their motivation levels significantly.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Edda,
Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. The more this can be done the more engagement there is going to be. Sounds like you have both going in your instructional delivery and this is how you will get your students focused on being successful in the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I will tell my students that what they study in my class can and will help them not only academically but in many areas of their lives.
I rarely use guest speakers but will probably start doing so more readily. Guest speakers provide a way to make contact with someone in the field the student plans on going into.
I will also use real-life examples. Depending on the types of students I have or what their major program is, I will give them scenario-based questions to stimulate classroom discussion. This usually goes along way because I find that most adult students have life experience and opinions about several issues.