I also believe in team work-it takes a village to raise a child it should take the village to guide and allow them to reach their goals as they are giving the tools to succeed, along with that, I also assign both individual and team presentations.
I completely agree... it is also nice to allow the students to bring in areas that they are interested in... if a student is self-motivated then it will become a win-win situation for all.
Students enjoy helping each other. They get a chance to show what they have learned to their peers, and this makes their peers what to do more so they can show off their skills also.
I always try to relate the class to the real work world to increase student motivation. I have found that when they feel like the content of the course is beneficial to them or they will need the information, they tend to come to class and participate more.
Hi Dan,
Prompt feedback is so important to students. It lets them know where they are in terms of their course progress as well as what areas they need to work on. Thanks for bringing this point up.
Gary
Employing good everyday teaching practices can counter students motivation and making learning successful for all involved.
Student motivational level depends heavily on the teacher's behavior and teaching style, the structure of the course, the nature of the assignments and informal interactions with students. These all have a large effect on student motivation
I'm a relatively new instructor but I have found that requiring students to give a presentation on their writing assignments is a way to get somewhat disinterested students involved and engaged. Even they do not want to look foolish in front of their classmates.
One way is to provide immediate feedback. By allowing the students time in class to work on the problems which apply the concepts covered during lecture and demonstration I can check on their progress. Problem areas are identified and I can provide assistance in these specific areas which might otherwise demotivate students struggling with the work.
I like this idea as well. Often fellow students can provide peer pressure that a better motivators to particular students than my own words and expectations. It also unifies the class when they work together. They are often aware of an individual student's struggle before I am because of their social networks and can even help the student overcome the problem before it becomes apparent within the classroom.
Hi Kassy,
Simple and easy to use format for getting feedback and questions from students. This lets everyone participate through the folders. Thanks for sharing this idea with us.
Gary
On the first day of class I try to be as enthusiastic as possible about the subject matter. For example, I teach basic science courses in a massage therapy program. Many beginning students don’t see the relevance of anatomy and physiology to the practice of massage therapy. I begin by telling students that in order to be a skillful massage therapist it is important to have a working knowledge of all the organ systems of the human body, how the systems interact, and how massage therapy affects each them. If I’m enthusiastic the students seem to enjoy the class hopefully, they will retain more of the information presented, and be motivated to learn more.
I enjoy reaching out to students in postive ways through email and adding postitive initiatives to the every day class. For example, my shcool utilized engrade.com. This is a great way to communicate positive messages to my students. I often use articles related to success and motivation from professional motivational speakers or successful authors.
I also enjoy motivating students in class by providing one on one attention to their particular mood in class. Some students simply appear to be distraught or frustrated and I believe that when I care to ask them about their day that they become more motivated knowing that I care about their success.
I like to continue this throughout the course by giving students a folder as they walk in the door.. In it, as the class is ending, I ask them to jot down any question that came up from today's meeting or just to tell me what they've learned today... I collect folders as they leave and make short hand written responses.
This term a fortune 500 company listed the three best jobs based on time and money invested to acquire the knowledge and skills and the financial return on their investment in the form of a pay check. One of the areas that I teach was listed as number 2 on the list. I reminded them that they had made a wise decision in the career choice and then went over what knowledge and skills they would be able to take away from my class to help equip them to be successful in their career.
I agree, team work makes everthing easire.
Hi Adelia,
So true. I really like the results that come out of students working together and developing solutions to problems or situations. This is what they will experience in the work world so the more experience they get the more prepared they will be.
Gary
Some strategies for increasing student motivation: listen when students are speaking; encourage questions; answer questions; don't ignore students.
I agree. I have noted that when working as a team students do become more involved in the topic. Also the willingness to help one another is more often displayed while working as a team.
Hi Roger,
Good strategy. The students need to see application and relevancy as being a part of their learning process. By doing the cross referencing that you are you are making this happen. This sets the stage for success once they are in the work world.
Gary
