I have found success with providing hands-on or real-life examples. I like to give a specific example of what I have experienced and provide the questions and answers as they applied for that situation; What I felt? What I did? Were there mistakes? Would I do something different next time? What was the outcome? I encourage questions so that a strong dialogue is established for further learning. Even if the situation I have in mind does not perfectly fit, I find it very useful as a foundation to show it as a parallel learning process.
I firmly believe that students will 'buy into' the course content when they make the connectioin of how it relates to their career. Meeting professionals in their chosen career field has a tremendous impact on the student's outlook for not only their career, but for this course and they are much more enthusiatic to participate in discussions as well as submit quality work.
I use the three basic learning platforms we have identified in this portion of the course. Then apply it with positive re-enforcement to get the student to keep trying until they can provide repeated results. I use the team method for students to learn their skills. TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More!
In teaching a psychology, I have found it easy to relate course material to the learning needs of each student. The subject matter generally provides a wealth of opportunities for students to relate to the course material either on a personal or professional basis. I have found that asking students specific questions then tying that particular material to that example is a good way to insure relevancy.
To make things relevant for students, I try to relate the information to the world around, their careers and/or their futures. They seem more engaged and retain information better if they make a connection with the information.
Hi Shannon,
Great response. Your strategies are right on in terms of helping students to apply the knowledge they have acquired. The next step is transference and you helping them with that through your case studies.
Gary
Hi Ray,
I like your approach. The majority of education that goes on in career colleges is service based. We have to develop individuals that can solve problems if they are going to be successful. Your approach of having them to think like detectives is a good one. They are tracking down and solving the problem and the result is a problem fixed and a happy customer.
Gary
Hi Shannon,
I like your mult-directional approach to engaging your students. You are coming at them with many different techniques, media and applications. This way you are targeting the different learning preferences that are represented among your students.
Gary
I teach computer courses, so it is easy to match content to learning needs. Keyboarding and Office is now taught through a self run software. Students can tackle the course at their own pace and review as they need to.
This is a fairly wordy question and I'm not exactly sure what you are wondering. But I will have a go at it. One strategy I use is to give a lot of case studies. These case studies might be local or international. But I really helps students understand the relevance of what we are discussing and how it can impact us. (I teach environmental courses.) Sometimes students hear a definition, but it doesn't really "click" in their heads, unless they hear examples or case studies. Another strategies is to pose a question, then give the students time to brainstorm possible options or outcomes. (There is not just one answer, there are numerous possible answers.) Next, I make a chart on the board and have them fill in some of their ideas.
I teach computer classes and I have found it crtical to convey to students that they must be good detectives. Computer people are quite often thought of as "fixers", they are called upon to support a variety of issues. To resolve these issues, they must be interviewers and try not to make assumptions.
When we have specific problems identified in the text, the answers usually are black and white. However, that is seldom the case in the real world. I expect students to be able to investigate problems, I share a couple of real life examples and show them a couple of ways of how I made that discovery.
I try to mix it up often. I lecture, show videos, and have numerous class activities. These activities could be group work, reading and article and discussing it, brainstorming ideas, etc - all of which help the hand-on learners. I often ask questions during my lectures. Then I give the students time to think about possible answers or solutions, before discussing them as a class. I often wait to call on someone who hasn't said anything yet that day, in order to ensure that many students are participating. I use powerpoints, maps, diagrams, and charts when I lecture for those students who are visual learners. I often repeat key points or definitions for the audio learners.
I do alot of demonstrations and during them I talk about how a product or a technique will be useful or popular out in the industry. I also share my experiences with that particular product so the students can relate to it.
Hi Christina,
I really like your way of making a complex concept simple by the example you used. This is what our instructors need to be looking for as they develop their own examples in their fields.
Gary
I teach pastry baking to culinary students. I try to relate what they already know in the culinary world to what they will be learning in the pastry world. Many of the principles are the same & the students can link the perceived new material to what they already know.
When I was teaching software training classes I had a group of older women who had difficulty understanding drives on a computer. I used the analogy of Tupperware nested bowls for the different drives and they were able to understand the concept much more quickly!
Hi Kirstin,
Relevancy is critical for students and you are doing that through the use of their newly acquired knowledge in daily life applications. Good job.
Gary
Hi David,
Application of newly acquired knowledge is essential for students so they can see relevancy to what they are studying. The use of current events really helps to make this happen.
Gary
I make sure that it is material that they can apply to their everyday lives and experiences. Basically keep things real and pertinent.
No matter what course you are teaching, it is always possible to find current information on the Internet - news stories, journals etc.
By bringing real-life situations and reports to class, it makes the subject more relevant.
