These provide students with a "mental picture" of the subject and an opportunity to relate the theory or principle to the "real world".
I often relate experiences in my thirty years in industry and encourage them to discuss their own examples. If the students are reluctant to share individual situations, I may ask them get together as a group, and present one example as a collaborative "team project".
Memorable examples are great; I had an 7/8 grade Social Studies teacher I will never forget I try and model him; he used beach balls came in dressed in the period of time he was going to teach about and my Intro To Management College Professor taught us about the history of the computer and gave great examples and I use his examples when I am teaching.
students remember more by sight than by words
Memorable examples serve as points of reference that students can use to relate to the course content. When students are able to relate personal or professional experiences to what is being taught in class, they are building a connection between something that they know with something that they are learning, that is new to them. This connection facilitates the learning process.
It honestly sticks with them. I have students that come back months later and say remeber that time you did this...I still remember that.
Memorable examples let the students know that you personnaly have the experience in the field you are teaching. They feel that you, having been out there in the real world, have a better understanding of what they are going through and what they can look for in the future.
People generally will remember a narrative more easily than a list of facts. We all relate to the human experience which makes the narrative often something that we can relate to and find interesting. I use narratives from my professional experience to also give the students insight into the professional world that they are planning to enter as they are interested in what that experience will be like for them. I also try to add humorous details that are relevant and memorable as it gets students to engage and share other thoughts etc.
My nursing students have always said that listening to examples of my experiences not only help them relate the course content to what they will actually be doing but also add validity to me as a teacher. They love the fact that I can both talk the talk and walk the walk.
Memorable examples are valuable because they allow students to relate to material and concepts without feeling that they are learning. When I look back at my own college experience, it is the lectures told as stories that stick with me.
I use memorable examples--my own and those of the students--to create an atmosphere that includes trust, sharing, and just good storytelling. Of course, this does not happen not stop, but I feel that such moments/examples flow through the class and this alone changes the environment.
Using memorable examples also connects to our emotions and when we have feelings about information, issues, events, then tend to stick with us and motivate us to learn a bit more. I really enjoy my classroom environment and the students reflect this back to me.
In the field I teach there are plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. I have a ready supply of stories relating to the subject matter of mistakes that myself and others have made along with a description on how the problems were handled and resolved. I want the students to feel that there is a human side to me and I am not perfect. Sure I can tell them about all of the heroic deeds I have done but there would be no lesson to learn from it and they would see me as someone who likes to toot his horn.I have a story about a technician who removed a motor in an Air conditioning unit. When he set the motor down and let go of it, it rolled down the duct and dropped inside the building (a restaurant) and landed between tables where people were eating. I have the students imagine they were the technician who dropped the motor and what if it had hit someone.
This is something they will definitely remember
because it made a personal impact on them.
Hi Hubert!
Anytime an instructor self-discloses to students, it makes them real. So using your personal examples can connect that one student that is struggling in the class.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Elizabeth!
It gives classroom concepts real meaning, therefore, becoming very useful once students are in the world of work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
When relating memories to new material students retain the new material.
In my health insurance units I can relate through our family experiences dealing w/ providers
and mental illness. The majority of my students
can relate to many of my daughter's issues and
can empathize w/ the points I trying to make.
Using memorable examples can serve as a useful tool to help learners retain the information presented. In addition, instructors can request learners share memorable examples of their own which pertain to the subject matter;this too may help with subject matter retention.
The use of memorable examples can be a great tool, however, I have heard some of the students complain about instructors that give to many personal examples. This causes disinterest in the content.
Hi Georgia!
I agree that examples are an excellent learning tool. I not only provide students with verbal examples but for some materials I also provide them with some type of written example. It might be a diagram, an outline, or it could be some editorialized comic/article.
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Memorable examples are very important in online classes. Since there isn't a physical presence, memorable examples are one of the few ways of relating to students and helping them retain the material and stay interested in the online lecture.
Vivid examples are likely to help students remember and recall the course material. Memorable examples can be based on course content that takes into account a student's experiences and backgrounds. For example, when I provide an example on how an organization uses the cost of capital to make investment decisions, I can use an example that relates to a type of organization for which a student works.
Memorable examples help students connect the subject matter to real life situations and helps them connect the information to their own experiences or something that they are familiar with.
