Andrew,
Like the approach you are using because you are providing a real service to your students by showing them how they need to perform if they are going to be successful in the work world. They need to see the connection between what they have been studying and what they will be applying when they are out in the workforce. The more we can help along these lines the easier the transition will be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dear Gary,
Your response is dead on. There are no “do overs" in the job interview process. As an instructor who teaches students 6 weeks before externship, I try to instill real life material into the everyday text or PowerPoint’s. I try to make them aware that the transition from student and employee can be drastic or subtle depending upon you being prepared, doing your research, staying focused and do not forget all that you have learned already at school. Too often, students have completely forgotten earlier material which could easily be adapted to their current projects. Reinforcing past lessons and engaging the students in past personal history can leave an impressionable mark on a student that can lead to success in the interview process and their new employment.
the instructor should include examples from his/her own previous experiences
Jane,
Examples are great motivators as well as illustrations of how application can be made of the content that is being studied. I really enjoy the discussions that come out of sharing examples with my students. Based upon your comments it sounds like you have great discussions after sharing examples with your students as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Kelly,
You make a very good point about relevance. It is critical that students understand the relevancy of what they are studying. The more application that can be made the more relevancy is understood. Keep up the effort as you "connect the dots" between content and application for your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to use a lot of examples from the work place. Other students like to give their own examples too. Before you know it, a nice discussion takes place about the content of the course and how it relates to the work place.
It is imperative to make the course content relevant to students. This keeps them engaged and willing to learn. I teach psychology to various degree program students and it is often difficult to get them to realize the relevance to their program. I also attempt to show them how learning psychology can improve their everday lives, not just their career.
Olmarys,
I do the same with my students. By having the baseline I am able to more accurately plan my instruction to meet the learning preferences of my current student group.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Corliss,
Good point. We all need to see relevancy to what we are doing and students are no exceptions. By seeing relevancy they can start to see application of the content to their career development and it becomes a win win for them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is why I do pretesting with all of my students so I can get a baseline from which I can plan my instructional content and delivery.
Making instructions relevant is the key. Keep reminding the students that they are mastering Job Skills!
Jeanine,
This is one of my favorite parts of my program. When you send students out the get excited because they are seeing the value of the content you are sharing with them. In addition, they start to see themselves in that field and this increases their motivation to keep moving their education forward.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Programmatic or course objectives should be based upon the needs and expectations of the learner. The objectives will set the tone for what is to be taught in a particular program, course, or unit. Once those have been established, the instructor should design activities that will allow students to meet the learning objectives. The activities (and by default, the objectives) should address the various learning domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. The use of practical exams, case scenarios, community work, externships, etc. will all serve to assess whether or not learning has occurred in these domains, and will ensure that the learning is relevant to what the student expects from their course of study.
Our students are sent out on job shadows each term to a site that meets their interests within their chosen industry. We've watched our students become more motivated and excited about the application of what they learn in the classroom and they are now more engaged.
Paul,
You raise a very good point about expectations and preparation. Preparation requires effort and once a certain level of competency is achieved then expectations can start to kick in and they need to be shaped by individuals in the field that can give realistic information about how they can develop their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Being in the massage field people has ideas about the field and many of them are false. It is important to know the students’ expectations and make sure they are fair to them and us. This is critical during the admissions stage and is rarely handled correctly. We make the classes relevant by synchronizing the students’ expectations with reality. Once they do not think they will make six figures a year two weeks after graduating we are able to teach them the true field of massage therapy warts and all. By preparing the students to be successful we train their minds and bodies to be successful. As the mind and body both learn the student begins to understand the importance and relevance of what they are learning.
James,
Yes, it will build confidence in the learners. The more success they have in the course and the more connections they make with the content and their future the more confidence they will have in what they are learning. It soon become a win win for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Having an understanding about adult learners with life experiences governing their learning process/learning preferences, some specific strategies/methodologies to make course content relevant would be plan lesson/lecture/demo events, through application and transference practices. Which would hopefully build confidence in the student .
Amie,
You hit upon the key word and that is relevance. No relevance no engagement. So the more relevance we can demonstrate in relation to the content being sharing the greater their abilities are going to be to apply what they are learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Adult learners have an expectation that the learning is relevant and not a waste of their time. By finding out why the students are in the course (i.e. student introductions at the beginning of the course) allows the instructor to provide relevance and tie the learning back to practical application based on the backgrounds and expectations of the students. If the adult learner does not see relevance, it is very difficult to get them engaged in the course.
