Deb,
The more you can do this the more value the students will see in your content. Math as you well know can be a challenge for many students so the more relevancy and application you can provide the more ROI they will see in their study efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Edward,
You make a very good point about the students being there by choice. They have chosen to enroll college and have selected a program of study for themselves. As a result we should not have to worry about attendance, effort or student success but we do. I am amazed that I have to encourage students to attend class, be on time, complete homework and meet project deadlines. Many of them miss the fact it is their future at stake so they need to be successful in order to able to enter into and growth in their chosen career area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In math classes, I try to incorporate different applications of a concept to help students see the relevance. For example, with percents, we look at sales taxes, income taxes, interest rates, etc that relate to the personal finances as well as some of their career fields.
Since they are there by choice, they, in a perfect world, are going to try and maximize their time and get a good return on their investment of time and money. In the class that I teach, it becomes very clear early on as to the importance and impact of what they are about to learn and the practical applicability of this knowledge.
Richele,
This is a very good way to build the confidence of your adult students as they have taken a hit in their previous career area that resulted in their being laid off. The more reinforcement that can be provided the better. Once they realize they can be successful then their life experiences start to kick in and they take off in their learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most of my adult students are returning to school looking for a career change out of necessity (job lay off of change) they have life experiences working but the career change is something entirely different I give examples from my work experience in the field , or examples of experts that I have worked with, to help them see themselves in a new role. In lab we repeat competences until the student feels comfortable. It is very exciting to the students to accomplish new skills and the realization "I can do this"
Bryce,
Students need to see the ROI of what they are buying and that is a quality education that will enable them to enter into and be successful in their chosen career area. So your point is well taken.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believe there is a lot of truth to that statement because learners often spend thousands of dollars on what they believe to be is the best education money can by and of course doesn't everybody want to get more for their money?
Leslie,
Good point about relevance for students to see and understand. Students can become so focused on the content area they forget how much other training and knowledge they will use when they are out in the field. Your example reinforces that and I am sure this student will appreciate your comments once she is using MS Word while working in a medical office.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Always bringing students back to the big picture. I had a medical student get angry with me because we were making her learn MS Word in one of her first classes. She made a comment that she will never use it in the medical office. I had to share with her some of my personal experiences in the medical office where I had to utilize MS Word. Sometimes just hearing that they need it isn't enough. You have show them real examples.
Robert,
You make a very good point. If we don't get buy in from students then our content loses value. They need to see how what we are offering is moving one step closer to their career field and goals. When they do they become motivated about their futures.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You have to have buy-in with the students. Backwards instruction works very well, this shows the student what they will be able to complete and brings all the components together as they are progressing through to course
Timothy,
Good for you in terms of letting your adult learners know results as soon as you can. Adult learners realize the value of being in school and how what is being taught will be helpful to them in their next career step. We need to keep them informed and excited about their future throughout our courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dr. Richard,
Being current in content and topic is an important part of ongoing instructional preparation. You have developed a very comprehensive plan for making sure you are sharing the latest content with your students for which hopefully they are thankful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Cynthia,
Students love hearing stories about the career experiences their instructors have had. These stories give a lot examples of application to the content you are sharing with them plus they are entertaining to hear.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with creating the comfort zone. Once in the zone students have so much fun learning.
Adult learners want results immediately, they want to know that their education is going to have a strong correlation to their career goals.
I always let the students know the relevance of the courses that I teach and how these courses will apply to their career goals and their lives, and I remind them of this throughout the term.
We know that adult learners want relevancy and seek an immediate benefit for acquired knowledge or skills. There are two other elements, which are symbiotic to relevancy, instruction and learning that is recent and realistic. The greatest challenge for me, during preparation for a course (even if I have taught it dozens of times), is to research developments in the field. Our textbooks, like all textbooks may contain obsolete information, where journal articles provide more recent information and newer and realistic applications. Often, I require students to research particular changes or advancements.
Since I have been in career field for a long time, I inject personal examples of many of the concepts that I teach. I invite them to comment/ask questions. This helps them to correlate the new
information.
Alissa,
Students really perk up when their instructor tells them a story that applies to the content that was just covered. They start to see a connection between their classes and their future in their chosen career area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
