Joseph,
Great introduction to your class. You are setting the stage for engagement that I know will last the entire course. Thanks for sharing your strategies with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am currently teaching English to career college students (mostly adult learners). Some of the ways I could make the course relevant for them are as follows:
I could have them write job letters and resumes. Or I could have them write researched papers (informative or argumentative) on some problematic or cutting-edge aspect of their proposed career field. Or I could have them interview someone in their proposed career field and write an ethnography of that person. Or I could have them write personal narratives/memoirs about significant events or moments in their lives that lead them to their proposed career fields.
I'm open to other suggestions as well.
One of the first things I do as part of the introduction to the course is discuss student expectations. We then compare them to the course objectives and may even make slight modifications if needed.
Managing expectations from the start goes a long way to keep the students motivated and increases their feeling of learner control. Discussing student expectations in small groups can also serve as an icebreaker as well as a strategy to start team building.
Managing student expectations from the start also helps mitigate the problem of a student telling you on the student critique that he/she didn't get what he/she thought from the course.
Putting things in a "Perspective" that is relevant to the students is a given. They feel that they "Need" to pass your course to graduate. They "Expect" you to tell them what they need to know in order to pass. The job, then, is to get from needed-instruction, to one of relevance within their career-choice... and to tie them both to the same kite-tail. As an HVAC instructor, my opening-strategy begins with a 3 minute summary of "Archaeology 101". Most of my students give me funny looks, or they're scratching their heads & looking around to see if anyone else thinks that this is the wrong class. I then begin to explain that it's not a study of culture, peoples or geographic locations, but rather, a search for the "Facts". It's only at that point that I can begin relevant-instruction. I can (1) eliminate the expectation of archaeology "stuff" from their minds and, at the same time, make them aware of what (exactly) the HVAC expectations are, and why they're needed. They get humor, relief, and clarity all at the same time. Once the session-content starts to be covered, it is an easy thing to go back, time & again, to a search for the "Facts". Most learners simply want to know why they're learning what they're learning. Knowing the facts, as the content-expert, I can begin to show each student the why & how of relevancy through use of the "Facts".
Earle,
You are connecting the dots between the course content and the real world for your students when you relate how what they are learning will be used in the future. This increases the ROI for the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
On the first day of class, I will informally talk with the students about what they are hoping to learn, and what they are expecting to learn. I will write that down and go over it after class to make sure everyone feels like they received what they asked for.
For me it is trying to make it clear of how they will be able to use the skill/concept in a future setting, e.g. by understanding this you will be able to...
I like to consistently refer to field experiences that I have had when discussing course material. It bridges the gap between the classroom and the "real world."
Melinda,
Good point. It is a scaffolding process in terms of learning that lets both you the instructor and students build on previous experiences and knowledge to move forward toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
TIMOTHY,
Good global approach to learning. You are showing both the big picture and the segments that are needed for learning success with your method. This helps the students to see the progress they are making in learning the content and competencies needed for career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
students have their own ideas about the course based on their lived experiences so an instructor can use that information to present the information to the student.
Understanding and anticipating the adult learner's needs and expections is paramount to an adult's concern's of a course's relevance. These needs and expectations must be recognized, thus providing the foundation for a relevant course.
I would utilize a strategy of demonstrating the relevance of the class by making the connection between class content and what I believe his expectons to be. Provide him with the big picture and a "road map" of how his needs and expectations can e met.
Tim,
The "take away" of the course has to be seen by the students. If they don't see the value as we all know then they are not going to be engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Peggy,
Students are always asking those questions in terms of value and relevancy of the content. The more applications we can provide them where they use their newly acquired knowledge and skills the quicker they will see both the value and use of the content. This increases the ROI of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In almost all technical instruction courses, learner needs and expectations are the very reason the course exists. If a course does not fill those needs and expectations, it will cease to be.
Content and delivery should be in a format that the learners can understand and relate to. Making sure that students have a working knowledge of technical terms and have adequate resources to practice and perform tasks is key to any technical school.
My students are constantly asking me, "how is this relevant?" Or, "do I need to know this?" Of course my answer is always, "yes." In our careers, as in life, we need to know some history in order to understand why we are doing things the way we are today. I will bring up these points when we are doing procedures in clinic.
Christopher,
Your last sentence should be the goal of career programs. Problem solving and critical thinking are two essential ingredients of career success. The more these two can be developed the greater success students are going to enjoy.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Being that we are a career college. I try to find ways that meets the students expectations of improving thier station in life. They like to hear the benefits of being a healthcare professional. Second, I try to make it relevant to improving themselves. They are always very interested to improve their own health and understand the impact of good medical care on themselves and their family. Lastly, I appeal to the students to grasp the science behind the instruction. We try not to perform memorization, we want critical thinking. When we teach the students to apply critical thinking skills tothe problem and apply the principles above....then we have something.
Albert,
Relevancy and application are the essentials of learning and teaching. The more both can be introduced and used with the students the greater the value of the content is going to be to the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The students need to understand that the information is relevant to relate this in their daily activities. This particular group likes to immediately apply learning in practice.
