Ellie,
Great advice for instructors to remember because engagement is what brings the results that students are seeking. They need to see both application and value to what is being taught and how it is relevant to their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Grades get in the way of learning, I believe. Effective goal setting keeps the overall objective as the "umbrella" (outcome goal), while smaller step goals are those leading to that overall objective (process and performance). Having said this, I have my students take new content and immediately connect it to their own lives - "what's in it for me?", then connect it to their future career "what WILL be in it for me?" Back to the "nuts and bolts" of classroom procedure, one strategy that might be beneficial is to have each student write down 3 things they do not like about a class (first day/night of course), then you write down the 3 things you do not like (i.e., cell phones, lack of engagement, etc.). This allows students to begin taking ownership through having a voice. I also write down the words, INTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT on the dry erase board and ask each what this means to them. I then treat the class as a "workshop" with learning as the focus. This has helped set the stage in my classes and has worked quite well as it takes the focus off of "behaviors" and draws it to "learning". Good luck!
Allen,
I think this is a good idea and that you will be able to get these challenging students on board, or at least some of them. Give it a try and see what happens.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This leads me to wonder if a short explanation to the students at the beginning of class of their behavior and attitudes would not reach some of those unreachables? I think I am going to give this a try.
KarrieAnn,
Wish I had some great advice to offer you concerning student attitudes and the entitlement culture in which we are working as educators. I face this same challenge almost everyday. I remind my students just as you are that the knowledge and skills I am teaching them are acquired and it doesn't matter how much they paid for tuition they have to work to gain the needed skill sets. Sometimes it works and sometimes they just pout. I do bring in a number of successful graduates throughout the course and have them tell the students about the value of the content and the pay off of hard work. Since these graduates are seen as peers the students really listen to them and most of them "get it". There are still some that having always been handed anything they want do not want to invest in themselves or their future. These I continue to work with but I know they are not going to make it in the highly competitive field they are desiring to enter because they don't have the skills.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also agree that common sense is a thing of the past. People, not just students, are so used to having the world at their finger tips with todays technology that it has really effected their ability to think and to process.
Critical thinking and common sense go hand in hand. Without them the future is quite scary.
I teach SPFX Makeup at a school in Los Angeles, Ca. We gear our students toward a career in Film/ Television/ Print/ Commercial etc. Our school is a specialized art school and it doesn't come cheap. A lot of the students we see here are very priveledged. They come to school with the impression that since they have paid they can do and act as they please. There is a sense of entitlement and an attitude that comes with it.
It doesn't seem to matter how explicit we are with our instructional methods or with our delivery of information, they would rather play around and not pay attention. When there grades are returned or a critique is given based on there performance in class, they are often upset or very defensive because they are coming face to face with the fact that they aren't taking class or the career they chose seriously. Somehow this becomes the instructors fault.
Common sense tells us that if you pay attention and put in the effort you will become successful.
I am an avid note giver. A lot of what we do here requires many steps to reach the final outsome so I feel that it is important to give very explicit step by step instructions on how to achieve each task. My most frequent comment is this " I wasn't sure what to do next", my response is where are your notes and have you read the board today? Not only do we discuss the notes together as I write them but I do a review at the beginning and end of each day.
Common sense would indicate that if I wrote the notes, studied the notes, or at least refered to the board, I would know what to do next.
VERY VERY Frustrating indeed.
Please Advise
Cheryl,
Thank you for these targeted comments. This is a very common situation for many of us in today's adult education community. We are trying to overcome our students' secondary experiences and lack of academic preparation is a short span of time while teaching them career skills. This is a tough challenge because of student attitudes and lack of self discipline. I do know I am still going to maintain the standards of the field and try to move my students toward those standards because to do any less is to be unfair to my field and the preparation my students are receiving. I know we are going to lose students but this is after all post secondary education where students have chosen to enroll and they need to learn how to meet the standards that are set for them in a professional and adult manner.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
