Frances,
Well said. The more support you can provide them the closer they can get to their career goals. This makes it a win win situation for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most students who enroll really want to learn. Only very few enroll because a parent wanted them to. These people really want to change their lives. I can structure my classroom and information to their needs and add soft skills to the class and need multiple needs.
Anthony,
You make a very good point on this topic. Some factors are constant just as you say about dealing with life and death.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I personally don't think knowing why the student enrolled in my program will help me plan my instruction. I take into account the various reasons why studens enroll in the program that I teach. I remind the students that they enrolled in a program that patient's depend on us to breath. I do that because not everyone is capable of dealing with life and death.
The reasons for enrolling vary. We have students that say this is what they have always wanted to do and others who don't know what else to do. When you get a feel for why they are here you can address each accordingly and maybe even motivate the ones who aren't sure why they enrolled.
By learning why students have enrolled in a course, you can really use that as motivation to excel that student in your class.
Patricia,
This is a good connecting point for students. Knowing why they enrolled will enable you to customize your writing assignments and they get to express themselves in relation to the life experiences they have had. A win win for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This method helps me to customize writing assignments to enhance the students' skills for their career purposes.
It is very important to know the reason why your student is in your class. It will show whether the student is serious in making a career, or is interested i furthur studies or you can motivate the student if you come to know that the student is i your class because the parents pushed their child to school. You can motivate and reinforce the reason for them to attend school and succeed in their goals.
Holly,
I agree with your comments about the value of knowing why a student is in the class. This information serves as a building block for respect and rapport for the duration of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think knowing why a student is even in your class can help you as the instructor find ways to motivate them. For instance, if they are there because of a need for a career change, help them see how their previous skills can be applied to this new role. If they are their because someone forced them to be, take the time to find out if they really want to be there or facilitate the process of finding other options or alternatives for that student. It might also help you plan topics or areas in which small group discussions may be more beneficial.
Joseph,
Yes, it does. Knowing they have lost their previous employment and are seeking to expand their skill sets and knowledge lets you know that they are going to be trying to meet the requirements of your course. They have specific career goals and they are going to work hard to achieve them. Other students may be there because their parents made them come. They will have different goals for your course. The more you know about them the more you will be able to target your instruction.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This helps the instructor a great deal. It allows the instructor to develope rapport with the students. It also can assist the instructor by understanding each students learning style.
Stacy,
Right you are about the value of having this information. The more we know the more accurately we will be able to customize our instruction to meet student needs.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Melissa,
I think this is a great tool for student encouragement and motivation. There is a level of personal accountability that goes with filling out the card and putting their name on it. A simple way of helping them continue their forward progression to their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Pixie,
I agree that having this information helps instructors to be able to connect more with students and support their learning needs. In addition this forms the foundation for the development of rapport with students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Amanda,
Having this information really enhances the instructor's abilities to make a connection with the students to support the human side of career development. This forms the foundation of rapport between the instructor and students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The more details the instructor has as to the reason for the students enrollment, the easier it is to taylor the course information to meet the students needs and the more successful the instructor will be in retaining the student.
As a learning tool for myself, to help me build future assignments and to keep the students motivated, I do post card exercise on day one of class. I pass out blank cards to all of the students and on one side, they write down the top 3 reasons why they chose to come to school. Once they are finished, I ask them to turn the card over and write their name and address on it. It's at that point that I tell them that if they start to get off track with their work or attendance, I am going to mail them their card to remind them of the important decision they made to motivate them to continue to come to school. I have found that sometimes when a student writes something down and then puts their name on it the more likely they are to take it serious. Many times our students get sidetracked with "life" and they need to be reminded that "life" will always be there however, they can change the outcome of theirs with an education and a good job.
I believe that it helps knowing why the student enrolled in college because it can help you to keep them motivated. I think that sometimes students get discouraged and even tired of school and if you know why they enrolled then you can help remind them.
