Chad,
How do you help them share their goals with you? Do you have them write them down or is it through a general class discussion?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Knowing what their end goal is will help you help them reach it.
Shalanda,
I agree with you about the importance of knowing why students enroll in a program and specially a course. This insight can really help with customizing your instruction for that group of students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
When students tell you why they enroll, it helps to accomplish their long term goals. Some adult learners take steps in achieving their goals and if they are weak in a certain subject area they can build confidence up to reach their goals. I have a lot of students who take courses for MA then continue on to nursing school.
Reasons for enrolling in a school/program/class varies with each individual. Be that from being unemployed and needing to find a new skill/trade to wanting to further their education to I had to to keep my parents off my back.
Knowing which category each student fits into helps me as instructor to identify the learning needs of the student, how to motivate and keep the interest of each individual student. This information also helps me prioritize lesson plans, discussion forums and helps to identify the needs of each student to help them succeed.
Knowing this helps you understand what their stake is in succeeding in the course and college in general. Students whose families insisted the 'get a degree' and also students who have financial aid that they 'must' use or lose often don't perform as well as other students. They don't have that self-given direction or end goal in sight which which some of the other students enter the course.
As an instructor, this raises the bar for me. Now I have to find some connection to them that gets their interest and keeps them participating. Sometimes I have seen group projects help with this- they were not interested in a topic based on how it related to themselves, but were more interested after hearing it through a classmate's eyes.
My class provides them with the WIIFM factor. They need the skills to be successful in all their other classes - as well as in their chosen field.
Knowing your students movtivation for enrollment is a very usefull in determining thier passion and long term goals for the programs. It is important to know these aspects so that the facilitator can guide the class and learning style to meet the needs of the entire class.
I agree Anthony. It is all about the motivation. I always talk to the classes about my history and my love of the field that I am in. I tell them that it has always been good to me and let them know that it can be good to them as well. That is financially, as well as, enjoyment of the position.
It will help me to know why students are enrolled in school to let me know their level of motivation. The lesson discussed students enrolling by self desire as well as some being required by possibly the law to meet requirements. It is important to know that either of these can be strong motivators. I always remind them that no matter what made them come to school in the first place, the end results are the same. They will be educated and trained to meet the demands of a new career, and they will be able to make money. Money is nearly most everyone's motivator.
Ivy Joy,
Good way to get feedback from the students and create a plan for yourself. This is going to help other instructors as do their instructional planning. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Gary
Day one I tell/let my students write in clean separate sheet of paper asking what motivated them to enroll in this field,their goals and how do they picture themselves 10yrsfrom now. That way, I will know how, what and lay out my plans for the whole module.
Day one I let my students write their goal in clean paper and what motivated them that way I will know how, what and lay out my plan for the whole module.
Knowing why they enrolled will help with the planning of activities used to present material.It also helps to understand why some work better in groups than others.
well, if i view the demographics of my students and why they have enrolled, many were encouraged by their parents to do so. When this occurs, there's a need to push the students harder because some do lack the self-movation. Of course, this is not easy!
Howard,
This is what makes teaching fun. Seeing the students turn on the light bulb of learning while expanding their knowledge base. They are developing a more global perspective through the content you are sharing with them while making application of that knowledge in the class among themselves.
Gary
By being aware of the reason or reasons why a student has chosen to enroll in a particular program, I can become even more intentional in relating a topic for discussion or "lecture" to his/her specific area of interest. For example, I am presently teaching an intro to world religions course. The majority of my "nine" students are in a business management degree program. Given the number of internationals in our area, several of my students have commented on how our study of Hinduism has better prepared them to understand a customer or client from India. In fact some mentioned the excitement they felt when they discovered the religous background of their new acquaintance!
I have referenced reasons why students have chosen to enroll in my program during my lectures or when I am demonstrating a skill. It helps students see how the information they are learning would address the reasons for choosing a particular field, in this case, Medical Assisting.
It is true that different students have there own reasons for returning to school. Individuals now see the value of education in the workforce.
Our students are comprised of some recent high school graduates and much older individuals who may not have had the opportunity to attend a college when they graduated or left high school.
Our younger students want to set an example for there children and possible begin a new cycle in their family. I can see the pride of accomplishment and achievement in our older adult learners. The older adult learners are very diciplined and focused. Not leaving the younger learners out- a lot of them are focused also however there is a difference with the older students.
I have found that if I can relate what we are learning to what the students want to do when they graduate the students have more enthusiasm toward the topic and retain it better.
