Engaging Student
Keeping students active in class will assist in keeping them allert and receptive to the information. Relating the material to any past experience will show a form of relevance to the material being covered. It will make the material more relatable.
Maribeth,
Good advice for all instructors to follow. We need to step back and reflect on what is and is not working. Then we can create a new strategy to follow and start with an enhanced approach.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As an instructor, when I begin to feel that there is a disconnect with my students, I step back and revisit my previous lessons. More often than not, I fall in the place of "over teaching". I can usually create a fun, and creative way to trim down the material. Students usually get excited for the informal and relaxed new lesson plan.....
Norma,
Students really like hearing stories from the field and experiences their instructors have had. These stories help to make the content come alive and have value to them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Always blending your life experiences with your theory gives students engage in class.
Misty,
Students like a change of pace and variety in their learning sessions so the more you can do these two the more you will have your students stay on task. The sharing of past experiences always perk them up because they love hearing about how things are done the field. Helps to make the content more relevant to them.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a fairly new instructor I am finally realizing the importance of keeping the students active. I do enjoy bringing past experiences or recent articles that relate to the lecture.
Lucinda,
So true. Stories from the field help to make the content come alive. These stories help students to see themselves in such situations. They become a venue for them to see their future through the examples shared. In addition, these stories illustrate that their instructors have had real world experiences and know what they are talking about in relation to course content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Relating current materials you are teaching to a story from the field is what brings the students to class everydays. They live for instructors field experiences and it makes them excited to get in the field and have their own personal experiences.
I do believe that students enjoy researching and providing information to their classmates. I like to see their faces light up as they present the new informaton to their classamtes.
Tricia,
I know they do because these stories reinforce the content being taught. This helps to sell the content and they see how they can use this information as a result of the story shared or example used.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do believe that students enjoy hearing about the field that they are about to enter. It keeps things real for them and something for them to look forward to.
Vatina,
I agree and use ice breakers to start all of my new classes. The students enjoy them and I learn so much about their life experiences during them. This sets the stage for a successful and engaging class to come.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that student enjoy hearing instructor's background of the field. An ice-breaker is very important to me because students who are entering the field with no experience are curious. Therefore as an instructor, I provide them with several opportunities to choose from. Also during the ice-breaker students provide me with a better understanding where he or she would like to enter the field.
Nanette,
Students love hearing stories about the field. These stories increase the value of the content that is being shared and increases their motivation to learn even more.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Whenever possible I tell the students about an experience that I had in the field. This allows them to relate to the subject and opens up to discussion of maybe some experience that the have experienced or witnessed.
