Finding out what program students are entered in and what their goals are help me give them examples that apply to them.
Hi Lori,
No question about it. The more students can see themselves in the examples you give and the career plans you help them develop the more real the course becomes. They start to see that this is their future and they have to work hard at shaping it if they are going to be successful in the career field they have chosen.
Gary
Hi Mark,
You are right about the need for constant reinforcement. Students need to know that they are on target and that they are being successful in the course. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Marshall,
The use of real life examples and/or case studies are powerful teaching tools. Your experiences help you to set the stage for students to take these experiences and then develop solutions to the problems presented. The good thing is since they are situations from your past you can share with them how they worked out so the students gain valuable knowledge from both the example as well as the solution.
Gary
Immediate feed back on assesed material as well as informal projects.
Learning names first day.
Showing respect to students.
Using individual students life experiences to enhance learning for entire group
I teach a Career Development class, and I think discussing the job market and different types of jobs in the student's field of interest is a motivator to them to learn how to find and get those jobs. In many cases, the reason the students have enrolled is to facilitate a promotion or career change, so I think relating the course content to their career (or potential career) increases their interest in the material.
Constant reenforcement of what a great job they are doing.Durning assesments I let the student give me feed back on what was correct and incorrect, I empower them to be part of the grading process.
Hi Cheri,
What great experiences your students are having. With all of the different parts of the culinary world located within traveling distance to your school your students get to see their next career step in action. This has to get them excited and motivated as you mention. If it doesn't then nothing will. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I like to use past experiences in the class room when applicable.
Some times students have difficulty understanding tasks in the class room and have a hard time understanding the relevance. I find when I can interject a past experience, how I handled it and what the outcome was; the students can then have a better understanding of the importance of the task.
I find these experiences can at times be more helpful in the students understanding than just reading related text or listening to lecture on the subject.
Hi Kenneth,
I am a big fan of role playing as well. I find that I get the same results that you listed. Plus, the students really like to work through the case studies and then role play solutions with different outcomes. Everyone gets involved in the process.
Gary
In our case being a culinary school, we can use local resurants and chefs as examples to motivate students. Sometimes we take the students out to local resturants to see what is going on and talk to the chefs and if that is not possible we have them come into the school. For our wines class we take the students to a winery, and for our Hospitality and Resturant Managemnt Program, since our school is located in a downtown area with several hotels in walking distance, we try to visit some of them.
I like to use role playing in my classes as it prepares the student for the "real world." The exercises stimulates critical thinking, recall, as well as hands on training. As the students role play in front of their peers, they become motivated and competitive to be the best in the class.
Hi Lisa,
Right you are. Students do like to hear these kinds of stories. The mistakes stories generally bring a laugh or two as well. They really help the students to remember your points when you reinforce them with real life examples.
Gary
Hi Charles,
You have a good idea. I will be interested in hearing how it works. In other settings this model has worked extremely well and I am sure you and your other instructor are going to be pleased with the results of how your students can learn from each other.
Gary
Hi Brian,
You are right that this type of award or something like it might not work for everyone, but something will. The key is to try and find what really captures the interest and motivation of a student and then help them work toward that goal, be it a job, award or personal satisfaction.
Gary
Hi Warren,
Thank you for that information. Good ideas about how to keep the students engaged in the process even when they aren't on-site.
Gary
As an instructor at a culinary school I like to tell the students stories of what I experienced in the real world. These are always related to the technique demonstrated but are also very funny mistakes I've made or ridiculous situations involving the product. I find that the stories not only keep them engaged but also tend to bring in the more quiet students who may be able to relate to the mistake. Telling the students of my own mistakes in the industry makes them feel more comfortable with their learning because it shows that success not only comes with time and practice but also not without failing a few times first.
Another instructor and I are working together to bring a class that has just started the program and a class that is near the end together to learn. Our idea is the students near the end of the program can teach the new students some of the concepts. Although we have yet to try it I think it is going to be a very motivating experience for all involved. The older students will have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to new students and the new students will see that as they learn they will have an opportunity in the future to teach others. I am really excited about this lesson, so it brings me motivation as well.
When I was a student at the facility I've been hired to instruct at I wanted to be the best in my rotation. Not being great at anything I had previously done I had finally found my niche. The school offered a top level award for overall performance. It motivated me to be the best I could be. While not working for everybody this form of motivation can be very powerful for some students.
thanks for asking Gary. Most of my teaching is online so I like to use a combination of rubrics for assignments and comment sections in the various "grade books." I do my best to ensure that the feedback is given within 24 hours of the due date for the assignment. When the opportunity presents, I also encourage them via email or their personal forums.
