I like to motivate the students about the Diesel Industry that is never ending posibilities for career advancement,also I motivate them with electronics bieng what the Dealers are looking for and will pay more for great diagnostic people.
Your own life experience help and trying to give them an insite to what is going to be inspected of them also that they will make errors but use it as a learning experience an not a failure.As they grow with more field work they will be the person answering those question at one time may have thought to be difficult
Hi Jeff,
This is what "making it real" is all about. By showing students how they can be successful in the workplace while making a good income is a powerful motivator.
Gary
I always try to show excitement for the subject matter. I think they feel if I don't care then they may not care either. I use many personal stories from myself or others I know, especially ones with some humor in them. This keeps them interested and listening.
I also relate what I am talking about directly to profit potential, explaining how they can be quick and efficient and flag much more time than they actually work.
This is a complex area and appears to be hard work. If you concentrate on the aspects of attempting retention you will probably find you may not succeed. This area needs to be almost automatic and part of the delivery in the classroom and lab. You need to remain focused on what the subject matter is and its total content as well as raising the bar higher to achieve best results. Expansion of concepts and techniques is necessary for advanced learning. Insist on the students writing the process and using the information to achieve a diagnostic evaluation. You will have to make this a substantial part of the grade. I use these techniques in my classes will good results.
In electronics class that I teach the first week is the hard to get the student motivated be cause of it being theory. I spend time at the start and have the students write down any electrical issues that the student has seen or has then use them as I go through the first week and all the way through the course. Then have the student look up how much the student would have made out in the automotive filed. As well give the student a very “good job” at the end.
By giving them something to diagnos either in the class or lab and having them use the knowledge of what they have learned. By completing the task they feel more confident and have more motivation as they have less of a fear factor.
I relate my own experieces of the real world in automatic transmissions. A lot of the students only see value in how manual transmissions work and feel that they will never really need to repair an automatic transmission. By making them aware of the fact that most engine related problems lead to customer complaints of automatic transmission shifting and if they have no skill in this area they will be loosing half of their engine work repairs seems to get them very motivated.
Hi William,
You make a good point concerning the use of peers to help with student motivation. I use former students to come and talk with students about their experiences and successes. This really get the student excited about their futures.
Gary
I use examples of how learning the information can help them have the ability to make more money.Using other students and there axperiences that they have had both in and out of the field works well because the students often look at them as peers and sometimes listen more closely.
I get students to particepate in the powerpoint presentation by giving each group a component to look up and give prsentation to class on everything they find out about that component. On Diagnostics I give them excercises with different performance test readings and let them try to figure out the problem and correction to fix the A/C
First i ask what makes them happy. where do they see themself in 2 years.I find the subject they might be weak in and help them be better at that subject I show a lot of my passion for this feild and i know that helps them stay motaveted. It seems to me if people see you happy and succesful they want what you want
i give my students the opportunity to demonstate what they have learned in a couple ways. 1. By completing a hands-on exercise and 2. By making a presentation to the class about what they know.
I try to motivate my students buy showing to them that this information I am about to explain or the example I am going to demostrate is neccessary for them learn to be able to be successful in the real world job inviroment.
Teaching electronics in the automotive industry makes it easy to show the relevance of the course. Students generally accept the fact that they need to know electronics. The motivation comes from showing excitement for the material and demonstrating that it is not difficult. Their assumption from the beginning is that electronics is something that they do not like because they have no understanding and may start out with a lot of hesitation because they “know” it is going to be very hard to learn. Walking thru simple steps and taking something that they may initially find difficult but breaking it down to were they are realizing that this electrical “stuff” is not a big deal.
Hi Fred,
Good strategy for showing both application and relevancy to your students. They can see the value in dollars and satisfaction they are acquiring to create a future for themselves.
Gary
In A/C class I try to emphasize how much money there is to be made in A/C- especially here in Phoenix. I also point out that much of A/C is clean, easy work, where they can earn a good income without a whole lot of effort. In electrical class, the emphasis is on how knowledge of electricity is vital- EVERYTHING on modern cars involves electricity.
when in lab I use the students own cars to show lessons or demonstrate inspections so they see value in the material.
THe best way is to show excitement for the material and the opportunity they can have if they are willing to invest in the class and the subject matter. Another way is to tell them about the successes and cballenges in the field so the get reality. Encouraging the students to continue to do their best and not giving up is great advice for all.
Hi Chuck,
This is a great example that can be used by students in their own career development. By you having the needed skills you were able to retain your employment. This is a classic example of how to keep a job. Be prepared for it in a way that sets you apart from others.
You are right this is how Plan B becomes Plan A very easily since it is built on necessity.
Gary
