ED102
Transferring newly acquired skills to actual workplace settings is always a challenge for the teacher. I like to employ as many teaching techniques as I can: groups, large and small; hands on activities; interesting lectures; and field studies where possible. It gives the student a chance to pick up on their own learning skills and also try out new ways to look at a subject.
Robert,
You make a good point about personal accountability. It has to be an integral part of the learning process. Students need to see that it is up to them to be successful. Their instructors can do only so much in terms of supporting them, it is up to them to acquire the knowledge and skills of the field.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The only problem with trying to utilize so many techniques, is that you haven't got enough time to do all of that and also teach all the material that the course syllabus says must be covered. Perhaps if one requires the students to motivate themselves, as is done most times in the workplace, they will learn skills that will prove successful in their career and can learn materials that can now be covered in sufficient depth.
I think this may be a bit easier with adult students because you can almost always find a student who has actual experience in the area/topic of the day's class. They can explain to the other students how the topic/area is relevant to real world experience. With younger students I have to rely on my own experience or stories I've heard, but I think it's better when it comes from class mates.
