I like to be able to give an example of how the subject skill or knowledge will make their careers more profitable or enjoyable.
Hi Whitney,
This is a very good model for student engagement. Also, it really helps with learning for the students since they have to prepare themselves to be ready to lead the discussions. There is a saying that "Teaching is to learn twice." and I think that applies to this situation.
Gary
One technique I have suggested is to appoint a different student each week as a "teaching assistant" charged with leading the weekly discussion. By giving the student this level of trust, they are empowered and motivated not only to achieve their goals, but also to lead others in that charge. By tasking students with engaging their peers, they must increase their level of engagement and motivation by necessity in order to successfully carry our the task at hand.
First you must know what drives the students to stay enrolled in the program. They need to be encouraged and challenged to keep working and learning. If you can identify what motivates them the most and incorporate it into their learning experiences they will more readily keep interest in the subject and gain success in the field. They need to be supported as wll. Reinforcement is a vital part of learning. The instructor can encourage correct modes of behavior, success and performance. Students have different learning methods that are best for them. These differences in learning must also be a part of the curriculum by lecture, visual aids and hands on demonstrations. By applying what they are learning they will be more motivated to continue to learn. Bobbi Legg
Hi Ashley,
I use guest speakers and field trips as well and they always motivate and excite the students just you mentioned. The students start to see where their career preparation is going to take them.
Gary
I bring in guest speakers who have been successful in the field and are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what they do. This motivates students to "see the light at the end of the tunnel" and helps them to be optimistic about their future.
Career school students are generally motivated by successful completion of a task shortly after learning a new concept.
Sharing their own personal experiences gets the students involved in lecture. Also, I know that every surgery we go over, one of my students knows someone who knows someone that has had that particular surgery. They love to tell the personal experience they witnessed during these lectures and demonstrations.
Good afternoon Dr. Meers,
Some examples of effective motivation techniques that career college instructors can use in their classes is to conduct field trips and bring in industry professionals as guest speakers. Taking your students on a field trip that relates to the subject matter in your class provides a hands-on experience which allows them to visualize the concept directly.Networking with local area professionals and having them come into your class to perform a lecture or demo is a great way to reinforce the lessons which you are trying to convey to the students. Sometimes I find that the students are more apt to associate with the material when it is coming from someone who is currently working in the industry. For whatever reason, I think the students can identify with the source and find it to be more credible. The end result often is that they will come up to me and say that they were surprised that what the chef speaker was talking about is the same thing I stressed in class a week ago. When the lessons coincide with one another, it definitely helps to reinforce the credibility of the class as well as the instructor. Another way to motivate students is to lead by example and genuinely show that you are enthused about the topic that you are teaching.
Best regards,
Jason Kupper
Effective motivation includes effective feedback that is personalized and continuous.
To achieve motivation for their students, professional educators can give frequent, early, positive feedback. It is vital that they support a student's belief that they can do well. Often lack of support and lower self-belief are major reasons why students drop out. I also think it is important to tailor activities and assignments so that they are neither too easy, nor too hard. This increases the student's confidence level and raises their own beliefs in their abilities. As with any adult learner, it is also vital to help students find personal meaning and value to the material. Professional educators can also create an atmosphere that is open and positive, creating a 'safe haven' for learning.
Yeah thats good. Sharing thier own successes, stories and live events and then tying those into what is being discussed is a good way to motivate students.
Real life stories are a good motivation tool. Iuse they alot and help the student see themselves doing exactly what I am speaking about. Through real life stories the students and relate the material to the real world and this makes learning more meaningful and realistic which motivates them to want to achieve the same success.
I use assignments and in-class participation to motivate students. If the students can apply real world experience they will be more motivated for the course and in their careers.
The one that I use daily is of moving about within the students and be animated and passionate about what they need to understand.
That is a very interesting point that you made, and one that I will definitely keep in mind as I teach. I think that the human factor is probably one of the most effective motivating factors for students - they just want to know that someone cares what happens to them and values them as a person.
Hi Doris.
I do this to some degree as well. I try to "poll" my students we can break the ice before each class. I might ask simple questions such as "what did you do this weekend" or "based on last week's discussion, what is x, y, and x". I just want them to open up before and during class and play it by ear in order to plan out the questions I ask. Good Job, Chris Graves.
Very true Judy! I first try to get to know my students nicknames while teaching in order to personalize myself with them. If I can do that, then hopefully I can connect with them on a basic level that will grow over the course of the course. Good Job, Chris Graves.
Hi Karl, money isn't a bad thing to discuss, but some students might have a deeper connection to the subject matter, such as a student that loves animals and wants to be a vet. or a student how loves to cook and wants to be a chef. Some students are more motivated by the subject they are learning versus the almighty dollar, but that is just my take on the subject. Good Job, Chris Graves.
There are several examples of effective motivational techniques that can be used in the classrooom to include experience through stories, the use of empathy, showing enthusiasm, and demonstrating clarity. To begin, I can motivate my students by detailing some of my interesting experiences and how those experiences can relate to them. I can also use empathy to adapt my skills in order to teach a group of students by using different instructional strategies. Third, if I show enthusiasm about the subject I am teaching I feel I am better able to keep their attention and they will hopefully share in the excitement as well. Last, as a current student in the university of life, I find that I tend to stay motivated if my Instructors have a clear understand of what they are teaching. Thank you, Chris Graves.
