I think this is true in some cases, but a lot of the students aren't versed enough in their professional careers to have something to bring to the table; these inexperienced ones may be easier to motivate in that we can conduct activities to aid their sense of the material's relevance, but harder to motivate in that, if the material IS relevant, they may still not know what to do with it.
When I teach I like to give the students as realistic a scenario I can of how they can/are going to be using the information I am teaching. If I can get them to understand how the knowledge will be used, I feel I have done my job.
Acknowledging success in the classroom for the greatest number of students
Adult students are mostly motivated when they are given the possibility of bringing their professional experience to relate with the new knowlege being imparted,when they see the application of what they are being taught in their careers.
i try to get in there and work with the students, hands on. try to show them how much fun it is.
sharing a personal story that relates to the course you are teaching.
In discussions I always encourage them to share their experiences and I will highlight for them the good they can learn from it and how to see the positive side of these events.
As an Instructor, I will guide my students efectively through the job market and the requirements for the job. I will give lively examples of the pioneers and the outstanding persons in the particular field and I will discuss their biography and their commitment towards success. I will use all the available media and the resources to find interesting material and subject to motivate my students accordingly.
I like to motivate my students by sharing stories of things they will be doing when the graduate. You don't always get to see the fun stuff when you are learing. I try to bring some of the fun or different cases from my full time job into my classroom so that students can see what their careers hold for them. Once they get excited about what they can do with their new found skills they tend to get excited about the course work.
I think some effective motivation techniques for a career college student are to allow them to use personal experience, allow them to make some decisions and to employ autonomy,and to show how the material is relevant to their fields.
Hi Nolan,
This is where WIIFM comes into play. They have to see What's In It For Me. Once they see that then the light comes on and they get really excited about the education they are receiving.
Gary
This is a really good idea, because I am always surprised at the lack of basic computer skills that some of my students have. Showing them how to get organized, I would imagine, would also give them a feeling that they could succeed in their courses! Great idea.
Hi Stacey,
Nothing generates excitement like success. Your approach of having graduates come in and guest speakers from the field are great ways to generate that excitement. Excitement by students gets we instructors excited as well. It is win win for everyone.
Gary
I really prefer to share my personal experiences from the field and have students share theirs as well. It really makes for good connections of the material to real life situations. To add to that, I use a lot of case studies relevant to the current topic.
I agree that pointing out how the material will be used in their chosen profession is of utmost importance. If students think they are simply learning for a test, they will often times not be deeply interested in the class.
Relating past experiences both by the instructor and the students have helped to motivate my classes.
I keep my students motivated by sharing my personal success stories with the class. The stories I share usually reflect on what we learned that day. In the past I have had guest speakers come out or recent graduates to share there experiences. By sharing stories with my students I believe this keeps them motivated!
Informing the student of the all the exciting, fulfilling, and fun things to expect in their careers
Hi Kurt,
This is a great way to remain fresh and excited about your courses. Everyone wins with an approach like this since you will be excited about the course and this will rub off on to the students.
Gary
I find that my biggest hurtle to get over when it comes to enthusiasm while teaching is that if I've been in a course too long, I start to get bored with it. The end result is that I can feel my performance getting stale. The students can pick up on it and they become difficult to motivate. I've worked out a plan with my supervisor to keep me rotating through the other courses I instruct so that I can stay excited about the material. The end result for the class is a better learning expierience.
