Hi Ricky,
This is a good strategy. The more you can show students you understand where they are and that you have been a student yourself the greater the connection with them will be.
Gary
Relate to the students on a personal level of when you were in their "shoes" and how over the years how applicable and relevant the learning material is. Give real life examples of how the material is utilized.
Peer teaching, feedback, games,
I teach audio recording, one technique I have found very rewarding and motivating to the student is to approach studio projects as if they are working for a record label. This gives the student both the exposure to real world simulation while let them experience the joy expressing their creative side.
One that I have use is to allow students to know that I have disabilities and that I have succeeded. I also let students know that I believe in them and that I am here for them from thier first day in class with me until I watch them cross the stage at graduation (somethime even after).
Instructors at career colleges need to know thier students and understand that they have lives outside of schools that can hinder thier educational journey. We need to be flexible to help them along that journey.
Hi Rose,
Where to you get your success stories that you use in your classes?
Thanks.
Gary
Some of my student-motivating techniques are to give them frequent, early, positive feedback that supports their beliefs that they can succeed; to ensure opportunities for their success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult; by helping them find personal meaning and value in the taught material; by creating an atmosphere that is positive; open, friendly, and collaborative.
enthusiasm and personal stories about success, failures and overcoming adversity can all help
success stories are great for motivation.
I agree that using real world examples is a motivation tool for my students.
By, Edwardo Mojena
There are many ways but the best way for me is participation I believe it creates motivation within the students.
I like to have my students work in groups to motivate each other. When we do presentations the group presents, then their peers get to evaluate them. It is always good to have feed back from the instructor, but the peers can play a huge motivational aspect by pushing the presenters to do well. Most people want to be respected by their classmates, so having their peers evaluate them motivates the students to do well. Also I like to have open discussions and offer small rewards (candy, food, extra hands on time...) for the participants.
Hi Shaun,
Good way to help your current students see their future. Sometimes they get bogged down in going to school and need someone like a successful graduate to remind them that they will soon be there if they put forth the effort.
Gary
Let each student share their own success story.
Have a guest speaker in to share their success story.
Show examples of how positiveness has happened.
I frequently bring in senior students and/or students that have finished their schooling and are working in the field. I have them share their experiences and some of the "do's" and "dont's" of the profession. I teach a beginning x-ray class, so I will bring in x-rays from other students and discuss them.
Sharing your sucess in the field by realting it to thier laerning process. Have the students do role playing to show that it is possible for them to succeed
Hi Shinika,
What are some games, activities and projects that you use in your classes that have been effective and well received by students? Thanks for sharing these ideas with us.
Gary
Games, projects and hands on.
(1) Recognize the source for a student’s motivation: (a) to make new friends in a different setting different than one to which they would normally be exposed; (b) complying to instructions from someone else; (c) to give back to their community and to prepare to be contributors to the human race with their newly developed skills; (d) to advance their careers; (e) to relieve boredom, and my favorite (f) to learn for learning’s sake. The most befuddling one is motivation that comes from a mysterious source: the student knows the reason for his/her desire to complete the course and for that student that is good enough.
(2) Show students how my course will help them attain their goals. Lay out a well-organized sequential learning path for them.
(3) Allow students to work on projects that reflect their own learning needs and interests.
(4) Understand how a student is likely to respond to conflict.
(5) Provide reinforcement that supports their learning by providing immediate feedback on submitted work.
(6) Use high point values when scoring their work.
(7) Establish ways students can earn bonus points that enable them to acquire additional skill sets or complete personal projects.
(8) Look for ways to reinforce each student as they progress through the course.
(9) Provide students with techniques that enable them to learn, store, retrieve, and apply the new information and skills they are learning.
(10) Draw out the components of the students' episodic memories and then create a tie to their semantic memory bases. Episodic memory is memory for events that students have personally experienced. Semantic memory is memory (usually verbally based) of facts and concepts about the world that surrounds the student.
(11) Offer students learning techniques that will assist them in learning content for application.
(12) Know my content, know the student, create an environment where students can take risks, and transcend the message by becoming believable.
(13) Focus on student success and excitement about the field.
(14) Practice expertise, empathy, enthusiasm, and clarity.
(15) Require only work which demonstrates mastery or meeting of an objective; give students reasonable amounts of work and make sure the assignments are within their grasp
Being positive and encouraging seems to help motivate students. I agree success stories always seem to help motivate students.
