Katherine,
This is a powerful part of being an instructor. We need to connect with our students on a personal basis. They need to be able to see us as professionals in our field that care about them and their success. This is what forms the foundation of positive learning opportunities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I know that most of my fond memories of instructors & the classes I attended were built because they became 'real people' & real subjects to me. By sharing and leading through their examples, both successful and questionable, I was invited to be connected and emotionally invested in the content as well as mentally engaged in the lecture.
Now, as an instructor, I find it helpful to recall their stories and personal insights. Both as a way to trigger my memory when getting ready to teach a session and sometimes during a class to re-share "what my teacher said to me" that stuck the info in my memory :) It becomes part of the valuable content I am passing on to the new students.
Jeffrey,
Your comments made me smile because over the years I have learned that many students think that instructors are vapors that exist only during class and then turn into mist. The fact we have life experiences, career knowledge and content to share is often times overlooked. The more we can show and share with them that we have had life and career experiences that can benefit them the more focused they will be on the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometimes it's good to remind students that the instructor actually exists outside of the school building, and shares the same interests and experiences that they do.
Nadia,
Students as you know really like to hear stories from their instructors. These stories give application and value to the content being offered. They give relevancy to what they are learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to add personal experience to all my lectures. You are dealing with adult learners and sometime you have to make sure that they understand that you have lived a life also and you havebeen through some of the things that they may be going through or have been through.
Donald,
Students like to hear stories from the field. These stories help to make the content come alive and show the value of what is being taught to the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Personal experiences are a great way to provide "real world" examples of that relate to the subject matter. I've noticed that during lectures, if I can provide a personal experience that relates to the topic being discussed, the students become more engaged and generally become more likely to ask questions or ask for clarification on subject matter specifics.
Tonya,
Plus students really perk up when their instructor shares a story or experience because the stories help to make the content come alive. Keep sharing! I wish you continued teaching success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I use this method often. It helps reinforce that I am a human, that it is real, etc.
Travis,
I am sure you have noticed how much students perk up when you start one of your stories. These stories help to make the content come alive and increase the value of the information being shared to the students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most of my students appreciate my stories and experiences in the field of Law Enforcement. They realize the situations they may face and can learn from my failures as well as my successes.
Tartesa,
Students really perk up when their instructors share stories and examples from the field. This helps the students to connect the content being taught with their future careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
