Maria,
This is a good point. Mentally students need to be ready to be students and this involves knowing they have in place the needed supports such as child care and transportation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dennis,
I think this is a great idea because as students get tired or worn down during a course reminders like this can perk them back up and get them refocused on the reasons they are in school.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I enjoy telling the stories as well. It also helps me to keep from being bored! I try to make it fun as well as making it relevant to the students.
I think it really begins in the admin office.I feel sometimes they push the student to start and they are not fully prepaired with day care, transportation, whatever.IT SEEMS THIS IN TURN IS WHY THEY LEAVE.
I have my students write a paragraph on why they are in the class or program (about 5 sentences). If (when) they get discouraged I review their paragraph with them. This focuses their attention on the long view.
Ginger,
Thanks for making this point because I know it will be helpful to other instructors. Your experiences are as fresh because they often will have happened in the day of the class. Also as a practicing attorney you are able to share with your students the ways law as changed or is being practiced in relation to the content that is being studied. I think this greatly increases the value of your course to students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I add professional anecdotes into every lecture. Because I continue to practice law, my stories changes every session. Any time I provide a "real-life" example, the conversation and discussion comes alive!
Tamara,
What a great strategy to use. You not only have your students focused on Thursdays and the articles but you have them engaged every day of the week leading up to Thursdays. They are taking the content of the class outside and into their lives as the search for the articles and learn about what topic they are going to discuss. The example you gave is a good one because it involved two of your own students who had a story to tell that was well beyond the topic of the housing market. Their stories made the discussion real and this is what learning should be about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Diego,
Very important point. Empathy goes a long way in earning the respect of students while helping you to develop rapport with them. The result will be students that are invested in themselves and their future.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach Business Administration courses and with today's economy,it is very easy to find relevant subjects. Every Thursday I ask students to bring in an article either from the web, the newspaper, or relevelant magazine (Time, Business Weekly) regarding a certain business topic. Last week we did our class discussion on whether the housing market is actually improving in Ohio and the United States or not. The students had a lot of varied opinions. I actually have two students who have lost their homes to foreclosure. While this obviously was very sad, their insight into how they ended up in this position (one had a sick child with high medical bills and another had lost his job) we learned a lot about the road they traveled to get to the point of having lost their homes. The other students listened intently to their stories and asked wonderful questions. In the end, the students agreed that overall things are better than 2008, but stil not good enough. They love Thursdays and start telling me at the beginning of the week about articles they have found for the end of the week discussions!
The best retention strategy is empathy; if you understand and care about students, you can challenge them making them feel comfortable. You must deliver what you are supposed to deliver; students are our customers.
Lewis,
Good way to show the human side of your professional style while getting them engaged in the course right from the beginning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
From the first moment of class I try to build a positive attitude among the students letting them know (many are returnees) I intend to be fair and nurturing and supportive in being successful learning new knowledge and skills which are transferable to real life.
Bryan,
I use case studies a lot in my classes for the reasons you list. It helps to get the students to thinking about how to solve problems and think critically. In addition, case studies help the students to see the relevancy of what is being taught and this increases the value of the course content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with using humor into a lesson. It can relax students and help them enjoy their learning experience. Also, I think it is very important to learn and use each student's name in the lecture. Placing them in hypothetical situations and asking them how they would respond. It seems that students respond favorably when they are a integral part of the lecture.
Tifany,
This is a good point for instructors to make with their students. We need to help them to see the future they have before them through effort and skill development. Sometimes they forget why they are in school and become discouraged. Helping them to see their future career opportunities gets them ramped up once again.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I feel if and instructor can continously discuss the career field with students he or she will be more willing to make a committment regarding his or her field of choice. I always have my students to research their field of choice because they should be well informed before it's to late to change directions.
Imelda,
This is a great example and one that should really stick in the minds of students. Good communications skills are essential no matter the field so the more value you can help your students to associate with their communication skills and career success the better.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I was struggling to make a connection between English and Graphic Design and Fashion. I, too, was asking myself, "Why should they care?" Then a few of my students had me check out their websites. One student was studying graphic design, and the other was studying fashion. I have to say that the grammar on each of their sites was completely off! Now, I tell my students that learning proper grammar is critical to their career goals. I say, "You never know who could be looking at your site. It could be a firm wanting to hire but if that firm sees your incompetency in grammar, you may be ignored." I also remind them about the importance of effective writing skills since many of the students hope to start their own business.
Alicia,
This gets everyone involved in the discussion process. So the more Q&A sessions the more sharing.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
