Hi Gregory,
Rapport building is important. Students will buy in if a relationship is established.
Patricia
I teach a basic class, which I think makes it easier to use life lessons, life examples. I used current newspaper articles, students share and we ask the student if we can use their information for class discussion. We set rules for these discussions.
Creating personal interest is key. It ensures student "Buy-in"
Help the student realize/interalize the benefits to their job or personal goals. I teach motorcycle safety as well as teaching people to ride...so the tie-in I use in this course is to show the student examples of how this course could save their lives...now the learner has a personal interest in the course.
Easy! I teach Computer Applications and it is like rock 'n roll -- it's here to stay!
With computers all around us for every possible use, it is easy to correspond what we do in the classroom not only to everyday personal life, but, obviously, to the work place.
Show with professional examples such as business letters (cover letters to respond to employment), mail merge (works for personal holiday mailing lists also), spreadsheets (personal budgets), QuickBooks (speaks for itself!), Publisher (family newsletters), how to learn (effective searching of the Internet for business & personal learning). Field trips to see other programs, including proprietary programs, in use. Different uses for Excel other than accounting / spreadsheet type work.
PowerPoint or Word for signs. The list is endless!
I believe that it is always very beneficial to site previous jobs, and instances were this information was used or neded. I am a computer teacher, so whether it be Spreadsheets or Database I am able to site instances were knowlege of these programs really streamlined work required. Computers are in every aspect of an operation, from the Accounting Department to Human Resources, I can always outline and express were these programs are useful.
As a nutrition instructor in the culinary field, many students dread the course and can't see the relevancy to their line of work - after all, they came to the school to cook. At least those are the comments relayed before the start of the class. I address these at once by opening discussion on how the culinary world is changing to include healthful cooking as the mark of a successful chef. I point to the National Restaurant Association's web site, where nutritional papers and tips are posted, career choices in health care (which can pay very well!), personal catering gigs with families who want gourmet food that is good for them and play up how they'll feel putting healthy food in front of clients, knowing that they are not just serving a great meal, but good health. By the end of the term, I'm always surprised by how many student ask for my help in pursuing a career in the nutrition field!
As a faculty member at a vocational school, relevancy is easy, with a few exceptions. When syudents are faced with a course that they think is irrelevant, I first ask them why they think so. Nest, I address each issue that they bring up in an attempt to show them how well rounded a workforce member they will become once they have successfully completed all of their courses, and not just the ones that hold the most interest for them.
Hi Gretchen,
Whenever you can make the example applicable to the real world, students generally understand the relevancy. It makes more sense to the students when it is real.
Patrica
In my particular situation , I am teaching three seperate courses, but all within Culianry Arts.
Food safety/ Career Portfolio/ Culinary Foundations
I tie everything back to food and the industry.
For instance in Career porfolio, a class that teaches self marketing, can esaily be related back to a menu, or bill of fare. This way the student can correlate the relevancy.
As they promote and market their food, they can employ some of the same techniques in their portfolio development.
Bringing in real world scenarios that relate to topic also beocomes effective.For instance, how will the Gulf oil spill affect the food industry, and what other opportunites may arise from this that may help benfit the industry.
A way to show studies relevance is to show real-world examples. I teach speech, and we talk about why this is an important skill for the future.
Hi Joseph,
Whenever students see a connection to theory and application, they automatically develop a greater interest and the right attitude for learning. My beliefs are identical to those of John Dewey. Make things real for students so that they can better function in the real world.
Patricia
An instructor should make practical connections to theories and concepts learned in class often. John Dewey believed that knowledge without real-world application was essentially useless and thus to him, schools functioned in order to prepare students for life and living in a society. When students try to argue that certain subjects are useless, primarily because they have no interest in the subject and/or they think the subject is too difficult, they are told that in their career, they will encounter problems that have less-than-obvious solutions and the subjects that challenge them prepare them for future professional obstacle.
This is something I try to do in every class period. I teach office administration skills. When we are talking about telephone calls, messages, etiquette, and skills, I relate examples of calls I have taken over the years. There are clients who want to keep talking when you have other things to do. There are clients who don't really know what they want. There are upset, nasty, and rude clients. I also try to give examples of things that can happen when talking about filing and putting things in alphabetical order. For example, if a patient has an emergency, and you have not filed the records in order according to office protocol, the record may not be found in a timely manner, which will have various repercussions.
Hi Nicole,
Guest speakers are the best! Students really benefit from guest speakers. My favorite guest speakers are GRADUATE guest speakers.
Patricia
I am an instructor in a Massage Therapy Program. I like to share "real life" experiences as well. Not only my own, but I often invite guest speakers into my class. They demonstrate, lecture, offer do's and dont's, and much needed firsthand knowledge to my students. I sometimes feel students can take on a sense of familiarity with their instructors, and may feel as though they are being offered opinions or advice. Having speakers come in from the outside, can only help to validate what I cover in class.
Giving actual examples of putting the information to use. Using information from the Nutrition class to modify a cheese cake recipe.
By substituting low fat cream cheese in place of full cream cheese and using olive oil to replace some of the butter in the crust.
Hi Terry,
Absolutely! It is important for students to know they why...how are they going to benefit from learning the material.
Patricia
Learning course material can be confusing as students try to comprehend concepts. Although it may be overwhemling it is essential to embrace it's relevancy and application. The more students understand subject material the greater the desire to learn.
I have been a trial attorney for the past 32 years, specializing in medical malpractice and personal injury law. When I teach my classes I try to show the relevancy of the topics to the issues that my students will encounter in their future careers as paralegals by relating the topics to cases that I have tried before juries. By doing this I try to interest the students in leading discussions based on how they would analyze each situation if they were on a jury trying to decide a potential case. This approach really seems to interest the students because it requires them to think carefully about each topic we are discussing.
