Hi Joshua,
Luckily for us, most student come in knowing the importance of how to operate various Microsoft packages. It is simple, being proficient in Microsoft makes one extremely marketable.
Patricia
To help students understand why a course is important I try and use stories and examples of the course objectives and how they are used in real world environments. I mentioned in another post that I teach tech courses (into to computers, MS Office, etc.) so I try and stress how these skills are used every day in the business world and people who know how to format documents, build a database or spreadsheet, create effective presentations are needed.
I always explain why it is important for the students to be in any specific class. Everything I teach them will affect their daily lives in the career path they are entering. They need to understand they will be using the skills and knowledge I'm going to give them every single day. I site real world examples and stress the value in the subject matter and how without it, they will be at a great disadvantage or lost completely.
I do it in the lab. I teach diagnostic sonography and the classroom presentations get a little boring, but when you assign them a lab where they have to obtain the image that you were shown in class, it makes them realize that learning normal anatomy, from abnormal anatomy is very crucial
Hi Robert,
My CPR instructors make this same point, "You may have to one day perform CPR on your loved one." This statement is definitely an eye opener.
Patricia
Hi Jenny,
Super! Whenever you can tie the lesson/objectives to real events, students get it!
Patricia
Hi Beth,
Students need to know and have great appreciation when they know that the course will be useful.
Patricia
When I'm teaching my CPR or even the basic first aid class, I tell the reluctant students who say they will never preform these techniques that may at one time or another have loved one who requires first aid. this normally will break thru the unwillingness to learn the material.
In my situation each time a student recongnizes something in the field that they have seen in a book shows relevancy.
I work in the clinical setting and every time i show a student how something they have just done was learned from one of their courses there is a "lightg bulb moment."
I teach political science (State and Local Government; American Government). Showing relevancy is a breeze for me, because there are always current events I can use as illustrations of what we're currently discussing. I like to share newspaper articles with students to help them see the real-world application of the seemingly abstract material they are reading.
Hi James,
When students know that the class will help prepare them for a certification exam and the information will be utilized on the job, they take a keen interest in the course.
Patricia
Give real world examples of how the info will be used. Maybe give my personal work experience examples of how the text info was used.
Hi Beth,
Students need to and enjoy hearing personal stores that are applicable to the content as they apply to their career.
Patricia
Hi Kimberly,
Great response! Students see the importance whenever we make the content applicable to their career. I love using simulations as they appear in the real world.
Patricia
I think it is so very important to correlate all of the curriculum to the "real world." Discussion/video/field trips to the medical field (my classes) are important to stimulate the learning environment. Also, students are interested when realizing the content studied is relevant to the career they are planning on entering in the future!!!
I've tried to do this by bringing in personal experiences of my own and enlisting experiences of my students to show what I'm teaching will be useful.
By including lecture and discussions into everyday life. I strive to make my students aware that in order to be successful in school and their jobs they must know everything and anything to do with the course content.
In each class, I bring the course to life, by including the "real world situations/experiences." Each day we meet, we commute with whats current that will in line with the disscussion topic/outline thats planned for the class.
When allowing the students to understand that this can and will be a apart of their DAILY life, I found out that I have their attention. They understnd, its not about the money, the degree, but about the career choice that I want to fully persue into. It allows the students to open up and allows me, as an instructor, I understand the students more.
Hi Rachael,
When students see that the skills/course can be applied to real life/on the job they have a better appreciation for what is going on.
Patricia
