Hi Carol,
The more real we can make a concept. The more buy in you will get from students. Students like hearing practical stories that are applicable to the lesson.
Patricia
Hi Robert,
Any time you can share a practical experience to show course relevancy, do so. Seeing is believing. Students get it, this way.
Patricia
Hi Barbara,
Students love seeing examples as to what is required of them. Being shown an example can certainly add clarity as well as motivation to students.
Patricia
Hi Matthew,
When students understand how they can benefit either or both personally/professionally, they have a better grip of the relevancy.
Patricia
This is great. I do the same with my students, especially in Investment in Success (our college survival skills class). I acknowledge up front that this class can definitely have a "why am I here? aspect to it, so I ask them what they think the course will be about, and what they would like to learn from it based on that perception. Then I ask them about their own experiences in prior educational settings. Many of them have had some negative experiences in past classes, and a great many of them have not been taught the kinds of skills the class will cover. By drawing upon their own personal experiences and feelings, I begin to establish very quickly this course will offer them skills and practices that will help them be successful in the classroom, in their work and in their personal lives.
I use examlpe copys of my class before theirs..
I love teaching math because students often don't see the relevancy, but it is fun showing them how vital it really is. Also, if they are not taking their studies seriously, I remind them that mistakes can cost patient's their lives. I've even shown videos of cases where patient's were injured due to the negligence of the hospital or pharmacy staff. This usually gets the students attention and they pay much more attention to the class material.
I try to bring my work experiences into class so the students can actually get an understanding of how the material in class is used on the job. If I can give them practical ideas for the things I am teaching it becomes more meaningful and relevant to the material. Showing them how to prepare a rubber dam takes on more meaning when I bring photos from my work day and show them it in use and tell them why we are using it under specific circumstances.
Hi Robert,
It is vitally important to let students know how the course will benefit them in their career. Students will buy into the course whenever they know that the course will be helpful. Students love knowing that the skill is going to make them marketable.
Patricia
The first day of class I try to give my students examples of how the course content will help them in their careers. For example, if I will be covering mathematics (which they often resist) I illustrate a situation for them where excellent math skills are essential for solving a problem. I then resolve the problem for them on the board and remind them that, by the end of the course, they will all have the knowledge required to solve similar problems on their own. I also remind them how marketable these skills are in the workplace.
I, too, like to use concise examples of my experiences in the real world. I also examine the courses required in the student's chosen field of study and try to make as many connections and applications to the skills he/she has mastered in previous courses. Too often, students do not understand how one course relates to another. Students have told me they try to get through each session using the "learn and dump" method. They concentrate hard on learning the content for the current course, then dump their knowledge before beginning the next one. I would like to change that by showing relevancy between the various courses.
I love teaching my student's math, but I've found that many of them think they'll never use it in the real world. Then I show them all sorts of situations in the pharmacy where they'll need to use these mathematical formulas in order to do their job and suddenly they become much more interested!
jUANITO, i DO THE SAME. Students want somethiong like this from the instructor.
I like to find out what the students are majoring in and then relate the class to their particular major. This gets them interested right off the bat.
I teach Sociology to health care students. I ask them how they would apply sociological theory to the health care industry. This helps them to bridge the gap between theory and the real world.
Hi Ruth,
Students want to and need to know how the course applies to their career. Knowing this information generates excitement and interest in the course content.
Patricia
Hi Evelyn,
Absolutely! Content should always be applicable to the real world, and it is great to let students know how skills will prepare them for the workplace.
Patricia
Hi Jo Ann,
Super! What a great way to make the textbook theory applicable to the real world by bringing in documents that are used in the workplace and a guest speaker presenting content.
Patricia
I show relevancy by simply comparing the information to experiences I have encountered in the field, and then used the information to explain how I sloved the problem.
by Ruth Whitaker
By showing relevancy of course content, the student will be able to learn the course content and or master the skills necessary be successful in their careers easier.
