Hi Jan,
Guest speakers are the best. They can really give a lot of insight as to what takes place in the real world.
Patricia Scales
Hi Tracy,
I love graduate guest speakers; they are by far the best. They really have a lot to share with current students. It makes you proud when a graduate guest speaker comes back to share their experiences.
Patricia Scales
Guest speakers bring new energy and can motivate students by modeling success in their profession and by sharing "real world" employment scenarios. Inviting guest speakers who are employed in traditional roles as well as speakers who have branched into alternative settings can also help students to appreciate the possibilities of staying the course - literally!
Our program is new and we just graduated our first class so this will be a great idea to use with subsequent classes. I would especially like to have a graduate come in the middle of the very first mod which is the most difficult to give the students encouragement to go on. Students will see that yes he/she made it through the program and give them hope and incentive to continue.
Guest speakers are invaluable, especially graduates. These individuals have been where current students are and have over come any challenges. They are great examples of hard work and dedication.
The guest speaker brings in relevance to the course materials as it applies to the career the student is about to begin one day.
Hi Gustavo,
Nicely stated! When you give the students an assignment based on the guest speaker's presentation the students are even more attentive. You must hold students accountable in every way.
Patricia Scales
Patricia et al. – Hope all is well and Happy 2014.
Inviting guest speakers into your classroom can be an effective means to motivate discouraged students, raise issues, present perspectives aside from the facilitator, impart real-life experiences, enhance practical and technical knowledge in the particular field covered in the course, and drive home a specific lesson. However, it is important to focus who to invite into your classroom, and level of relevance and association with the course subject at hand. These are important points to cover, so inattentive or demotivated students see the value of the speaker. In particular, talk to the students (in particular address the “problem studentsâ€) before the class and make sure that they are aware of any expectations you have of them. Relevant questions: Will the material taught by the speaker be covered be on the exam? Are they expected to write a report on the speaker?
Regards.
Hi Renae,
Skyping does have some advantages. One advantage in particular, it may allow more for convenience through time/travel.
Patricia Scales
Using guest speakers is a very good way to encourage and motivate students. Having a student who has graduated the program and is now utilizing what they learned in the working world can help to motivate and encourage. In addition the students will be listening to someone who has had the same challenges they are now facing and can ask ways the graduated student used to cope to gain insight and ideas.
Lisa, I agree with you that guest speakers can add dimension to your course and I like your idea of possibly Skyping someone as a guess speaker. Granted I feel that having someone in person would be the best option; however, Skyping could open up some options for having "experts" or graduates outside my locale. It would also allow for the option of a shortened timeframe to obtain a guess speaker as well. Thanks for the idea!
I always have a guest speaker (former student in the field) to come to class and tell their stories about the real world.
Students value guest speaker who are currently working in the field that they are pursing. This motivates them to keep pushing harder and striving for success. It helps to have a guess speaker who went through some challenges before they were successful.
Hi Alan,
I agree! Guest speakers add a lot of flavor to a course!
Patricia Scales
Hi Rebecca,
I concur! This is a great way for students to have ownership. When a student feel they have ownership, they will become involved.
Patricia Scales
They will be able to make the correlation between what they are learning and someone that is in the profession.
I have found that having a guest come in to speak, especially if it is a person that has completed the class and gone out to the field and become successful is an invaluable asset. Not only are the discouraged students prone to listen to one of their peers, the entire class is often motivated to try harder as they see it is "one of their own" and not just an instructor trying to teach them something. By having a peer motivate the student, the entire ambiance of the class can swing making everything mush more positive.
The guest speaker can motivate a demotivating student. It is because the guest speaker can bring a success story from the real world which can motivate the student.
Hi, Tracy.
Excellent point, Tracy. In "real life," you will have to deal with lots of different people and personalities. Guest speakers shed light on the "real world."
Hi, Asha.
I totally agree. Guest speakers put the "real" in to any classroom setting. I think it is an invaluable way to teach students about "real life."
