Using guest speakers as resources
What value is a guest speaker in talking with students who are discouraged or about to quit your course?
I think using recent graduates as guest speakers can motivate discouraged students, but also motivate the entire class as a whole. The graduates can become examples of "if I can do it then you can do it" for the discouraged students.
Hi Alyson,
Yes, you are definitely on point! Guest speakers are living evidence that the goal is achieveable.
Patricia Scales
Hi Brenda,
I agree! Students have to hear us all the time. It is nice when they can hear the same things we have been telling them from an outside professional. Great validation is added when guest speakers tell students what we have told them.
Patricia Scales
This is a great way for students to see the variety of skills that the guest speaker obtained in order to get where they are. They were not successful overnight and their path could enlighten students who may think their goal is out of reach.
I have found that bringing in a guest speaker provides a positive outlook on the industry that the students are pursuing. When we as instructors are talking about the industry, it sometimes falls on deaf ears but is received better from an outside source.
The guest speakers in my classes have motivated my students to not only research the specfic career talked about but other simalar careers. The biggest benifit to students is that they have an opportunity to network with the guest speaker. Several of my students have been hired by some of my guest speakers.
Hi Kellie,
Guest speakers are awesome! They serve as a great way to change the pace of the class. Students enjoy guest speakers. They bring fire into the classroom.
Patricia Scales
I also have used guest speakers in the past. It helps with motivation, but sometimes it helps with the day to day same instructor lecture that can get boring.
Hi Nicole,
Great Plan B in lieu of a guest speaker. Try the Career Placement Coordinator and some of your colleagues for suggestions of guest speakers.
Patricia Scales
Students are anxious to hear what guest speakers working in the field have to tell them about their chosen field. Students may appreciate their instructors input about the job duties and expectations, but those directly working in the job can add another dimension to the students view of their future work. It also helps students to keep their dream of what they are training for alive as they gain the book knowlege in the classroom setting.
A guest speaker shares career expectations and professional experiences that are often interesting to the students. Recently, a guest speaker came on the campus to talk with a group of students and actually offer a job to one of the students listening. The class was excited about opportunities waiting for them upon the completion of the program. It just happened to work out that day as a "hiring" moment.
Guest speakers help students by seeing that guest speaker as a glimse into their own future. That guest speaker may have been in a similar situation as that student and it really helps the student to relate better to the class.
Also, sometimes a guest speaker can be a great possible job resource for a student. Or at least, at a minimum, see a possible career direction the student might be interested in pursuing.
I have invited Guest Speakers to my classes in the past and I have found them to be an invaluable resource in motivating students who are discouraged or about to quit. I have always stuck to Guest Speakers who project confidence and knowledge that in turn generate great interest.
I feel that guest speakers are very important to incorporate into your class for many reasons. I think that you should bring more than one speaker into the classroom. You could bring a speaker in from the industry which relates to the class and another key speaker would be a past student. School is not easy, and when students get discourage, they think that the instructor has no idea why they are frustrated, that we do not care that they are discouraged etc. Bringing a past student in will help them see that this person was in their shoes, this person knows how challenging it may be, this person was most likely discouraged as well at some point in the education. Hearing it from someone who dealt with the same issues, I feel, makes a BIG difference.
I have always enjoyed guest speakers they add extra flavor to a class. The value of having a guest speaker is in their ability to discuss how they overcame their challenges during their academic journey which resulted in success. When guest speakers can relate to the students, it makes their voice more effective. Students realize that they are are not the only ones feeling the way they do. I just recently moved here and I really wanted to use a guest speaker for my Career Development class. I didn't have any suggestions, therefore I did some research and used a video of a talented speaker that seemed to be just as effective. The students enjoyed him and walked away with some valuable life lessons.
I think guest speakers can give the student hope again. When students listen to real life stories from people in the field they are studying you will have a lot of new energy in the classroom and it will motivate and encourage the students to continue on.
I like to bring in former students who are now a success in the field. This motivates my students and keeps them interested. They also ask questions and get a better understanding of why they need to learn and participate in class. A former student can answer questions about what to expect in the workforce they are studying and learning about.
I have actually used this strategy in the past. It does help the student who is about to give up. It helps them see what is in their future and it also helps them realize that they can complete their work and make it through their program. Sometimes, they just need the reminder that they do have a support system right there in the classroom, especially when the guest speaker talks about how their classmates or instructors helped them stay in school.
I think it "keeps their eye on the prize," and helps to remind them why they are there in the first place.
