WIIFM
I try to use the WIIFM with students,asking,how much more $$$ could you make,by being better the the next guy.Some of us are motivated very differently and money plays HUGE factor in the day to day successes and failures of both instructor and student.
Sarah,
It is okay for a student to select another school if that school meets the student's needs better. Ideally, this should be identified before the student starts, but sometimes a student does not know what he or she wants until experiencing what he or she does not want.
Jeffrey Schillinger
The WIIFM factor can be very useful to help encourage my students to work hard and do a good job. Although I actually used it once to help a student determine that she did not want to come to our school. She dropped and found a school with the subject she really wanted to study and has since recommended our school to four other students.
I also use it..I tell my students the mistake in my life of taking a job purely for money. We go on to discuss WIIFM and what the end result can and will be. This helps them especially when it comes time to apply for jobs prior to graduation. I also have told my students the mistakes I have made, which helps them realize that everyone is not perfect, yet they tend to remember my mistakes and so far,some 6 years into teaching, none have pulled the major blunders that I told them about. In fact, they have shared my story with new co-workers and it has helped others too.
I like to have students who have just finished their externship and been hired by their site to come in and speak to students demonstrating WIFM. The message seems more effective coming from their peers than from their instructors.
I agree that student success stories serve as powerful motivators for other students. As students graduate, pass credentialing exams, and find new careers in the field, I use (with their permission of course) social networking to spread the good news. Witnessing the success of one of your peers often inspires you to keep working toward the goal, even when everything else seems to get in the way!
Great point, Brian. Thanks!
How do you weave these stories into your lessons?
Student success stories can be used to help motivate current students and help with credibility. You can tell your students the truth and give them sound advice but when they see real life examples of people not much different them, being successful and realizing their dreams, they buy into what we are teaching and become more motivated to achieve their goals.
The fact that when they do leave your class and become successful is very rewarding...
I do the same with my students. I ask those who are working in the field if they had a choice who would they want to be in their shop and why? then we focus on what it will take to be in the same position within the shortest time.
Thanks for sharing this, Jesse. What are some of the non-monitary motivators you have identified in your students?
