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Guest Speakers as Motivators

Guest speakers and field trips have been a part of instruction since the beginning of time.  In a previous blog I covered benefits of using field trips to reinforce what is being taught and in this blog I wanted to highlight the value of using guest speakers.  Guest speakers bring to the classroom/lab relevancy and application.  They are the models that the students will be observing when they are out in the workforce so the earlier they can meet and hear from them the better.

There are two groups guest speakers that really capture the attention of the students and these are graudates and supervisors.  Graduates show the students what is possbile upon graduation.  They have been through the courses that the current group of students are currently enrolled in and they can discuss the value of the content that is being offered. 

Supervisors from the field reinforce what is being taught as they tell the students what they are looking for in potential hires.  They tell it like it is so the students know this is what is going to be expected of them as employees.  As a result of this information the students can start to develop a successful career path that includes the soft skills, like attendance, attitude and competence.  We, instructors spend time going over these very same components but students have a tendency to dismiss some of what we say because we are instructors.   When a supervior says it, then it must be true is the thinking of many students.  That is OK, because this gets the students to listen even more carefully to what we say since we are saying the same things as supervisors. 

Bring in guest speakers at different times throughout the course so the students can see and listen to different perspectives about what lays ahead for the students.  The students will value this information and the course will have more relevancy for the students.

     Agreed!  Having guest speakers that are specific to the career fields of students in the class is a real learning enhancement. Students respond in a positive fashion -- especially when they are involved in the care of the guest. Too often students take a passive role of merely digesting presented information. In a recent guest experience in my classroom, students were required to participae in mock interviews. Immediately the energy in the classroom changed. Suddenly student discussion spiked about what to ask; how to act; how to prepar; the clas was buzzing with anecdotal comments. In this experience, students were put in the center of the activity.  The success of the activity was squarely on their shoulders.

    It is very interesting to note that when students are directly involved in a guest activity there is a greater sense of urgency and preparation. Whereas when students attend guest presentations, they often try to do other classwork or fall asleep. it is a challenge to know exactly the right approach with adult students. Thus far, it seems having the students actively engaged with direct responsibility for participation during guest visits makes all the difference. 

Teaching in the online environment does not allow me to do any type of field trips, but I have invited guest speakers on specific topics to brig a more hands on view on the specific subject taught is used and applied in real life. Many of my students are working on a Bachelor in Culinary Management and their program include classes such as Finance, Economy, Strategy that often do not appeal to many of them. The presence of a professional from their own chosen field attending the chats as a guest and discussing these aspects has always added a postive impact as student were more keen in taking the time to attend the live chast and participate to the discussion. I would definitely consider this approach part of the adaptive learning.

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