How do you motivate a student that is constantly distracted by life out-side of class?

How do you handle when you student is older than the instructor and feels he has more life experience and more career training experience than the instructor?

A string that has connected many of the lectures in this training has been the need to show interest and enthusiasm in your classroom. Where I absolutely agree that students will mimic the mentalities of the instructor and that viewing passion is one of the most powerful motivators available, I also think it may be worth noting that there is such a thing as too much enthusiasm. The consequence of which resulting in students that see their instructors passion as being less genuine. Has anyone felt they needed to dial back to emphasize other points in lectures or experienced a professor that seemed to be on either extreme [too passionate or too Ben Stein]?

It is so important that instructors value and respect their students. I get to know each of the names of my students on the very first day of class. I address them by name in class at every opportunity that arises. This makes them feel important and that their professor actually cares about who they are and wants them to succeed.

Sharing your personal experiences as they relate to the materialbeing taught engages the student and creates students' interest. Students begin to feel a level of comfort and may even contribute to the discussion.

Students will feel empowered if you allow them to take the initiative and actively become involved in the learnng process. Create an environment that will allow students to take risks. A nurturing, caring instructor sets the tone for successful learning.

It is a challenge sometimes when you have adult learners who are highly motivated and engaged mixed with students right out of high school. The younger students have a difficult time adapting to the college atmosphere and do know how to behave in this class setting which does upset the adult learners.

I struggle with this point quite often. I always love working one-on-one with students after class. I enjoy getting to know the students and discovering where "voids" in their knowledge and understanding are so we can fill them in. There have been a few times where I struggle with the delicate situation of where I feel like I am spoon-feeding the student. Is this really helpful to them? It is my job to faciliate the learning of the material, but the student also has a responsibility to learn as well. My main question is, when is too much help- no longer help?

I find that if I relate the meterial that I am teaching to a real world event or story that it gives better indight to the meterial and it give a name to a face so to speak

Ensure opportunities for students' success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult. Students come from different backgrounds, different education levels, and need to feel a sense of accomplishment...this propells them onward. I feel that middle of the road tasks gives everyone a sense of success...continues their motivation until the course reaches the end and perhaps more difficult tasks can be assigned.

I find myself caught up in teaching a class and not teaching the students and that is what gets me run down. It is when I start to look at the students and recognize that they are feeling down about the class I am teaching I find that I have to push that wall down and ask the student what they need from the class in respect to the first set goals. I guess this is my way of recharging my batteries toward the class and the students

I like to play games that involve the students One such game is 1 lie and 3 truths. Students are partnered up by twos and they are instructed to tell to their partner 1 lie and 3 truths. Their partner, in a group setting, introduces them and tells the truths and lie and it is up to the rest of the group to determine the lie

I am and continue to be an adult learner As a result of being an older adult learner, I experienced a wall towards adult learners as apposed to new students. They wanted to do a cookie cutter teaching style. In my case, I don't learn the same as a young student. Thats why I became an instructor devoted to older learners

As Instructor's we always have to keep the students learning keep them busy..

Older Adult Learners our more willing to listen than the younger ones that know it all.

How does this perspective and teaching style affect disciplinary actions?

I have seen many times in the classroom that when the older a student is, the more likely it is that they doubt their abilities at first. However, it is also this student (who has usually been out of the academic environment the longest) that becomes the most independant and passion filled learners. It is a pleasure to work with these "non-traditional" students because of their ownership of their education and progress.

I am amazed at how well students respond to positive appreciation, like "great Job John" or "Thank-You for helping me with that project." Our students are craving positive feedback! Let's offer it to them.

Instructors should be reminded that sharing the students' background experiences, to the class topic, will enable them to become more engaged in class topics.

Talking to your students about your personal experience in the field, explaining how you became an instructor, learning new things about your career will open doors to your new career