Guest Lecturers
I think there is great value in having guest lecturers in your classroom! Invite a colleague (we have the ultrasound instructor give a lecture to our students during their diagnostic imaging course, and the cardiovascular instructor or advanced CV students teach EKGs, and the dental hygiene folks give a demo on dental rads) or local professional or former student or industry rep to give a guest lecture! Your students will get new perspectives, make connections in their field, see different options of jobs w/in their field and they enjoy the novelty of having somebody new speaking to them. Plus, you'll enjoy the vocal rest... :)
Well said:) I've invited guest into my classroom to talk and students love it.I had a student graduate that was running a kitchen come in and talk about her life as a student and her life as a
kitchen manager that really made them feel like they had made a good choice to come to school.
Watching them see the relavence of the education made my day. Several of them went to volunter for her and one got hired.
Ann,
"A change of pace" is generally welcomed from students, during the class. I have found that inviting colleagues can get the students excited about taking additional courses (with the instructor) and can be a positive for the institution (students will see that their are several "field experts" at their school).
Tremayne Simpson
Cynthia,
Inviting alumni, can serve as great motivation for the current students. In addition to discussing their success in the field, they can also talk about the obstacles and difficulty that they had to overcome, in order to graduate from the program. In general, the students appreciate hearing from a person that was "in their shoes".
Tremayne Simpson
I enjoy bringing in guest speakers who have more expertise in a specific area, I feel that the students can gain more from them in the given time than I could give them. I also get to learn a little more about another area.
I regularly have friends and co-workers from the field (law enforcement) come into the classroom for formal lectures and informally to “surprise†the students with materials or equipment overviews. When the students get to see active members from the field who reinforce lessons that I have taught them it adds value to the class.
Since I teach in the evenings it is very hard to find guest to come speak and when someone does, all the other classes join us and vice versa. Instead I have found great resources for videos where the students get to hear experts in the field discuss, lecture, and back up what their textbook says. Gives them a little change of pace and exposes them to current discussions going on in the field.
it allows students to actually see the value of what they are learninh
Jessica,
I agree. I am often taking as many notes as my students, whenever i schedule a guest speaker. Also, the guest speaker can provide several unique examples that may not be available within the assigned course materials.
Tremayne Simpson
Very important to learn from someone at the top of their career field, reinforces all education you are trying to teach your students. Field trips are a much also.
Devon,
It is also important to invite guest speakers that may not hold the "highest" career in the industry. A guest speaker that holds an entry-level position, could discuss some of the realities that many graduates (of the program) will face and instill thoughts of determination and "best practices" for success in the field.
Tremayne Simpson
i believe guest lecturers in your class room
brings excellent source of material to your class
room ,this also help and rienforce some of the
material you covered .
I believe it should always be someone that is directly connected to industry .
and additionally some former students to share their experiences with the students.
I agree with most of the replies related to guest speakers. They certainly can be a great asset and valuable component to the learning process. I teach English classes, though, through the Gen. Ed. department. We are supposed to all have at least one guest speaker in each class each term, and I disagree with this. Yes,they should have guest speakers related to their field in their core classes, but to have a guest speaker in English doesn't make as much sense to me. What type of guest speaker could we have that would really be relevant to English. Yes, I could have a nurse, for instance, come and talk about how writing skills really help them for their job, but is this the best use of class time? I could convey this to them myself in a few minutes. I know one English teacher who brought in a guest speaker who was a professional writer. Interesting, yes, but truly relevant to the life and careers of my students? No. Worth the loss of instructional time? I don't believe so. I also disagree with the requirement of having a guest speaker in each class each term because of the time and energy involved in that. It can be very challenging to arrange and as adjuncts, we're not paid for that extra time. What are your thoughts?
I agree that guest lecturers stimulate the students learning. During an Integumentary Nursing Care class, an adjunct instructor that works in our local burn center did a wonderful presentation on a day in the life of a nurse on the burn unit.
Sheryl,
I feel that guest speaker usage should be optional, in regards to planning for a course. There is relevance for bringing in guest speakers, however the connection should not have to be "forced". From an economic standpoint, mandatory guest speaker scheduling can prove to be expensive for an institution (for the most part guest speakers are paid for their contribution). Is this a new policy for your school?
Tremayne Simpson
here at our school we have people come in all the time. The students aren't real thrilled about it. I love it mainly because it acsents what we have been telling them and they get it straight from the industry. most don't sugar coat and tells it just like it is.
Cecil,
Do you find that students begin to "second guess" their career aspirations, once they have heard the reality of the industry from a guest speaker?
Tremayne Simpson
It's a policy through our Gen. Ed. Department chair in an effort to improve retention. It started a few months ago. I see the point of helping students see relevance through the eyes of others, but agree that in some classes it shouldn't be "forced." Thanks for your input!
Sheryl Exler
i also feel the same way.Ibeleive guest lecurers excite the class.Iam a barber instuctor and if i bring in barbers to the school and they talk about the field and all the things they have encountered motivates the class even more . Plus it reinforces what i have already been teaching .
Troy,
Do you find that you receive the same amount of motivation (as the guest speakers), whenever you discuss your experience within the field?
Tremayne Simpson
