Marshall,
Your drawing of the shooting rocket is a great visual. I think for the students who are returning to school after awhile or who have not been encouraged or thought to be academically successful its meaning speaks volumes. I plan to use it and thank you.:-)
As instructors our enthusiasm needs to be contagious to allow learning to be exciting and not just a task to complete.
Organization of knowledge is important on my part to make the material that I am teaching meaningful.This includes diversitified lectures,cooperative learning groups and engaging activities.
I always try to tell job related stories to the subject matter that I'm lecturing on. I always make sure I'm not just telling stories and forgetting about the objectives of the day. I also have the students tell me something that was interesting while they were at their clinical rotation. This way the students can get excited for each other. This has been great for me when I have had a group that has a student or two that no matter what story I tell them they are always disinterested.
It is important to be enthusiastic, which I am. The students really feed off my energy. Sometimes they are in ahh of all that I do for one person (Sometimes I am in ah of myself as well). I do my best to model how to react to other people so one can be successful in the real world. I love the reactions I get when they themselves have been in the same situations as I have. It is also good to be open- minded. Let the students know you care about them in their everyday lives (the best time is right before class starts and break time). I see pass students and ask them about their family and how is everything going. The current students see this and then again they feel there is someone who cares. I love every one of my students that I have had so far. I feel my upbeat personality and personable attitude helps with motivating the students. They want to do better and they look forward to showing me.
Anthony,
Students really perk up when they are listening to stories from the field because these stories reinforce the content that is being shared. They bring relevance and application into the classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Cammie,
I commend you for your great attitude and professional approach to sharing your expertise and time with your students. They can see in you a model for themselves and this is a critical part of their educational development. Keep up the great work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do a lot of motivating in the classroom with a positive attitude. I commend the student for choosing to study at my school and my chosen subject matter. I also share real life applications that I have experienced while working on the job so they can correlate it to the content being discussed.
Sonja,
It is so important to keep encouraging students. They can easily let life challenges take them out of school and your encouragement on ongoing basis can help counter the impact of these challenges. In addition, the more real world experiences you can share with them the greater value they will attach to their courses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
One of the best ways to motivating learners is to be motivated and excited yourself. As the video in this module demonstrated, when an instructor is motivated and exited about the course, the students are also motived, excited, and interested. As an instructor, if you don't have the motivation and enthusiasm, your students won't either. They pick up on, and often mirror, your attitude - good or not so good.
Joan,
Thank you for these comments about motivating learners. They are right on because the reflect the need for passion for the field and enthusiasm about teaching it. Combined you will have engaged students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I show a positive and upbeat attitude to my students, sharing daily coding scenarios with a little humor thrown in. They always ask questions and enjoy the information.
Leslie,
Great way to engage students. You have a comfortable supportive instructional style that makes the students feel a part of the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
One method I have used is to allow students to "customize" certain assignments to reflect their own personal interests. For example, one design student may choose to draft a floor plan of a residence as a design project, while another may choose a clothing store interior to demonstrate his/her skills.
I feel that the instructor needs to convey to the students that he or she is interested in the material being presented. The instructor also has to covey to the students that he or she is interested in the students and wants the students to improve and succeed not only in the class but in their careers. The instructor has to constantly engage the students and convey to the students that the instructor is also there to help the students.
Fred,
This is a good model to follow as it increases the value of the course for each student. The student can see his or her ROI out of the course by selecting a project that ties in directly with their stated interest.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
John,
Bringing passion for one's field and enthusiasm for teaching it to the classroom/lab each time class is in session is critical to the engagement of students. Like you said if we aren't interested in the topic it is for sure the students won't be either.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found involving students in group activities to be somewhat helpful. As a respiratory therapist instructor, I involve my student with actual live events that have happen in the past or events that could happen in the future with patients in the hospital. This brings the group together with questions and explanations on how to treat that situation. (What could happen or what might cause more damage to the situation) Also, I found guess speakers to come and participate with my students. This really gets them motivated. (In the past, I have had seniors come and talk with the student that will start clinical soon). This really gets the students motivated for the hospital clinical.
Brandon,
All of these instructional activities are a great way to help students to transition their thinking from being students to being professionals in the field. A lot of their professional lives will be spent doing critical thinking and problem solving. The more experience they can get in these areas the better prepared they will be when they enter the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
One way that I personally find helpful in motivating and encouraging my students is by making whatever the topic is for the day as relative as can be to "real world" situations. And of course always maintaining laughter, sense of open communication and just being real!
Bethany,
The more connections you make between the course content and the application of the content to the real world the more value they associate with the course. Relevancy is important for students to see and understand as they move through the course sessions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
