Motivation
Keeping students motivated to learn is a skill instructors must apply always. If you are not motivated yourself about the subject you are attempting to teach or if you are not in "tune" with your students, you are cheating your students form attaining their full potential in your subject matter.
Donald,
this is so true; often our students will gain a good deal of their motivation & enthusiasm from us as the instructors.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It is absolutely vital that the instructor is engaged. You must show your excitement of the material, do whatever you can to make it fun and interesting, and still make sure that you are covering all important concepts. This can be difficult to do, but it is possible. But as long as you show that you are enthusiastic about the topic, the students will be more than likely to follow your lead.
Angela,
I completely agree; if the instructor is not enthusiastice, how can we expect the students to be excited?
Dr. Ryan Meers
TRUE. If the instructor is motivated about a subject, it will transfer into enthusiasm in a lesson. Enthusiasm is contagious. And, if the instructor is in "tune" with his or her students, the lessons will not only be enthusiastic but relevant - another critical area in being successful as an instructor.
Well said. I have found that the difficulty in keeping lessons fun and interesting as well as covering all important concepts is less and less challenging as you continue to teach the topic. But, I think the key is to stay current and find the fun and interesting ways to cover these concepts. Finding what works with students is sometimes the challenge.
Motivation is probably the most important aspect of learning. I know it was true for me in college. Daniel Goleman in "Emotional Intelligence" claims that the motivation to succeed is more important than anything else in being successful at work and school. A highly intelligent student may lack motivation and therefore fail, while a less "gifted" person who is motivated will almost always succeed. It is a joy to teach motivated students, as all teacher will testify.
Dennis,
yes, & we have to remember that we can create the environment that is motivating, but the students must be motivated themselves to succeed.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Even with instructor enthusiasm, I have students who arrive unprepared to learn and suffer because of this.
Any ideas how to get students motivated enough to review their material before class?
ann,
unfortunately I have to give an unsatisfying answer here: you cannot want this more for the students than they want it for themselves.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think students that be friends other student at the same course and are driven they will have motivation to complete a given course
I have a talk with the class about their goals and why they are here. To stay focused on their goals because as students you do have some distractions at school but out in the industry there is going to be more. For some of the students it works.
I always have felt if the instructor is motivated, the students will be motivated. Keeping the students excited about the course they are taking,will keep them wanting to be in class and to learn.
Judy,
the motivation of the instructor is definitely a key to motivating the students as well. The more interested you are in the topic & in the individuals in the class, the more engaged your students will be.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Very, very true. I have always found that the more "into" a topic I am, or the more "into" a topic I come across as being, the more in tune my students seem to be with the material, and as a result, the better the test results are!
David,
the enthusiasm & the motivation or passion of the instructors can not be overemphasized.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
