night students
Most of my students work during the day and come to school at night, they are tired and worn out. I try to keep them motivated by keeping the class a fun place to learn, i ask alot of questions keeping them alert. I also have alot of hands on training to keep them busy and awake.
I am a night student myself, and I find that the majority of my peers are more serious about being in class, and are also older on average. What keeps me interested are current event topics and discussions that apply to my life directly. Information I can use immediately is always more valuable to me than learning about something that may not apply to my life at the moment.
It is hard to motivate my night students. As you have said, they are tired from working all day and incidentally I am tired because I too have worked all day. I try to keep things short and to the point as well as getting some class partipation to keep them awake.
While teaching nights for a spell, I found that night students seem to take class more seriously than my day students do. I also found the night sutdents thought process to be deeper.
Choppy, outstanding post and very on point with respect to understanding your students and the overall learning environment. Active learning is a proven method of keeping attention spans longer and getting evening students to participate more versus a lecture format. Well done and thanks for all that you do.
James Jackson
their attention span seems to be shorter also,If I dont stay on top of things they seem to wonder off to space,telling a story of things that have happened in the field gets their attention back on track,especialy if it has to do with something that was funny,morning students most of the time are just tough to keep awake no matter what you do sometimes.
i agree i teach both day and night students and i find that the night students are much more motivated than my afternoon students. I have to take different approaches for each.
Cameron, you provide a direct example of the importance of life long learning and the importance of professional development. By utilizing your own experiences as a student you can better understand the needs of your own students. Every instructor should take a college level course at least every three to five years and more if they can be made available. The value to the student is too great to avoid. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
sandra, does your institution conduct any studies on success or outcomes of night students versus more traditional day students? Could be a very interesting study and could be used to assist your day students should the outcomes of night students show more success versus their daytime counterparts. Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
I find that with night students, it's much more important to get them up and moving, as they do have a tendency to fall victim to the long day they had. Keeping them engaged is definitely important!
I too have found that night students seem to take the material presented more seriously, are more inclined to attend on a regular basis, and be more proactive in participating and completing the work assigned in a timely manner. I find that since they have a great attitude and have a desire to be there and perform well, the motivation from both instructor and student comes naturally.
As a night instructor I have found that these students are very dedicated. They are there because they want to be and have definite goals in mind. They are tired and worn out by the time I get them. I have found that adjusting my style has definitely helped. I do most lecturing, etc. at the very beginning and try to get as much participation as possible. I do all hand on activities that get them up and around during the last half. I have also found that they are easily discouraged when it comes to low test scores, etc. It is amazing to me how much a reinforcement from me, letting them know that I know they can make it can really make a difference! I have seem failing students make a complete turn around with positive reinforcement! I think we all need that to succeed!
Cheryl, for some students their educational experience is one of the few "Positive" experiences they may experience in their entire day, week or life. Get to know your students and what motivates them to come to class. Use that information to keep your classes lively and your students engaged. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work.
James Jackson
It is a challenge teaching night students, because I find that they all have day jobs and are usually tired by the time they come to class. I have to keep the class interesting and active and I utelize the life experiences of the students to keep everyone awake and involved and thus they listen to what the group has to report, etc.
Mignonne, ALL instructors should keep their classes active and interesting regardless of the time it is taught. The brain just works best that way. We are not meant to be passive beings by listening to a broadcast from others. Our brains are dynamic instruments and require constant stimulation to be fully engaged. Many of the instructors that take this course report that their evening students are their best students because they value the education more as they feel they work harder to achieve due to their busy life styles. Embrace that fact that your students feel time with you is important enough to visit with you after a long day in the office. They obviously feel their is value in the time they spend with you so it is good you reward them by using the time to engage their brains and have them participate in active learning events. Keep up the great work.
James Jackson
I teach day and evening classes. There is a definite difference in motivation. My evening students are tired (days also have this problem) however, they want to get the information at a quicker pace than my day students. Most of the evening students also work and usually get to class still in work mode. This makes it easier for me to get them interested in what I am discussing. I have a lot more problems with motivation with my day students.
Peg, you speak of a common theme with many instructors that take this class. Have you been able to collect any data to analyze if there are differences in outcomes between day and night students? If the empirical evidence shows clearly that your evening students perform at a higher level than your day students then you would be armed with some valuable information you could share with our day students to assist them in altering their methods of motivation and focus.
James Jackson
I know what it feels like to be a night student. It makes is easier to understand how they feel.So I try to keep the class fun and change things up.
I also help with the count down of their Cosmetology hours.
Nicole , night students are not the only ones that need the classroom to be fun and to have things changed up. All students need to be engaged and to participate in the learning process. There is nothing worse in my book than an instructor that reads to their students in class. Such lecture based instruction is taking the easy road versus the road that needs to be traveled so students are fully engaged. Keep up the great work and continue to engage with ALL of your students regardless of what time of day they attend classes.
James Jackson
Teaching night students can be difficult because they work all day and come to school tired some tell me its hard to stay motivated, because of their families, girl friends want their attentions
i have had student quit because of this. i tell the students to discuss the reason why they are in school with their families to lessen these demands.
