knowing content with clear communications establishes trust with the student. Motivating them to be interested requires knowledge of the individual students. changing things up can help focus the students and keep them interested in the subject content.
Understanding what motivates students is key to keeping them engaged in the learning process. Adult learners come to the classroom with diverse motivations, whether it's building social relationships, fulfilling external expectations, seeking personal advancement, or simply pursuing a cognitive interest. Recognizing these individual drivers allows me to tailor my teaching strategies and reignite their enthusiasm when they face challenges. For instance, if a student thrives in group settings, I can assign collaborative projects to re-engage them. It's also important to remember that adult learners bring a wealth of life experiences to the classroom. These experiences, both positive and negative, shape their learning journey and should be acknowledged and integrated into the curriculum. By connecting new knowledge to their existing understanding, I can help them retain information and apply it in practical ways. Ultimately, my goal is to facilitate a smooth transfer of learning, where students can confidently take their newfound skills and knowledge and apply them successfully in their chosen careers.
Becoming motivated towards my job/teaching my subject is just as important as me motivating my students to learn. What can I do? Take my lectures and see how it applies to their new career in reality instead of me reading words off a piece of paper. Bring in my own experiences and how the information applied to me in the work field.
I've learned that students will feed off of the instructors enthusiasm and the important of constructive reinforcement.
We as educational providers are able to help determine our students success in both our class and with their degree.
Be an expert is not enough you need to motivate
All students have reasons why they want to learn a subject. By understanding these reasons and using strategies that engage them, I can keep students engaged and motivated to learn.
Comment on Alex Keown's post: Your comment is very accurate, I think the same
Students need to feel confident in your expertise. If they sense that you lack knowledge and cannot sufficiently answer their questions, they can lose faith in the material.
Not only is expertise in the field important, but also knowing your students and engaging with them to show how the material is relevant to their future plans and goals.
Students have a hard time with the course when they don't see any relationship and relevancy in the content, but providing examples that involves their own experiences allows them to retain more of the information. they also tend to lose focus very quickly if they do not know how they are doing in the course, so feedback is really important.
Showing up early and ready to work shows the ethics that you need to make it through the program, and continue the journey of post-graduate education in the field. This display of motivation will undoubtedly be noticed by students and lead them down the same path.
Never lose your excitement for your field and focus on your students achievements / success.
The most important factor in motivating students is understanding that motivation is individual. By first learning the students' names and background, and then their learning styles, I can tailor my communication so that all students are motivated per their preferences.
Enthusiasm as an instructor is also key. And always seeking to connect the course material (semantic memory) with real-life experiences of students (episodic memory).
Oh, and positive reinforcement!
In this module I learned that being confident, being enthusiastic, and showing passion motivates students.
Human connection through empathetic engagement with my students is beneficial to their learning capacity.
Motivating Your Students: Reflection and Application
From this module, I've learned about the significant impact that student motivation has on engagement, retention, and overall learning success. One key takeaway is the importance of connecting course material to real-life applications, as it helps students see the value in what they are learning and fosters intrinsic motivation. Additionally, incorporating active learning strategies and acknowledging individual achievements can create a more positive and encouraging environment.
In practice, I plan to introduce more case studies and examples that relate directly to students' future career paths to help them see the practical relevance of their studies. I also aim to provide consistent, constructive feedback to build confidence and sustain their enthusiasm for learning.
being open minded, enthusiastic and friendly will help students feel valued and keep them motivated.
Mostly, you should give students reasons to find relevance and make connections. Story telling is effective in creating interest, but also making connections with content.
For memory acquisition to be retained and applied, the student must repeat the procedure or content at least 45 times and/or for 30 consecutive days. This allows the student to transfer their new knowledge to other settings.
