I can show work product examples, I can show charts, I can tell stories about my "real" world experiences. I can show brief videos. I can show worksheet examples.
Hi Nick,
Students need to know that what they are learning will be applied in the real world.
Patricia Scales
Have speakers that verify what I have taught. Use work product that others have done. Give personal testimony of my own experiences, show videos of people in "real" world situations that you have gone over in case studies. Newspaper or magazine articles that back up what I have covered in class.
I'm an instructor at a technical school with years of experience in the related field of work. Because of this I can share with the students situations where the topic we are discussing ties into real world applications. It shows them that what they are learning is relevant.
Hi Fred,
You have great ways to promote course relevancy. Students need to know how they are going to benefit from the course.
Patricia Scales
Hi Dave,
Anytime you can show students what they are learning pertains to the real world, they undersand how the course is going to help them.
Patricia Scales
By showing practical solutions to everyday household issues with heating/airconditioning
Hi Randy,
Making learning apply to the real world is what students want and need so that when they begin work they know exactly what needs to be done.
Patricia Scales
I teach math and there are many everyday uses of math it is easy to come up with any number of them. We have purchased a house, calculated payments, created a budget, looked at credit card interest, built a patio, built a playset, and so on.
Showing relevancy of my course is extremely important in order for the student to "buy in" to the program and justify their decision to enroll. I accomplish this by relating my job experiences to specific subject matters which are studied in the course of the curriculum. Items I use are real world photos of actual job experiences, actual documentation such as daily job logs and/or safety meeting topics and finally I structure labs which utilize current documentation in use so the student can apply what they have learned to a real world scenario.
Hi Tim,
These are great calculations to let students know how math applies to everyday living.
Patricia Scales
I am also an Algebra instructor and I share the attendance and apathy experienced by Malcolm. I have used the process of finding the area of a rectangle to the real-life process of purchasing a rug for a room and that, if the student knows the number of square feet required, they are learning how to come to the business table with confidence of the amount of product needed to be purchased.
I have found that discussions of daily budget issues that we all face gets the student's attention.
I appreciate the fact that my course curriculum is designed in such a way that my students are not only engaged in what we are teaching but can see the relevance from the very first day. I teach College English (English Composition)and we talk to students about how the very first impression potential employers will have of them will be through writing--their resume or cover letter is their introductory ticket into the working environment. Students understand why their resume, cover letter, emails, business proposals, etc., must be error-free and are eager to perfect the rules of grammar, spelling, and mechanics of writing.
For nursing, the best way to show how course content is relevant is to use real-life examples from the nursing profession. For example, when we discuss infection control, I tell my students about how nurses often wear rings to work and this can harbor bacteria increasing hospital-borne infections. Relating it to real-life situations also helps students see the importance of what we teach them.
Relating my own work/life experiences and using widley known instances like from the news, internet, tv, magazines. ect.
Before becoming an adjunct accounting instructor, I spent twenty-six years an executive with a multinational financial services institution. When I develop my lesson plans, I make certain to illustrate each topic with at least one real-life example with which I have direct experience. I then invite students to ask questions about the example. (If they are reluctant to ask questions, I typically ask their opinions regarding what course of action they recommend and what results they expect from it.) I find that this tends to ground the topic and make students aware of the practical aspects of the course.
Hi Erin,
It is great when you are able to give students real-life examples so that they can better understand the concept.
Patricia Scales
Hi Mark,
Students need to know how the course pertains to their career and in some cases how they can benefit personally from the course.
Patricia Scales
The way I show relevancy...remind them why the are in my class, to learn a new trade, to make a better life for them and their family, show them that like all things, the better you are as an employee, or as a person, the quicker you can reach your goals in the workforce.
All good thing that come, require hard work and dedication.
First show the students by example how the course will affect them in their future career. This is very impactful. Students are more engaged in courses that they feel they will be able to apply their knowledge. Secondly, show the students how the course is useful in their daily lives. Most courses offer some component of daily application. By showing students that they are already doing this, this and that, it's easier to introduce more difficult concepts and keep them engaged.
