Scott,
Good methods to include all students. Many will fly under the radar the entire time.
Philip Campbell
I always try to tie in real world applications for everything they are learning. It is a great motivation tool. They are usually near the end of the program when they get to my classes and this is an additional motivator for the student.
Dawn,
Good example. Real world examples always lend credence to what you are teaching.
Philip Campbell
Some classes will not be as exciting as others for students; I have to "pump" the students up and get them excited no matter what the topic is. As soon as you show the students how it can relate to a real world situation, someone will have an example of what happened to them and then you can have a great group discussion.
Sharon,
Yes not all classes are exciting. It is up to us to make them relevant.
Philip Campbell
using material or examples that are relevent to their personal lives
I find that students become motivated when they are able to apply the academics of the subject matter to the 'hands on' procedure. The information learned in class now becomes a reality and they are able to critically think it through and discover the importance of the information that they are learning to their life goals.
I also believe in connecting the course material to field experience. I share with my students that I expect to learn from them also trying to get them to understand the one should never stop trying to learn. In the class I like to use open disscussions to attempt to motivate active participation. I'm still new and so far it has been working.
Mary,
Relating materials to them will help to make learning more concrete.
Philip Campbell
Earl,
Great practice of relating to field experiences.
Philip Campbell
I have alot of students want to give up and when they come to me, they tell me this is not for them, they cant do this!.. I ask them how their day was going and what happened a few days before. when they start to alk they realize, its not school that they are wanting to give up on, its the outside stressors that cause them to feel this way. we talk, come up with some alternatives if possible to handle their situation and it helps relieve their stress, just by talking to someone
I concur with this experience. Depending on the term that is being taught, I will sometimes arrange a field trip so that students can see the "real life" practicum to what they are learning. It's been shown to increase student's motivation as well as their knowlegde of subject matter. Role-play is also a good tool to incorporate in your lectures to be a motivator.I feel students stay engaged.
I think you have to be able to connect to your students on a personal level to be aware of their feelings and recognize their feelings. Also it's important to allow them to relate life experiences to lessons being taught in the classroom. It lets them know that you care about what they think
A better way that I have found is to challenge the students to find there own relevance to the lecture and share that with the rest of the class and this will usually get them involved. You may be suprised by the results that you get.
Lisa,
The outside stressors are always the hardest things to overcome.
Philip Campbell
JAMEL,
Role playing always helps to drive the point home.
Philip Campbell
Robert,
Relating to their current knowledge helps.
Philip Campbell
Stay focus with the thought process by informing the students with the knowledge, skills and experience you have accomplished as an instructor.
I'm with you all the way Mr. Bailey, I to often bring in to the class situations that come from real life experiences. When we can relate things we've done or better yet things the students have done they seem to get involved with the class. I like nothing better than to use what students have done and really get them involved with class participation.
I do the same. I share as much real world as possible and have the students that work in a shop share their experiences with the class. This always seems to bring about discussion from the class and everything flows better.
