student attendance
Hi,
How can you make it interesting day after day?
It is sorta like how do you keep your kids at home
fed an interesting
and cheap meal every day.
Mark
I think:
1. Make sure you have a map of your course, and that they know what it is, so the students see where it is going and have a feeling of progressing. Check off each of the stages with them as you complete it.
2. Make sure many of the activities you do are interesting of their own right. Class should be fun. Students should come into class asking "what are we going to do today?" because the preceeding classes have been so much fun.
I tend to remind students of the interconnectedness of our curriculum. By helping students to understand how one class connects to another, they're more likely to attend classes on a regular basis. Also, when I notice students who seem uninterested, I ask them why they see that particular course to be a "waste of their time" and see if there's an avenue there that we as an institute can improve upon, or if there's a way to get them to consider the material from a different point of view.
Nice post, Bill.
Often students do not realize that course like writing and math teach skills like communication, critical thinking and problem solving that are valued be employers.
I was a composition and speech teacher at a career college and I used to explain that the technical skills the students were learning were going to get them the entry level job in their field. However, the lack of the skills taught in other classes could keep them in that position foor a long time.
I use the value method. If a student understands what they are learning is a great value for them to understand for there career then they seem to be more serious about it. For example if they have been learning about diagnosing an electrical circuit then I will have them go punch a time clock, then go out and diagnose and repair a training vehicle. They really like this real world experience and it keeps them coming back for more.
Joe,
This is true of most adult students. They need to see value.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I think the best way to keep things interesting is to be a little flexible. Don't be afraid to deviate from the daily plan if the information seems to be a little too complex or even too simple. Watch the expressions of your students and let that be your feedback, adjust accordingly.
It may seem like a simplistic approach but what I do that seems to work well are the following:
1) Review what we did yesterday, last week (on Friday). This gives the student an idea of what they remember.
2) I physically write either on the board or on a flip chart what I plan to cover that day.
3) List any vocabulary that maybe new to them.
4) Pose questions for them to think about-- then cover those answers during the lecture, demos, power point presentations, etc.
5) Review what we did and show how the previous day's work ties in to todays so they can see continuity.
6. Pose questions to excite the students for tomorrow's class (They may be something the students look up to "beat me to the answer".)
I find if I pose things in question form not only do they have to listen; I can tell if they can do some critical thinking beyond regurgating what I taught.
Adrienne,
This is a great way to organize a lesson. Thanks for sharing it.
Jeffrey Schillinger
