The real world
Pactical applications of skills will encourage students to learn more. Show them how to make money!
Practical education is key. You must answer the students question "what's in this for me". When you can show students that they can immediately use the tools you are showing them, you get and keep their attention. Many students have trouble reading. They want you to tell them, show them, then let them do it. They put so much trust in their instructors to reduce time and get right to the subject at hand. I'm sure this is due to our current X/Y generation.
During class time, both lecture and labs, I reflect my experiences in the field directly on the subject or discussion. These guys are here to learn how to be successful in the field. My stories enchourage them.
Any time you can share a real world experience with students, especially funny ones, you have their complete attention & they retain more, therfore they feel more confident. Confidence = Retention
I try to do "partial demos" which start the student in the right direction, show them what will happen, then let them finish. This is especially effective when the student has been struggling because it lets them successfully finish, giving them the satisfaction. Sometimes all they need is a little nudge in the right direction. It is important not to dwell on any obvious blunders they may have made to create the problem to begin with.
i notice when sharing as an instuctor studentds can also relate a little better and that seems to help them retain the information more and keep them more involved.
When talking to students as a class or one on one I do my best to discuss life experiences as they relate to the subject at hand. These not only encourage further discussion, but build on trust and interest within my audience.
I use my experiences in the field to educate students as to what they should really expect.
It can/will be frustrating at times, but, overall, I teach a 'fun' career.
I also use stories from graduates who have kept in touch telling me how right I was with experiences that they are now experiencing and really haven't changed in 30+ yrs.
People are still people and tend to react the same no matter what (I know it's a broad generalisation)
Even though my main work experience in this field was in a different country and ~15 or so yrs ago, things really haven't changed very much
Showing students how to make money is one thing but job satisfaction also counts in a career choice.
Perfect. Link topics to careers and life. This helps students to relate.
Dr. B
Honestly i belive they may get a lot out of what you do. The best reason to have former techs as teacher is that real world experience.There are some funny storys of things that happen in the feild , and often the things you remrember best are the mistakes you don,t want them to make.
I feel if we can not make the subject material match some real world examples then what are we teaching. I let my student's know the mastakes that take place in job's so they know what to look for.
Excellent. Link theory to the workplace. Just what helps an institution to retain students.
Dr. B
I think practical application gives the student understanding and value to why they are learning the material presented. Its important to cross the lecture with real life use so their is value added benefit.
I suggest that it is more important than ever to link and apply all lectures centered on career themes.
Dr. B
If the teacher explains why the lesson being taught is relevant to the field the students are in he or she will have better success getting the students involved. Once the students are involved in the lesson they usually want to see it through and the class runs much smoother and allows for more information to be covered.
I find that the sooner the student gets involved with the industry, the better they become as students. Real world gives practical applications that the classroom can't completely replicate.
I agree that real life experiences should be shared in the lecture.
