Get Your Students Hired
I feel it is very important to keep the student focused on goals. This will allow the student to realize why he has decided to come to school in the first place.
Here's how I approach the teaching of goals. First, I'll ask a student to volunteer one of his or her goals. Then I will ask, "Why?" Usually this is easy to answer. For example, if the goal is to graduate college, the why may be to get a better job. Then I follow this with another why question. As we progress through 3 - 5 whys, the answers become more difficult, the process becomes somewhat painful, but I always tell the students that if they can reach this last level of why, they've found their real goal. Then, it's just a matter of focusing on that, and the rest is a done deal. I also use the analogy of a bridge - it's not the deck on which you ride that's holding you up, it's the bedrock on which the bridge is built.
Atthe campus that I teach at we spend a lot of time in every phase of the course talking about goals. In hte beginning it is to give them or allow them to choose a direction that they want to proceed. Later, it becomes a discussion about how they are staying on course to meet their goals. Finally, at they end (graduation) it is a topic of what it took to complete their goals.
I agree,the more you keep a student focused on his/her goal in life. I think the more serious they will be or act in class.They may even suggest to other students to do the same.
I have noticed about midway through there program they need a gentle reminder about why they came to school in the first place. The middle seems to be the toughest.
I feel strongly about setting and achieving goals. Lets face it, goals have been with us since childhood. Our parents set goals for us as a part of growing and advancing from adolesence to adulthood. Its not any different between a learning environment or their occupation. If we dont set goals and expectations for our students, then they might feel they have nothing left to achieve.
They are very important. It pushes me to make sure that the information being presented is based on those goals.
If we encourage students to reach goals the goals need to be atainable. Student goals seem to work best when they are focused around the current course, an attainable goal during a class could include completing a task to an induxtry standard.
Hi Travis,
You make a number of excellent points about how we need to develop a relationship with our students that help them to achieve their career goal. Student rapport helps to keep the students focused and directed to moving forward.
Gary
Hi Troy,
You are right, the students have to keep their eyes on the goal. It seems that it is easy for them to forget why they are coming to class.
What are some ways you use to keep your students focused?
Gary
You hit on an important component of successful teaching to adult learners which is relevance. I think that as we present our classroom goals, we need to help the student see how achieving these goals and objectives will help them realize their goals. The students at my school have come to learn skills to help them begin a career. I believe that any time we can make direct application of our course content to helping them achieve that goal, we create a bond between the student and the teacher.