In math classes, I try to incorporate different applications of a concept to help students see the relevance. For example, with percents, we look at sales taxes, income taxes, interest rates, etc that relate to the personal finances as well as some of their career fields.
Edward,
You make a very good point about the students being there by choice. They have chosen to enroll college and have selected a program of study for themselves. As a result we should not have to worry about attendance, effort or student success but we do. I am amazed that I have to encourage students to attend class, be on time, complete homework and meet project deadlines. Many of them miss the fact it is their future at stake so they need to be successful in order to able to enter into and growth in their chosen career area.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Deb,
The more you can do this the more value the students will see in your content. Math as you well know can be a challenge for many students so the more relevancy and application you can provide the more ROI they will see in their study efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Because our programs are built on the relevant nature of the field each student is striving to complete, the needs and expectations of our learners can then be fulfilled with the wide variety of modalities. 7X7 which is saying something 7 times in 7 different ways for the majority of all students to retain and recall all information.
I have PTA students and I constantly bring up "the patient" when we are learning new material. I have them reflect on times when they saw a MD/Physical Therapist/Nurse etc.... and ask them what they expect of thoese individuals. I then remind them they are about to become these licensed healthcare providers and their patients are going to have those same expectations they do when they access the health care system. Lastly I show them how the info we are learning today will allow them to be that knowledgable healthcare provider!
Kelly,
Thank you for the reference to the 7X7 model. Repetition and application are two very important aspects of content retention. By the time they have approached the topic seven different ways or gone through it 7 times they will have it stored in their working memories.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Erin,
I like your "people first" or in this case "patient first" approach. If they keep the patient in mind and then build their procedures or treatment around that individual they are going to be successful as well as professional.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You want to make your subject relevant review before giving your lecture or skill.Go over what you plna to lecture on and also review on
Susan,
Yes, you do. Relevancy and application are the two elements of course valuing. If the students can see the relevancy and application of the content in relation to their career goals they will be engaged and focused on what is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is a tricky issue for me because I teach general education classes that are not directly applicable to the student's prograsm. I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with the "Why do we have to learn this" question.
James,
I two two sections of a gen ed course so I can appreciate your comments a lot. I have to work hard to help them see the value of the content I am sharing as well as the ROI for them as a result of taking the course. I have to be very creative and enthusiastic to "sell" them on the idea of learning the content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a teacher at a career college, the knowledge that they gain everyday is relevant to their career. I usually mention to them stories of my work experience, and how this knowledge was applied. That way they can see that in the workplace, you do need to know this.
Kelly,
The more you can connect the content being taught to the work world the greater value student associate with the course. You are doing such with your examples and stories about how you used the content in your own work experience.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I've been working with students who need to take a national board for technical medical work (optometry, X-rays and the like). Discussing how they need basic math for the board and to apply some of the material they are learning professionally has been helpful. I have a copy of the areas of math they need and have discussed why these are important in their work.
Richard,
You are doing such a good service for your students because you are showing them the reason for your course as well as how your content applies directly to their future. (Don't pass the national boards, don't enter the field) This is a real simple complex that many students seem to miss as they are going through their classes. You are connecting the dots for them so they can see the value of your content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Absolutely - and trying to tie in new skills/knowledge with student's previous experiences not only relaxes the student (they can relate to what they are learning in a comfortable way), but also allows the student to understand that they really are capable of doing this new thing.
It is useful to have students who have graduated and found careers come back and speak to the current class.
Holly,
This is a necessary balance for students to understand. Education is a building process that continues throughout life and our students need to realize this early in their lives. This way they will become life long learners and be on the lookout for ways to expand their knowledge and expertise.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Carol,
Yes it is. Guest speakers like this are powerful motivators for students. They help them to see the value of what is being taught and how their careers can develop.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most adult learners engage in courses that are related to their specific career goals. If the course content is not relevant to what the students expectations are in regards to their chosen field of employment, then they feel the course is of no value to them. I have been teaching for a short period of time but I find that I have to use different techniques because evey student cannot process information in the same way as others. Most of my students are tactile learners. They learn and retain information when they are actively doing or performing certain skills. During lecture a lot of students engage in highlighting certain topics.This helps them to key important topics.
