A Great Way to Motivate
At the end of every class during wrap up I like to talk about what exciting things we will be doing/learning the next day. Then I encourage the students to "do a great job" at work that night as it all relates back to our overall learning.
It makes a connection to the students that everything they are doing can be used to contribute to their learning.
Hi Loren,
This is what I call "connecting the dots". You are showing your students application and relevancy as they prepare to go to work that night. That is as current as it gets. I am sure they return the next day with stories of how they were able to use something they had learned the previous day.
Gary
I think it's wonderful that you take the time to "debrief" the students and then prepare them for what lies ahead. In my experience, students love to know that they learned something for a "reason" and that concepts will keep building on each other through the course.
Nicely done!
I agree that's a great way to motivate!
Loren,
I have found that is a great way to motivate my students too. I also feel its a great way for me to also refesh my energy too.
To help students understand the reason behind the material they learned, I try to relate as much of the material as possible to everyday life. Example: When we are discussing the assets and liabilities of a company, I have then identify their own assets and liabilities.
Laura
Loren at the end of my classes I review what we did, ask them for feedback about what would have improved each of them personally and what improvements we can make as a team. They all feel comfortable sharing and motivating each other the next successful day and the next. They drive each other to small successes.
I also wrap up at the end of each day, dicuss the progress of the day and and we discuss our triumphs and mishaps. as a group we decided how to make tommorrow a more sucessful day.
I also make it a point to speak to each student individually and give direct feedback 1 week into the class. THis helps the student to kow where more focus is needed and where they are really getting it.
Our program is based on classroom and clinical time. One of my favorite ways to motivate is to listen to accounts of clinical experiences, ask them how the experience made them feel, and then reflect on different aspects of the situation that they may not have thought of at the time of the experience. I feel that this will help the student understand even more indepth into the situation as well as giving them encouragement.
Hi Ann,
This is a great way to get students involved in the class discussions because they like to talk about their experiences. All of my students are in their practicums during the day and then come to my class at night. It seems that everyday we meet they have had a unique experience that they want to share. Out of these experiences come many great discussions.
Gary
I do something very similar -- taking that five minutes to summarize what we did in class today and how that relates to what we'll be doing next time. It's a good chance to connect things for them, as well as to introduce the importance of any readings or assignments.
In addition, at the beginning of each class, I do a recap of the previous class, to show the progression of ideas that we're dealing with. That subject last time (or next time) doesn't exist in a "silo" or "island" by itself; it relates crucially and fundamentally with every other concept we're coving this term.
Hi Bruce,
Good ideas. I call this "wrap around" teaching. You start them with a recap, add new content and then review the covered information. This form of repetition really enhances content retention for students.
Gary
That is a great idea! I will really try to do this with my class. Maybe it will help me help my students retain their info.
Thanks for the great idea. I'll bet that having a clear intro and wrap up to each course really helps to reinforce the students' learning. And that extra structure probably gives them a better idea of where they've come from and where they're going. I will try to incorporate that into my classes more - I'm sure my students will appreciate it.
