Motivational Examples
Some examples of effective motivation techniques that career college instructors can use in their classes would include the application of their real life (work) experiences. The expertise gained in the workplace can “fill in the gaps†of what is not found within the textbooks. The students can view these experiences as an application of knowledge. Moreover, the instructors’ experiences can motivate the students to discover that their knowledge procured from the classroom can be utilized in a professional arena, as well as in a personal fashion.
-TWB
Tracy,
Students like hearing real life stories about their field and when we provide them with case studies this really helps them make application.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Hello Sir:
I must concur, as application is the ultimate goal of learning. The lessons learned are best appreciated when incorporated via experience, I believe.
-Tracy
Tracy,
I agree. Making a connection between content and application helps to make the course come alive for the students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Hello Dr. Meers:
Learning by doing is a favored objective of teaching.
-Tracy
Tracy,
Coming from a field that is skill based I agree with your statement. The more application opportunities the students have the greater their engagement will be in the learning process. They see the relevancy to what is being offered.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I absolutely agree that the students really enjoy learning 'real life' experiences! I have had the privilege and pleasure to work in the corporate world in addition to the academic world! I always try to find examples of how math was used in the workplace (not necessarily from my desk but also from the bigger picture and application of things).
Many of my students will be entering the Medical Assitance or Medical Lab Tech or Medical Billing and Coding fields. I often meet with the professors and Department Directors for these fields and ask them specifically how math is applied.
I'm also in the midst of combining a final project that will include math in their respective field. The hope is that through research and interviews, they will see the application of mathematics in their respective field of study.
Of course, guest speakers are always a huge plus!
Hard to find sometimes for the timeslots needed, though.
I look forward to your replies!
Jim,
I use guest speakers a lot in my courses as well because they really can impact the motivation of my students. If you teach when most guest speakers are unavailable you might want to consider using students that have taken your course and are still around the college. I have used these students with great success because they are peers of the students so they are listened to more carefully since they may have been in the course the previous session.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Thank you Dr. Meers for your suggestions with former students! I've also used former students to be on our "I COUNT" team for tutoring... the students truly look up to them and appreciate their help! Jim Scogin
Jim,
Thanks for sharing this example of how you are using former students. I am sure they are really impacting the current students since it wasn't too long ago when they were in the same class. They know how to tutor individuals in a specific way since they experienced the same learning needs when they were in the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
