Making it meaningful
As a facilitator it is absolutely essential that we make our classroom, lectures and labs meaningful to each individual student in our class. The ability or inability of the instructor to inspire a diverse adult classroom will not only determine student success by retention as well.
William,
Good point about meeting the individual needs of students in a way that will keep them engaged and in class. One of the enjoyable parts of being an educator is figuring out what will help each student to learn better and be successful. It is such a great feeling when you are able to do this and see students have "ah-ha" moments.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try when I can to make the material as relevent to everyday life as possible so it is A) easier to understand and b) easily applicable to their personal lives. Sometimes it's a little tough to figure out if the message gets across, I'm not sure how to figure out if my examples are making sense or translating what I'm trying to explain. I look for the student's reactions, body language and I give them the opportunity to present questions. I don't know if that's enough.
Nila,
Students do send us signals about how they are reacting to the material we are presenting. We need to "read" our students and then make adjustments as needed to keep them engaged. This is creative part of being an educator because we get to try new things to keep them progressing in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
What kind of tips do you have so I may be able to "read" my students better?
Nila,
Come to class a few minutes early and chat with students as they arrive. Ask them questions about things that are going on in the community, pets, kids, etc.. Things that are of a general nature and listen to their responses. Are they open to responding or just give a quick answer and try to move to their seats. Call the class to order and make announcements. While doing this look for attitudes, body language and student groupings. All of these observations can be put together to give you a "read" on the mood of the class. Also, if you teach a cohort class I would try to talk with members of that group especially the perceived leader. He or she will give you a read as well for that group. All of this information can give you insight as to how you want to approach the class that day.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think integrating fun activies and incorporating life experiences into teaching the course makes the content more meaningful to the students.
I try to give examples of how the material will apply to them in the future, or how it may have affected them in their past experiences, giving them more understanding of the subject matter and retaining their attention.
You pose an excellent point about making information meaningful to the students. I believe that relating class material to specific majors in the classroom is helpful for the students to undersand the relevance of the material.
I have found just listening to them is important, through the years I discovered that the perception of the student regardless if it is correct or not should be listened to and try to determine what I am or am not doing in the class room to give them this perception as well as what they are doing themselves to come to their perception.
Lillie,
This is a skill that all instructors need to learn early in their career. Listening is learning. The more listening we do to students the more we know about them and how to work as well as support their efforts. Also listening says you care about them as individuals and are willing to take what you hear and use it as a way of helping them to be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
