Hi N. Dianne,
Yes, examples of how things really are in the real world generate excitment and interest. Students deserve to know the benefits of the course.
Patricia Scales
Hi Michelle,
Love it! Students love and need a variation of teaching methods. Students enjoy it when the class has a mixture of things going on. We as educators must keep class interesting and exciting.
Patricia Scales
By explaining the value of the information provided as well as supplying an activity that relates to utilizing the material in their field.
As a SME it is easy to relate the material covered in a mod to the application in the clinical world being taught, however a non clinically experienced student would need to be told how the material fits in to the operation of the clinic on a day to day basis, My MOA classes are focused on collections billing and other monetary functions within a medical office. Just today many students could grasp the idea of collection calls and why and when they had to be made as they have first hand knowledge of these kind of calls. Bringing the material to real world and showing how a student may have already experienced it helps to tie the material into a better learning experience
Hi Sunshine,
Students better understand the relevancy of the course when they know how the course is going to help them in their career.
Patricia Scales
Hi Michael,
Yes, you have it! Students need to be able to make the connection of the course to the real world. When students make the connection, they get a true understanding of the course relevancy.
Patricia Scales
I teach at a Culinary Arts school and even in the lecture/academic courses we consistently tie in culinary applications at every possible opportunity.
An example would be outlining the communication responsibilities of a sous chef or executive chef to highlight the benefits of a written or oral communications course.
Hi Tim,
Awesome! Great idea to make culinary applicable to ALL course content. Students understand the benefit of the course when they understand the relevancy of the course.
Patricia Scales
I teach professional development, interviewing skills, resume writing, customizingt cover letters and making your self relevant, findable and memorable. Students usually have a difficult time seeing the relevance of my class initially as it pertains to their career needs.
The first day of class I ask the students what are their expectations from my class. I calculate their responses, and give the students a visual of the response ....the last day of class we go over their expectations and responses to see if they feel they got what they expected so they can gauge their start point and end point, also seeing if their needs were met.
I begin by asking them typical interview questions,for example "Tell me about yourself", which at first is difficult to answer if you don't know what the interviewer is looking for. This is a question that usually stumps the students ... then I tell them how and why this question would be answered in a certain way. After initially asking interview questions, receiving answers that most students are unable to respond to, they begin to see the relevance of the course.
By doing this initally, combined with asking the students to format a typical business letter (which most students do not know how to do because this is an unfamiliar skill with texting, emailing and abbreviations being the most common form of communication), students begin to assimilate the importance and relevance of Professional Development as it applies to each individual helping them to meet their career goals.
Malcolm, I just heard of a math teacher in New Jersey who had his students calculate math problems by doing real life math situations, such as measuring sculptures or buildings and applying their finding to a math question. This exercise was done in groups.
Rosalyn Skinner
Hi Zane I absolutely agree that if you are enthusiastic and passionate about your course it translates to your students. I enjoy motivating the apathetic.
I agree about past students speaking about current success to my present class. They excite and encourage the students.
I encourage to be "selfish." By that I mean I suggest that they listen to lectures, media, or others' comments while thinking, "What's in this for me?" The idea is to engage or enrage (maybe too strong a word)...but at least keep them from being bored.
Hi Rosalyn,
Wow! Students love it when we make learning apply to the real world.
Patricia Scales
Having worked in diverse areas of industry, including international, IT and Business arenas, I use every opportunity to relate the course relevance to my own real-world experiences. For instance, if I'm teaching an International Business Course, I use my overseas trips to share and compare similarities and differences in social, cultural, political and business engagements. My personal experiences always captures the student attention and relates to course relevancy.
Another very good way of showing course relevance is to find a really good relevant video on YouTube or other sources to share just before the class begins.
U tube is a wonderful tool to use for any subject, especially interviewing skills
Hi Lauretta,
Yes! YouTube has anything on it you can imagine. Students love the use of technology in the classroom. Students need to know that the course content will benefit them.
Patricia Scales
Hi Rosalyn,
You have it! YouTube is all purpose. If you can't find it on YouTube, you can't find it anywhere.
Patricia Scales
Ms. Scales,
I am a nursing clinical instructor for VN students. The challenge that I face is that in this area, there is a large, and very competitive, RN market. The hospitals are very welcoming to RN students in their facilities and are not allowing VN students, as this would be overwhelming to both staff and patients. Our students, therefore, have been restricted to nursing homes to complete their clinical rotations. It is difficult to keep their interest and show that although it is the same setting, the patients are relevant in any scenario and they are learning so much because the patients are elderly and typically have so many disease processes simultaneously. I continue to focus on that aspect to keep the students engaged and encourage them that when they obtain their nursing license they will be prepared to handle so many different patients due to their experiences.
Stacey