Get Your Students Hired
I like to talk about some of my real life experience. This helps them knowing what to expect when the get a job in their field. Even letting them know some of the mistakes I made when I working in the field.
In order to show the relevancy of my course content to my students, I always try to use exact examples of where and when I have encountered, faced or utilized any particular topic or example I may be speaking of. I also pay particular attention to being able to reference and circle back to anything that may have happened in the term that illustrates the current topic, so that it can feel "instantly real" to them.
I teach veterinary pharmacology in a veterinary technology program. The material is inherently relevant. However, it is intimidating for most students. I try to help them remember information and understand the relevance better by providing anecdotes from my practice experiences or stories that I have heard. This way I hope the material is not just a list of facts, but rather information that the students feel they will really need to know to succeed in their careers.
Hi Stacey,
You are telling the students exactly what they need to know in order to keep them motivated. They really are going to be extremely marketable once they get their license.
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
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
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
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.
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.
Hi Rosalyn,
Wow! Students love it when we make learning apply to the real world.
Patricia Scales
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.
I agree about past students speaking about current success to my present class. They excite and encourage the students.
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.
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
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.
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 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 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
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