On Fri, 16 Aug 1996, Bill Hendry wrote:
> Replying to LO9148 --
>
> As an adjunct faculty at a local univ. I feel I can comment on Joe's
> points about igniting the passion in students. My experience is that the
> majority of students care more about the diploma than learning and doing
> the work it takes to learn. I feel they see the diploma as a means to
> another goal, which doesn't have anything to do with learning. I too
> believe that my role is to ignite fires rather than fill vessels; the sad
> part is so many don't seem that interested in igniting.
One thought that comes to mind, Bill, as I read your message is that it
rings especially true in those classes which are seen as "requirements"
for a degree rather than an opportunity to learn something that the
student is already interested in.
A strategy that might be of help is to see if you can find what the
students you teach are already "passionate" about (especially if it is
_not_ your subject area) and then link what you teach to those issues,
topics, or experiences. I know that can be hard with certain subject
areas, but it can be a way for the student to see the relevence (boy, does
that bring back memories of yesteryear!) of your teaching to their
learning.
The other idea from my teaching experience is that the more I can get the
students involved and interacting with each other about their learning,
the greater their enthusiasm. When they work in small groups or teams to
learn and produce results, the participation and energy level goes up.
I may be telling you what you already know, but how does this sound for
you in your situation?
Curiously yours,
Tobin Quereau
quereau@austin.cc.tx.us
--Tobin Quereau <quereau@austin.cc.tx.us>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>