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Attention | Relevance | Confidence | Satisfaction
Attention
It's more difficult to keep interest levels high when you're teaching
at a distance -- use plenty of interactive strategies and activities to keep
students from becoming bored and drifting off. To capture interest and stimulate
an attitude of inquiry: ask questions, use emotional or personal information,
create mental challenges, and use human interest examples. When possible,
use local examples.
Suppose
you teach a distance class with students in Tyler, Kilgore, and Angelina,
and you're talking about the role of industry on the local economy. Instead
of talking about it in the abstract, you could mention Tyler's roses, Kilgore's
oilfields, and Angelina's lumber industries as examples the students can relate
to and find relevant.
Relevance
Make the class relevant to the student’s needs and goals. This should
be done as early as possible in the class. Tie instruction in to their own
experiences and help them see the relevance. Emphasize (especially to adult
students) that their own experiences and reflections are legitimate knowledge
and are important to their further learning. Make use of advance
organizers to connect the known to the unknown. Here are a few ways to
promote active reception learning:
Confidence
Build a positive expectation of success. Allow students to display
competence and success as a result of their efforts/abilities. Create an achievable
learning experience.
Satisfaction
Encourage and support their intrinsic enjoyment of the learning experience,
as well as extrinsic rewards for their successes. Build a perception of fair
treatment, provide useful and fair feedback.
Explore Further
Attribution Theory and Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivation
Continue with Advance Organizers
The Northeast Texas Network Consortium
Coordinating Office / 11937 Hwy 155 at Hwy 271 / Tyler, TX 75708
phone (903) 877-7510 / fax (903) 877-7430
