Here’s How to Engage the Mind of Your Students

The ideal outcome for any class, whether it is a college course or corporate training program, is to have students demonstrate that they were able to meet the course objectives, which could include several factors such as the acquisition of new knowledge or the development of specific skills that are academic or job related. In other words, it is expected that students will have learned about a subject or learned how to do something as a result of their involvement in a class. Yet the reality for many classes is that some students will simply go through the motions without actually learning anything, even if they have written a paper, participated in the class discussions to some degree, or passed a required test.

What experienced educators know is that learning takes place not just in the classroom but within the mind of their students and that is where the focus of educating adults needs to begin – on the mindset, attitude, and mental capacity that every student has while they are participating in class and working through the course materials. The optimal class conditions could be well established and the right materials provided but then there may be students who still do not connect with the class. Active involvement by students does not occur automatically, it requires guided instruction through all aspects of the class and with all learning activities. A highly engaged instructor is needed to work with students and monitor their ongoing progress, to ensure that they are not just present but their minds are fully engaged in the learning process.

The Mind of an Adult Student

Cognition is a word that refers to how the mind receives and processes information. The mind is in control of the flow of information and knowledge, which must always be a consideration when a course is developed and delivered to students. The classroom conditions and environment established by the instructor will determine the initial perception and mindset students develop about their course. This means that students will either begin from a mindset of being willing or resistant to being involved. Once the class has begun and materials are delivered to them, they are initially passive recipients of that information. The method in which the course was designed and the content is delivered will have a direct impact on how the mind is engaged and the information is received, processed, and filtered. Other factors such as attention span, focus, and academic preparedness will further influence their mental capabilities or cognition.

Initially when information is received the mind stores it in working memory, which has a limited capacity as to how much it can hold. When there is a lot of material to review or take in during a class discussion there may be a point when the mind filters out and discards some of the information. The purpose of a class is not just to give students knowledge about a subject but work to ensure that it is retained in long-term memory. This requires students to engage their mind in the subject being studied and place the information in a context that is relevant to their existing knowledge, background, and experience. If class discussions and learning activities are successful in helping students retain knowledge it then becomes stored, categorized, and organized in long-term memory, which means it can be recalled and utilized at a later time.

The Context for Learning

When a college class is developed it is meant to provide students with the right amount of information, materials, and resources; with planned activities that are designed to get students involved in the learning process. However, it is not uncommon for students to finish a class and forget a significant amount of knowledge acquired, if there was no consideration given as to how students will process the information they have been given. This means they must transform from passive to active learners as they are involved in class. While this is partially a matter of how the course was designed, which can be beyond the control of most instructors, the method of delivery can also have an impact on the retention of knowledge related to course subjects and topics. The role of an instructor is to bring that material to life and help students work with it so that they are able to understand, comprehend, relate to, and connect with it in a meaningful manner.

In contrast, the type of corporate training developed is typically based upon specific needs and those can be performance-based, individually-based, or related to organizational goals and business needs. The type of training classes developed can be further classified as to whether it is essential or non-essential. Anything that must be learned immediately or relatively quickly is essential in nature and any topic or skill set that is developmental in nature or simply an elective may be considered non-essential. The standard approach for training classes is a traditional classroom lecture; however, this is starting to change as organizations acquire learning management systems. The nature of the training and what must be learned will determine if the instructional method used can be flexible. For example, it could be possible to deliver some soft skill training classes online. Regardless of the format the instructional strategy may need to include more than a lecture, through the inclusion of activities that promote practical application of the materials for immediate use on the job.

Leading the Learning Process

The words training, teaching, and facilitating are used almost interchangeably for adult education although the traditional definitions are aligned with a specific type of classroom. For example, training is used to describe workplace learning, teaching for primary education, and facilitating for higher education. Training is an organizational perspective and explains the purpose of a class. Teaching is an academic perspective that can also apply to higher education as an instructor must still be responsible for direct involvement with students in the learning process. However, there is a trend in higher education to de-emphasize a teacher-led approach, especially for online schools. Facilitation applies to any classroom environment as it describes the role of an instructor as someone who is guiding their students. Regardless of the word that is used to describe an instructor’s role within any classroom environment a student-centered, instructor or teacher-led approach is still required because students need to be prompted to engage their advanced cognitive functions.

Strategies to Engage the Mind

Learning occurs as a result of a willing and engaged mind. An instructor who wants to promote learning, whether it is in a college or training classroom environment, can do so by employing any one or all of the strategies provided below as a means of encouraging cognitive development. These methods also apply to either traditional or online classes as learning takes place first within the mind of the students.

• Learn Your Subject Matter Well: If an instructor only has a cursory understanding of the subject they are teaching it will be much more difficult to provide a relevant context and help engage students in the topics. With the availability of online sources for any given subject matter an instructor can stay current in their field and strengthen the facilitation of their class.
• Share Your Relevant Professional Experience: Providing professional stories and examples is a very helpful method of showing what the course topics mean for a particular industry or type of business, and it allows an instructor to use the textbook as a springboard for learning. A helpful suggestion would be to scan the materials and topics for the upcoming week and write down examples that are ready for the discussions.
• Explore the Textbook and Consider Additional Sources: A textbook will provide foundational concepts to build upon, along with elements such as examples, case studies, questions, problems, etc. Those are tools that can be utilized during class discussions or as supplemental activities as a means of working through the topics. It is also possible that additional sources will be useful when current examples and case studies are needed. An instructor can look ahead at the upcoming class week and prepare a bank of sources and notes that can be utilized as needed during the discussions.
• Encourage Guided Discussion: A class discussion is the heart of any class, in any learning environment, as it can engage the mind and prompt further thinking about the course subjects. This is a time when students can explore the topics and interact with other students, provided that they are encouraged to do so in a safe and welcoming environment. There are several inherent challenges with class discussions and the first is encouraging students to talk when some may naturally shy away from conversations, which requires prompting them to speak up. The second challenge is keeping students on topic and this is a balancing act that instructors address by carefully guiding the direction of the discussions. When students do participate they become actively involved by working with concepts rather than just reading about them.
• Provide Meaningful Feedback: When a paper has been submitted that is poorly written, contains numerous mechanical errors, or has over-utilized sources to create the content, it can be challenging to follow the thought process used by the student and much easier to focus on writing mistakes. However, a majority of students who submit a paper have made an effort and that is what needs to be analyzed. This provides an instructor with an opportunity to further interact with their students about the course topics and provide feedback that prompts their thinking and strengths their analysis. It becomes important then to allow enough time each week to carefully read through the papers and provide comments that encourages students to reflect upon and learn from the feedback provided.

Any instructional strategy used must be done with the purpose of helping students connect with information received in a manner that promotes comprehension through interaction, application through context, and retention in long-term memory for future recall. Regardless of the tools and instructional methods used, the learning process takes time. This is why it becomes necessary to help students become involved in class and guide them as they work with the subjects. While the manner in which a course was designed can promote or inhibit learning, it is the internal cognitive processes that ultimately determine what students learn and retain. The critical component for any class is the instructor’s level of involvement. While mental functions cannot be seen or the internalized processes evaluated, an instructor can help students become mentally engaged and actively involved as they interact with and guide them throughout the class.