Overcoming Apathy in the Classroom

 

Todd Zakrajsek

Central Michigan University

 

What can instructors do to facilitate learning when they encounter students who seem uninterested and even apathetic toward course content and assignments?  Part of the responsibility for learning belongs to students, but as faculty, we can find new ways to motivate, inspire, and maybe even cajole students to learn. This workshop will demonstrate and explain how instructors can make classroom learning, perhaps one of the

most artificial learning settings, a more meaningful experience for students.  The presenter uses theories of learning and motivation as a basis for creating strategies to increase student engagement in course content and class sessions. Participants will have an opportunity to try out and experience first-hand some of these techniques. Topics covered in this session include a discussion of active learning, motivation, collaborative learning, metacognition, learning theory, and interpersonal communication.