A common challenge many instructors face is keeping students interested in and excited about learning beyond the classroom. Encouraging and introducing external education to your students can be can a great way to present to them new industry trends, concepts, and lessons that may not be covered in your school’s curriculum.

Out of classroom education can be a great benefit for nail school students, as it familiarizes them with other forms or learning, new interests, and real-life experiences. Here are five ways you can expose your students to learning outside class:

Take field trips. Field trips can be a great way to immerse your students in real-world learning. Being in the field allows them to see real life examples of how people really work in the beauty industry in various capacities.

Assign tasks that require them to look outside of the school or classroom resources.  Encourage students to write short essays on new industry trends, websites, webinars, videos, or any external learning they have participated in on their own. Make seeking out new information in the industry a part of their weekly assignments.

Use technology in class. Use class time to watch YouTube videos of your students' choice and have them demonstrate what they learned in class. Acquaint them with new websites and social media sites where they can find outside learning opportunities. Sign up for industry-related webinars that students can watch during class time, and as a follow up, require them to write about, present what they learned, or produce a YouTube channel and post their work as a class.

Make them become journalists. Every new beauty professional needs to know how to communicate well with clients. As part of your curriculum, send your students out to interview beauty industry professionals of their choosing in various job roles. It will not only help them learn about different areas in the business, but it will also aid in developing their communication and consultative skills.

Get them involved in creating an external learning portion of your curriculum. Ask students to share with you and the class where they go for leisure learning and inspiration. Use this information to make your class more interactive and educational from the students' point of view. Allowing students to participate in the creation of homework and have a choice in the subjects they study outside the classroom will encourage creativity and boost excitement.

Tiffani Douglas is a licensed nail technician, speaker and beauty marketing professional with more than 20 years experience in the beauty industry. She is also the author of Straight Outta Beauty School – 10 Things You Need to Know and Do After Graduation, now available on Amazon.  

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