Foreign Students and Pygmalion
In the course I teach to foreign students there is a high degree building confidence in the students to be able to achieve the results expected. Are they any other techniques that get foreign students motivated?
Richard,
this is a great strategy. All of us do better when we have these shorter term goals that are achievable & this strategy is one way to increase that feeling among our students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Richard,
this is a great strategy. All of us do better when we have these shorter term goals that are achievable & this strategy is one way to increase that feeling among our students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
In my classes, the Americans are the "foreign" students. The technique I've used is to break the exercises down into smaller ones throughout the week (courses are usually 1, sometimes 2, weeks long). Lots of smaller, "bite-sized" exercises and simulations offers a crawl-walk-run approach, building up to the final, big simulation at the end of the course (which is also their evaluation). Lots of small successes across the course creates the Pygmalion effect that they can & will succeed.
I have learned that embarrasment plays a big role in foreign student learning. In many cultures to seem ignorant is shameful, so questions,or the meaning/correct pronounciation of a word may not be asked while in class. I try to pay attention to facial expressions and body language of these students to cue me that I may need to explain or pronounce words repeatedly.
Sharron,
Great point made. And while we often may be dealing with adult learners, we need to be aware that some of them grew up being told that they weren't smart enough or that they couldn't make it. Whatever we can do to help them overcome this, the better off they will be.
Ryan
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think the parent expectation is so important. If a child doesn't have that, they are definitely under a learning handicap. I have always thought that one of the faults of "No Child Left Behind" is that teachers can do their absolute best, but if the student doesn't have support at home, there is only just so far a teacher can bring the child.
Hi Gerald,
I agree with you when you mentioned that many foreigners carry those high expectations from their loved ones with the end result of better quality of life. That said, they struggle and try their best to overcome the mulitple barriers (i.e. language, cultural, economical) they encounter. However, I had not experienced and witnessed them not to know the concept of the teacher expecting good work from them. If anything else, I have seen the opposite side where they worry so much about what their instructor will say because they are not proficient using the English language.
My approach to foreign students in my classroom is that they are very intelligent. They must pass a test to get into the school and that test is in English. I tell them that they must be very smart to learn more than one language while ALSO learning the language of medicine. It pleases them to be recognized as intelligent.
I agree! I've had foreign students in my class as well, and it can get a little difficult at times, especially if they do not have a good grasp of the English language. A few of them tend to blame the instructor for their inability to grasp certain concepts due to the language barrier, so tutoring or student services is always a good reference for them.
Speaking as a foreiner myself I will admit that it is native students that often lack in motivation. It has been my own experiance as a student and as an instructor. Something that I have utilized over last 2 years is 3 - 10 min at the end of a day verbal illustration of job related life experiances. Some of them are targeting a dilema, some to rekindle a dream, get a principle accross, etc. I do not have a steady sylabus stile lay out for it, I intended to continously refine it to the group at hand. It is called "Attempt to learn You something".
I agree! I've had foreign students in my class as well, and it can get a little difficult at times, especially if they do not have a good grasp of the English language. A few of them tend to blame the instructor for their inability to grasp certain concepts due to the language barrier, so tutoring or student services is always a good reference for them.
I teach all foreign graduate students and their undergrad work involves a lot of memory work. Expectations pressure comes from the family. The concept of the teacher expecting good work is new to them.
I have about 15% foreign students. I find most of them are highly motivated, but lack basic English skills. I recommend they see our student help center to help them build the necessary skills. I also praise them for taking chances in desiring this new career. It's sort of like I'm dealing as their parent and I want them to show me how capable they can be.
