Knowing your students
In order to make the students successful in their education it is important to learn the characteristics of each one as an individual. This is important in order to make the required adjustments in presenting the material so they can understand it comfortably.
Hi George,
Good question. As classes grow larger getting to know students can be a challenge but the gen ed courses I teach with 150-200 students puts me in contact with the students before and after class. I get there early and as they drift in I can talk with 20-30 of the them. The next day I focus on another group, etc.. So over a short period of time I have a chance to chat with all of the students and I work hard to keep the rotation up so I increase my points of contact.
Through online I have a series of questions I ask students and through the feedback I get a very good picture of who they are and where they are coming from.
Gary
How could this apply within on-line courses or a course in general educational classes where sometimes an instructor has 50-150 students in the class room forum?
Hi David,
You make a good point. One additional benefit to knowing your students is that by knowing them you will be able to provide needed support in a way and time that will enable the students to continue forward with their coursework rather than stalling out.
Gary
I equate knowing your students equally important as knowing the capabilities of your subordinates as a supervisor. You must know the capabilities of your subordinates so that you can not only challenge their capabilities but assign them to a task that is not so far beyond their capabilities that they will fail. If you know your students you will know their week points and be able to support and encourage them thus enabling them to succeed.
Knowing your students helps a lot in planning your teaching material too. I teach a class where the oldest student in 54 and the youngest is 21 years old. I involve my students while I am teaching and after every 10-15 minutes I encourage them to share their experiences. This keeps the whole class involved in the subject.
Hi Michael,
We are fortunate in that in teaching in a career college our classes are generally smaller so we get to know our students better. Your comments about the value derived from knowing them are right on the mark. We can earn their respect while developing rapport with them and this makes for a great teaching environment.
Gary
I agree. In addition to it being a helpful tool for planning lessons and knowing where to draw examples from, and who you can count on in the classroom for certain experiences, it also is a great way to connect with students. Too often I've heard instructors refer to their classes as a unit, rather than a bunch of individuals. This might be understandable in a large lecture hall class, but in a class of 15-30?
Michael
