understanding your student
By understandig your student help you to provied the best education they need.
I agree. If you understand why a student is frequently late or why a student does not like to speak up in class helps the instructor to present the material more effectively.
I definitely agree that knowing the backgrounds of your students will help them learn and will help you understand the issues of each student.
Hi Marie,
I commend you for your adaptation of your course content to meet the unique needs of this group of students. This is the sign of a dedicated professional that has her students foremost in her mind. Sounds like it went very well for both your students and yourself.
Gary
I do agree with the statement of understanding your student helps you to provide the best education they need. This quarter I taught a course that is only offered once a year on at my campus and a requirement for all business majors. 80% of my students declined taking the course at the start of their programs in the online environment; therefore a majority of my students had already studied or had life experience with the course topics. Therefore, I as an instructor had to modify my lesson plans to an advanced level that challenged my students understanding which made for a class that produce a lot of exciting decisions.
Sometimes knowing where students come from and why they are taking the course helps you connect with them better.
Hi Toni,
Good point and one we need always to remember. By knowing our students we can provide the needed support based upon the current situation.
Gary
Hi Jessica,
I have found that having them give me a series of answers to specific questions at the start of the quarter enables me to get to know them better- and they also get to know each other better as well - and this increases the connection and communication with the class from early on.
I completely agree with you on this! I think that knowing your students (disabled, single parent, spouse deployed overseas, pregnant, non-traditional student, etc) plays a huge role in "connecting" with your student. I also believe that this is even more important in the online setting where we cannot "see" face-to-face.
I do agree with this statement to a point. You do need to understand your students - I believe - especially in the online environment. I have an "introduction" discussion board link in my classrooms where students -if comfortable - answer a variety of questions that helps me get to know them better.
I keep notes on this information and use it througout the course to be better connected to my students and perhaps use that connection to better increase the learning ability of the student w/in the online environment.
The more information an instructor has on a student and their experiences, can be advantageous to delivering information in a way they are more likely to identify.
if you understand the student then there is less argument and more postive feedback from students and you can teach them very well
I have to agree that online teaching does present interesting challenges when it comes to getting to know your students. The goal is to help every student succeed. Some students seem to provide more information about themselves than others. Obtaining this information provides ways to help students succeed.
I completely agree...the more you know about your students experiences, challenges, goals, etc, the more you can find relevance in the course material to their lives...making it a more effective learning environment.
Hi Tyra,
This is a great way to help your students "see" the field in relation to the graphs you have used in giving them data about themselves. This helps them to start to digest data in a way that can be applied to their student lives.
Gary
I also try to analyze the student bios and share general statments or graphs like 60% of you are in x program, or 30% are in the central time zone, x% have children,... to help them start to build community. As a visual person the graphs give me "picture" to refer to as I lead discussions etc. I can then relate to those in the School of Health Science differently than those in the School of Business.
This really helps to provide support when needed
Good point. I teach strictly online and have no face to face interaction with the students so I have found it a constant battle to get students to open up and relay why things are either late, not completed entirely, etc. As the weeks progress though the students are much more willing to address concerns with me and discuss personal situations more.
This is true. Sometimes the teaching environment we are in does not promote this situation. You need to learn how to read them by their actions, language and speach as well.This can give you an idea of where they come from. As the class progresses keeping an eye on the student for their actions/reactions will signal you if more time is needed with that student.
Good post Sarah. I always ask my online students to provide a bio about themselves. This give them a chance to discuss their age, family, education, etc.
