Hi Sean,
Rapport and support are two very important words for instructors to have in their teacher tool box. The more rapport we have with our students the more they will open up to us and if they know we care about their success and are supportive of them their commitment level increases.
Gary
One way to help students overcome their fear of not being successful is ensure them that they will be taught everything they need to learn to be successful in their college work. Give constant encouragement and let them know that if they need additional help it is available to them.
Hi Jennifer,
Good point about reminding students about their goals. Sometimes they get so bogged down with going to school, working and maintaining their lives they forget they are in school to better their lives and create a future for themselves. Being reminded helps them to get motivated and refreshed as they work their way through their courses.
Gary
REminding students of their motivation and goals. I like to ask the students to write down realistic short and long term goals. I also ask them about their learning style, perceived challenges as an adult learner. I teach them about balance, studying, participation in group forums for retention of information, and to seek out help if they are struggling. I provide positive feedback frequently to help alleviate fears and many times ask them what their personal fears are. All of these factors help to build confident and trust...and ultimately leads to student success.
Hi Brian,
The more experience a student has the more expertise they will develop in the area of problem solving which is going to be a major part of their career success. By you showing them how to overcome mistakes you are giving them valuable career preparation.
Gary
In culinary school, I definately relate real world examples to their education to reinforce their career path. I show realistic expectations for their performances and try to add encouragement to their daily lessons. Our students work together to accomplish tasks which brings together the wide age range too
I teach my students to understand that success comes with failures, mistakes and problems, it is how you learn from them that will make you successful. I almost encourage mistakes so we can take the time to address them. I think this helps overcome that fear.
Hi Adrienne,
Well said. Your understanding of their needs and the provision of support will help them to achieve success not only in your classroom but in their careers as well. Keep giving those words of encouragement they are appreciated and internalized by the students. This is what in many cases keeps them coming to class.
Gary
Hello Dr. Meers and colleagues,
I can help students overcome their fear of not being successful in their college work by being supportive of them. I would do this by getting to know each student and learning why they are fearful, if they are willing to share this information. I would give the students timely grades and feedback on their assignments. Follow-up questions would help to draw shy students into discussing more specifics. I would make sure that students are aware of my office hours and availability outside of the classroom for additional questions/help on assignments. I would give words of encouragement and motivation that would let them know that I care about their success in my course.
Hi Stephen,
I agree. I like to use this method as well because it helps to get the students settled into the course and interacting with their peers. This leads to reduced frustration and a higher level of comfort by the students.
Gary
Hi Donte,
Letting the students know you are excited about learning new things while teaching the class is a way of encouraging them to expand their learning as well. This helps to create a community of learners in the classroom.
Gary
I honestly think that the best way to help students overcome their fear is to immediately have them in a group setting talking about who they are, why they are here and what their motivation is. Students dont want to feel like they are on an island. If I am teaching a group of brand new students the first thing i do is a roundtable with all of the students doing this exersize. They need to feel and see that there are others just like them that have the same motivation, desires and fears about being in college.
I think it's important to remind all of the students in my class that everyone is there to learn, including myself. I think this gives them the feeling that everyone is on the same level from a learning perspective. Also, I like to provide open-ended questions to the class to get them to repond with more than one word reponses. I encourage them to throw out there thoughts to the questions and that there is no wrong anwers because everyone is there to learn. Ultimately, I like to reinforce learning to remove that fear of success.
Students look for immediate feedback from their instructor to ensure they are on the right path. Once the feedback is provided, students are a little at ease if it is positive; if not, the fear continues. When students are not successful, I make a point to speak with the student and provide specific feedback on where they can improve, which helps relieve some of the stress, anxiety, and fear that the student is feeling.
Hi Lisa,
Timely and constructive feedback is very important to student progress. Your comments can really help to shape the direction that students take in their application of the material you have presented them as well as their transference of this material to their career development.
This is a very important part of what we instructors do each time we work with our students. They need and expect feedback that will help them to focus in what they need to improve on.
Gary
Giving good, constructive and frequent feedback. I really try to make the student feel comfortable with me and am not afraid to give them lots of encouragement.
I also attempt to build a camaraderie amongs the students in my class to help all feel welcome and a member.
Hi Jamie,
Good strategies for keeping students engaged and forward focused. They need the kind of support you are providing at different times throughout the course. The establishment of rapport with students is extremely valuable in helping them to be successful and know that you are there to support them.
Gary
I think that there are many things that are necessary to help students overcome their fear of college work. First of all you need to understand a few things about each student. Why did they decided to attend college? Why this course of study? What are their short, medium and long term college/ careerg goals as well. Once you get a good understanding of what each student hopes to accomplish and "get out of school" you can set realistic class expectations and learning objectives. You can then tie them in with real world examples (both yours and the students) and life experiences and be able to relate those back to the class room as well. By doing this I believe that each student (al ages) will feel a more personal connection with the class and the content covered and can have a clear understanding of how this material will fit into their future careers. There by helping them overcome their fear of not being successful.
I also believe in positive encouragment. I was once told to praise 10 times for every time I criticize. I have found that to be far more constructive in the class room then being too critical. It makes the students feel good about themselves and then makes them try harder in the class. What do you think?
Hi Jena,
This is a good point and is often a real challenge for instructors. By helping students to overcome these negative opinions about school and learning the instructor is helping to set up the students for success. The more we can do this the more the students will see themselves on the success trail.
Gary
Many students come to the classroom with negative prior learning experiences. I find that in order for those students to become receptive to the different ideas and approaches presented in a class, they must be able to move beyond those negative experiences. In breaking down barriers, students are more willing and able to fully participate in their own learning.
