I am constantly always asking how are my students doing. Some days they are doing fine other days and it could be what I would find easy, its really hard for them. I make study guides and I repeat myself with different terms so they use them in their vernacular. I found that studying little bit by little bit helped me retain a large amount of information instead of sitting down and studying for hours on end.
My students really enjoy that I care about their well being and they feel comfortable coming to me if they have any issues.
Good point. In the military we utilized stress inoculations to help personnel overcome fear. We purposely put folks in high stress situations to help the become acclimatized to the fear. This is similar to some of the practical application that we do in some colleges (with out the water or fear of drowning).
I believe that the fear of failure can help adult learners prepare for any type of course. The fear can act as a motivational tool, so it is our job as instructors to turn fear into a positive instead of a negative. This can be done by helping learners understand that fear is natural and normal for college level education. It can also be helpful to relate the feeling of fear to the realization of something that is new, we all fear the unknown, learning new information is learning the unknown so fear is natural. We can help students overcome fear by explaning how fear can be a positive force.
Hi Alfredo,
Well said in relation to how important feedback is to students. Many of our students have not had support in their previous educational experiences and by having it now they are on a success trail that before has not been available to them.
Gary
To give students proper feed back is critical to them wanting to continue with this challenge. Constant support by being there if they need you.Rewards with words of praise in front of their peers,thanks for participation in the lecture.Also by getting involved in info the understanding gets stronger. I have found that reward is one of the things that our students long for in the form of word praise.
Aimee,
I found that when an instructor sets a high standard the students work harder.The fact that you care enough about a students academic success speaks volumes to them that they really try hard to meet/excel your expectations.Don't you wish everyone had this philosophy?
I agree James, on the other hand where you and I teach (a culinary school) I do think the school environment has to mirror a professional environment to a realistic degree. A professional kitchen in the middle of service, as you well know, can be quite a militaristic environment. I think it's good to show the students a bit of that so they are used to it when they do enter the industry as a professional. There's a fine line that needs to be walked of course, but students entering that type of professional environment (where they are apt to get a good tongue lashing by the chef when all hell is breaking loose) need to see that in their education so that they are truly prepared.
Good point Mr. Mallet. I had a mentor once say to me, "I am very disappointed." Though initially, it stung, I got the message and the context of what he was saying. I was very careful from that point forward to focus very intently on not making the same mistake that I had. Nice post.
Ms. Styers,
I like your perspective. Being former military, I am accustomed to the type of instruction where students are weeded out. Through the military lens, it may make sense, but in the college environment a succinct difference is required to help students stay determined and focused. I think that knowing that you are not looking to codify and weed them out assists them in becoming better students. Nice post.
Hi Aimee,
Great way to express your mission as an instructor. You have a very comprehensive approach to supporting your students and the development of their self confidence. This is so critical in retaining students throughout the training sequence.
Gary
Ahhhhh yes. I have been known to use multiple forms of motivation with my students but I have found the most effective is the "I really expected more from you" strategy. Of course this only works when they care what you think however, it's a great tactic when a talented student is slipping and other forms of encouragement have proven ineffective.
The other thing I would say is that I liken a student's attitude to a bank account. Every time I prase them or give them encouragement I am making a deposit in their personal account and every time I correct or discipline them I am making a withdrawl from their personal account. Too many withdrawls and not enough deposits and I will bankrupt their spirit and then I have in effect destroyed their enthusiasm for learning instead of enhancing it.
Personally, I try to be my student's cheerleader and support system. I strongly believe that an instructor's positivity can make or break a student's success. In my personal college experience, I had many instructors who believed in weeding out students. This was frustrating to me as a student who was determined to exceed no matter what was thrown my way. However, these experiences have groomed me to be an instructor who is the exact opposite. I set high standards for my students and stick with them. However, I always give positive and encouraging feedback to my students. Also, I provide timely feedback (qualitative and quantitative). This keeps students motivated to do their best. Also, I have found that students don't want to let me down, so they work hard to impress me. Many students tell me at the end of the course that they appreciate my support and positive feedback. This is what motivates me as an instructor. Plus my mission is to show students who question their ability, that they can do anything that they set their mind to.
Marion,
Agreed. And with ow sensitive people are these days BOY it takes some tact to show them how to improve their performance without them taking it personally and getting all bent out of shape. I had a student once with such unreastic expectations....I worked very closely with him just in the hopes he would get a D. When he ended up with a C I was thrilled...he was furious that he didn't get an A even though I had given him an honest evaluation of his progress through the class and told him that was simply not realistic given his skills and his point total to that point in the class.
What can you do?
Hi James,
This is a good way to help students to "connect the dots" between their previous life experiences and what they are studying now. This will really help with their self confidence and career growth.
Gary
Scott,
I found that being honest with a students performance as it progresses gives a student a true sense of reality. I sit with the student discuss my concerns, where I see improvement is needed and place the responsibity on the student to improve. I continually give feedback. I have had students who had a false sense of reality, who after I discussed my concerns with them improved dramatically. However, I also had students who continued on the same course and failed. Honest, caring,and continual dialogue is an important part of teaching. No student should feel threatened, but encouraged to improve.
Ms. Tilden,
I can really attest to your point about setting the expectations up front. When students know exactly what is expected of them, they tend to perform better as they can just concentrate on the task at hand as opposed to trying to develop a map of where they should be going.
To help students overcome their fears you can listen to them and let them share their feelings as well as their expectations of re-entering school. Additionally, an instructor can make sure to address the needs of the student by incorporating the student's past experiences into the learning environment and demonstrate how that experience relates to education, learning and growing. An instructor may want to ask the student why they feel that they would not be successful and then address the issue from that particular lens.
Well there's no substitute for encouragement, honest evaluations, and feedback. I learned quickly that lying to my students to spare their feelings is doing them no favors. Of course that doesn't mean I have to be abrasive about it, but tactfully explain where they need to improve, explain HOW to improve, and leave them with a sense of encouragement that they have the ability to do so.
Hi Anthony,
You make a good point about helping students. You can give them some suggestions about possible solutions to their problems but it is up to them to follow through. If you continue to excuse them and their performance you soon will become an enabler rather than an instructor.
Gary
Number one way is by listening to them, but don't allow them to pour there guts out to you. Give them a few basic suggestions that might help them overcome there fear but encourage them to take action.
