I do breakout exercises with first term students to enable them to meet their fellow students and find a "study-buddy." This is a person they can exchange email and phone numbers with, in order to begin their support system and know someone to ask if they miss an assignement. I spend much of the first week of class, aquainting students with each other and fostering interaction in the classroom to help them feel a part of the educational experience.
Hi Stephen,
Participant-centered learning is a great way to enhance student engagement and increase content retention. Instructors should use this method where ever it will work in their instructional planning.
Gary
The idea of "Learning as you teach" is an interesting concept. Instructors should also
give value to "participant-centered learning" and allow students the opportunity to share their wealth of knowledge.
I can help them by taking the time to discuss their wants and needs and reaffirm their strengths.
Hi Al,
Don't have an answer to the situation you describe, though I experience it every time I start a new class. The sad part is that I teach some doctoral level courses and find that some of my students are lacking in basic writing and reading skills. There need to be an increased emphasis on the basic skills of written and oral communication as students are moving through the middle and high school levels. Probably not going to happen so we have to set up tutorial opportunities for students to acquire such skills as adults.
Gary
First of all, I find out how the student can get the information and retain it. Then I will give them every tool they need to get the most from the lesson. I have some students that when they come to me and say that they have a problem, and the first thing I sat is we don't think this, we handle the problem. Some students use flash cards, others use 3x5 cards. and some write it out. I am from the old school, see it, say it, and do it works every time. The biggest problem I having is that the students coming from High School can't read, spell, and can't write. I try to start and find an area where the student can learn with tutor and extra time with them. A lot of our problems start in jr., and high schools. I hope someone has a answer to this.
Hi Kevin,
Good idea to help students understand why they are in the course. For many students the courses are a matter of exploring career options so if they know why they are taking a specific course they have a better idea of how their career is going to develop.
Gary
In the first class of a course I usually go around and ask my students what brought them into their course of study, what career they wanted in the industry, what company they want to work for, etc.
I often find that students have not thought these things out, and because of this their motivation to work hard in their program is low.
Many times the responses of the other students opens the eyes of those whose reasons for being in the program are a bit fuzzy. Once I've established what motivates a student to come to class, I use this as a lever to get them to do their best work.
Whenever possible I make a big deal out of outstanding class work and give the student responsible a big ego boost. By about halfway through a course the majority of the class is usually working hard to be the best in the group.
Gary:
I can help students create personal support systems by passing around a sign in sheet on the first day of class and then providing a list of contact info to the class. They will learn from each other and hopefully develop a network of classmates that will help them both in class and later once they begin their new careers.
Hi Craig,
This is a great way of encouraging and supporting the learning of your students. The development of these relationships helps the students to understand how important social interaction is in the work place.
Gary
I constantly encourage my students to work with the other students on thier projects and for study purposes. We have been quite successful in this as the primary students I teach are in the IT programs and they have bonded into a group that supports each other with thier various projects and even the non-IT class items. I also will break various people into groups to drive interaction with people they traditionally would not interact with due to thier programs.
Hi Tamar,
Good way to get students settled into the course. They know they have someone that they can talk to about class issues if they aren't sure about an assignment, etc. I like this approach as well because it helps them to see how they need to develop their social abilities to work with others which is a skill they are going to need in the real world.
Gary
Some institutions have a Student Services department that can help students with transportation issues by providing them with a gas card, bus routes, or perhaps by setting up a car pool. They can also help with child care issues by providing them with a list of child care services that are reasonable. As instructors, we can create a classroom atmosphere that makes a student feel safe. Some students feel intimidated initially because they have low self esteem either because they've been away from school for a long period of time or because they are fearful that they will not be able to grasp the information presented. Instructors need to acknowledge their accomplishments as much as possible in their journey.
One activity that I try to do in some of my bigger classes is to put the students into pairs on the first day. I then have the students exchange their email address, facebook information, twitter, phone, or whatever with each other. I tell the students that their partner can be their contact for the class. They can study together, and reach out to each other for any help. Their partner can also be a point of contact if any of them miss class. It helps foster friendships and creates a support system.
Hi Lisa,
This is a great aid you are providing your for your students. Time management is a problem for most adult students as they have so many things going on in their lives. Giving them structure and a way to create order in their time planning helps them to be successful.
Gary
I have a daily planner for the quarter that asks them to fill in times for studying, going to class, working, and other obligations. In this way, students can identify problem areas and seek out support. For example, if after completing the planner a student realizes that he/she will have to study at home with two young children playing in the next room, that student can then think about asking a support person to come entertain the kids for some of those planned study times. Or that same student might make some adjustments to his/her schedule, so that he/she can come to campus to study in the library.
In New Student Orientation, we do a similar activity. We also hand out a college created student resource brochure that shows them places to get housing, clothing, food, transportation, etc.
I start by getting to know them, asking why they are in this class, what they hope to get out of the class, and finding out a little about their background. I then help them to make connections.
I like to discuss previous experiences with students and identify areas relating to the course as well as those areas where opportunity for expanding their knowledge and experience exist. By taking a positive approach to this an effective and suitable support system can be identified and implemented.
I think that is a great way to make sure everyone is ok. I make sure they understand their not the only one that has had problems, and that they have support all around them at school. Since my courses have lab time, I make sure that I talk to each student everyday.
