Daniel,
This sharing I am sure reinforces to many of your students the human aspect of being a student. Many of us were not the greatest students but we are successful due to hard work.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I always try to remember the problems I had when I was in college as I wasn't a very good student and I use this as an empathetic excersize when dealing with challenged students
Bobbi,
Rapport and respect between and among students is a powerful motivator and the more we can help them develop a support network the greater their success is going to be. Good point for us all to remember.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think that all students need to be guided to a support system. Support can be the difference between passing and failing for many. I have a class that started out together not knowing each other and have developed a strong bond throughout thier time in school that they support each other and keep each other on track. They have support that I beleive will last a life time. That is the support that students need!!
I beleve that as an instructor you need to be sure the student knows you always have time to talk to them. This may be the only support they have. Also putting them in groups to work together will give them support. Working on projects together can also help.
Trina,
You raise a good and essential point about student support. If students don't have basic needs being met they are not going to be ready to learn. By knowing what resources are available and then referring the students to those resources you are helping them to become stable in their personal lives so they can be effective as students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is critical to the success of the organization as a whole to provide a comprehensive system of support which can help students address issues both at school and in their personal lives. A student that has a problem such as homelessness, or no income due to not having a job can be helped with resources in place such as job placement programs, and financial aid resources.
I can only do so much on a personal level due to student teacher policy but I do try to help as much as I can through our student services dept. and other staff in the company. I feel showing the care for our students will help in a big way.
Saroj,
Good ways to start off a class. Showing respect and earning student respect is very important to student success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Respeting students, appreciating and knowing them.
Eileen,
You can learn some of this information without seeming to pry into their lives with the method you just described. I sit down with my students individually and ask them what supports to they need to be successful. I tell them I will try to provide the needed supports if they will give me the effort needed to be successful. I get a lot of sharing with this approach.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am fascinated with the idea of learning a student's personal support system and perceived barriers early in the course. I normally learn this info as the class proceeds. I am trying to think of creative ways to gather this information at the beginning of a term. If I talked with each student individually to determine learning style, is it appropriate to ask such background info? I am open to suggestions.
The first point i think is to know the student You are aviable to answer any questions, but never quote the student out-side the college, and find out what is the student learning style and work with it.
Monty,
Sounds like you have your approach down and it is effective with your students. You have taken technology and made it a supporter of students success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
This is a tough one, since my classes are online.
I don’t have the privilege of knowing each student in the class. But I have the privilege of mentoring, explain what is expected, and to give a detailed presentation of the topic. So many of the frustrations of the students have been eliminated as all texts are now e-books, and reaching an adviser is one click away.
My concentration is teach a new skill (or prefect a skill) and to lead the class into that direction
Monty Zaki
We usually discuss about students support system in the beginning of the term. We emphasize how important it is to get support throughout the program and have the students look back and think who their real support system consist of. Sometimes we tend to forget that they exist at all.
Mathias,
This personal approach is a great way earn student respect and develop rapport. For instructors that have too many students to be able to do this on a one to one basis being in the classroom/lab before and after class helps to establish rapport as well. A quick word before class helps to build a connection because that student realizes the instructor cares about them and their success. I make it a practice to meet and greet each student has he/she enters the class. Even though we only chat a few seconds the process of earning their respect has started.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I like to meet with each one of my students outside the classroom, either in the faculty office, student library or on a quick walk to a coffee shop. I feel that it's a great way to get to know the students without the added pressure of school. The students seem to open up to me easier when we are not in a classroom environment.
We start with the first day of class going around the room getting to know each other. I try to build from there. We spend a short amount of time at the end of each day decompressing. I encourage group study and forming teams. Later I will pick the teams by putting strong and weak in differant areas together.
When a student,feels comfortable being able to communicate with the Instructor about, concerns,knowing they will be helped and supported,it also helps them feel secure with fellow students.
