In my opinion by providing a warm and inviting atmosphere ,can ease some of the students fears. Reinforcing the fact that I am there to help them meet their goals. I am willing to do everything possible for them to succeed. This is encouraging. I inform them that I am aware that each of them learn differently and I will attempt to teach to all of their needs.
I feel like giving good, honest feedback is important to help them overcome their fear of not being successful. You don't have to flatter them to boost their confidence, but giving positive feedback with any small progress they make will help them gain confidence. When they need to work on something, instead of just giving criticism, delivering objective and constructive feedback with demonstration of how a task should be done is important.
Chris,
Thank you so much for these comments. I think many students become so bogged down in life they forget to have a life. There has to be balance in their lives just as you mention if they are going to enjoy their college experiences and grow in their knowledge and maturity.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
First, I believe students should go into this "eyes wide open"...don't be afraid to explore
everything the college has to offer you as a first time student. There will be many who will tell you what career path you should choose, but do the research, take the appropriate interest tests that clearly define where your major interests lie. And once you've made a choice, feel confident in your decision and do all you can to learn from the resources around you.
Now set yourself up for a successful college experience. Make sure that you "do the work" and make the most of your college experience. Whenever possible, attempt to take courses from the brightest of professors in your career field. Then, talk with these professors on a regular basis and let them tell you about their experiences in the field.
Spending time outside the classroom is a critical part of your college experience to explore your interests and passions. It can be an adjunct to the college/classroom setting.
Lastly, college can be overwhelming. Your focus, of course,is on doing well academically. Don't neglect parts of your life that help you maintain a healthy, balanced life in school. De-stress when you need it. Maintain a good balance of healthy activities...going to the gym and/or going to religious services on a frequent basis. Basically: take care of all of yourself, the whole person.
Scott,
These little nuggets of encouragement are so important because as you have experienced the little encouragements results in big pay offs for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to help them overcome some of their fears by offering positive reinforcement. If they perform a task well, I tell them "nice work" or "good job" even with the smallest tasks.
Jan,
This is a good way to approach your students. You are guiding their learning but you are helping them to stay engaged by offering them options that they can explore for how they will learn the material. This encourages them to make an investment in themselves and their future.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Often times, people tend to focus on the negatives rather than on the positives. At times students might not be totally on track with the concepts being taught or completely accurate with their assignments. I find it helpful for myslef to have a positive attitude. I like to focus on the positives first. Provide the students with encouragement on the things that they have done well and guidance on the things that they need to improve or correct and bring them back on track. Give them options and suggections so they are empowered to make the final decisions.
Guy,
Good point and one we need to remember. It is easy to overlook a student that needs some encouragement or is dropping behind. By knowing more about them and how they function in class you can provide support as and when needed.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
An instructor must be able to see the students feelings of accomplishment and failure. Not all students wear their heart on their sleeve. We need to get to know their personality so we can further their feeling of accomplishments.
Brian,
Thank you for sharing this peer to peer model. From your description it sounds like everyone benefits from learning exchanges and support that occur in the classroom. This is a model that I know other instructors can use in their own classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my courses I have a mix of new students and students that have a few courses under their belt. I use this mix of students to my advantage by creating a work type environment of different level "techs". The more experienced students tend to look after the new students in assisting them with problems they may have in class or in solving problems that they had seen as new students. The body of students is the support that allows all the students to build confidence. The new students gain confidence in their newly acquired skills and the continuing students gain confidence in their abilities as mentors and technicians.
Kurtis,
You make a very important point in your last sentence. We need to strive for application on the part of students rather than just short term memory as you mention. So the more experiences, case studies and learning group interactions we can offer them the more applications they will make which will result in more content being stored in their working memory banks.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A crucial reminder for students is the importance of learning how to manage their time wisely and keep their materials organized. I want to make sure that my students also understand how essential it is to deeply comprehend material for true learning, rather than memorizing for short-term retention.
Darrell,
I agree because they need to see their future and how they are working on that future now. If they get too bogged down with life challenges they tend to forget why they enrolled in school in the first place so we need to remind them throughout the time we have them in class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gwendolyn,
Great list of student supports that will increase their chances of staying in school and completing their program.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I use reptition in my classroms during the lecture ad clinical parts. After going over something I have the studens repeat wht was just told them. It not only shows me that they are paying attention, it gives the students satisfaction of knowing that they understand the material that was just given to them. In return it makes it a little easie for them to want to complete any work. It also is a great way to have them study for an exam.
Until student understand there potential, give them a since of worth, and no matter they age college is there for everyone.
Positive reinforcement, empathizing with the student, and providing a good support system are some ways an instructor can help to quell and arrest the students fear of failure.
Naila,
Very true. It is a big step to decide to enroll in a post-secondary setting. Early success in the classroom and understanding instructors help to get fearful students settled into classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
