Rodney,
Students need to be encouraged and supported as they progress through the course. By helping them see the value of the course content and providing them with application of the information being shared this will happen.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Instructors can help students overcome fears and become successful in the college work by providing clear instructions, having students participate in class, provide feedback, assist students with trouble areas and make sure students feel comfortable in class.
Romana,
This type of support is so important for students that are on the bubble. You have given her hope by taking your time and letting her know how she can be successful. This will help her to chart a path of positive effort leading to her passing the course. I wish both of you much success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
By monitoring their progress throughout the course and intervening if student is starting to fall behind. I had to meet with someone today who is not doing well in my class. We reviewed her grades thus far and I asked her what her difficulties were with the course. It turns out that she does not know how to manage her time well when studying and is trying to "memorize " the book rather than focus on the lecture notes and handouts. I advised her to stay more focused on lecture notes and to stay organized during her study time and also to keep in mind that there is another 2/3 of the class ahead of us and that she can still get a good grade at the end of the course if she works hard.This approach helped motivate the student to keep working towards her goal of passing the class.
I usually talk to students about their fear, so as soon as they verbalize it, the fear factor is not as big as it was. Also I am always trying to give them an example of someone othercoming their fear, plust I ask them to answer to themself: if they hold to that fear longer, how that will help them to succeed in class? Usually it helps.
Nannette,
I like this approach very much as it establishes you as a human being that has the best interest of her students at heart. From there on it is a building process in terms of respect and rapport.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believe one of the most important things an Instructor can do is to let the students know in the beginning that you are approachable and are available to help them with these types of fears. College is a big unknown to most students unless they had an older sibling go before them. If they feel that they can express their fears to you and have you listen this is the beginning to helping them overcome. I try to sometimes just listen. When they are finished a lot of the time they have answered their own questions and just feel better that they had someone to take a moment and just listen to them.
Christina,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the same class but different student populations. This is an important fact we need to remember so we can customize to our audience. This way we will be more effective and on target for our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
By helping them understand that they are capable and the first step is believing in themselves.
I have one class that I teach during the day and in the evening. I have noticed that the content is the same, the students are not. My evening class is composed of strictly adult learners who have returned to school after years in the workforce. On the other hand, my day class is primarly 18-22 year olds who have minimal real life experiences. As a result, I have learned to customize my instruction to meet the needs of each of my classes. This helps in addressing the fears of some of my students as I lead and push the class based on their abilities. I also have an open door policy and try to create a safe environment, free of judgement.
Chad,
Yes, they can. We instructors just need to give them the support and guidance so they can keep forward focused in their learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Providing positive feedback for students can help them overcome their fear about college work. Although students come from many different backgrounds as well as vary in age, promoting positive attitudes and explaining all the information that will be needed for assignments will help them understand better. When the time comes for grading of an assignment and if for instance the assignment is incorrect, explain the mistakes to the student one-on-one, just in case they need further explanation and are possibly too embarassed to ask in front of other students.
Students can be successful at any age if they have the drive and willingness
With motivation and promoting a welcome atmosphere to all the students
congradualte them on ther choose to return to school and listen to their concerns and go from there. Encouraging people that they are on the right path can be so inspirational
Linda,
With this approach the students know what has be covered and accomplished at the end of each class session. This helps them to see their learning progress. Good plan.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Having each student accomplish/conquer at least one task each day.I like to involve students in all lectures.Treat it more like a discussion and to share their experience/thoughts.
First I make sure I am organized for the class so they can see I am prepared to talk about the current subject and answer any questions they may have. This can ease their fear of unknown material and the learnig of new skills. Also by informing them of their progress helps them to develop confidence in their work.
Cory,
Students can really relate to examples that instructors share about their own career growth. Students often forget they we are all former students ourselves, meaning we had to work to get where we are and that we had life challenges that could have derailed our efforts. Sharing these stories illustrates to them that we understand where they are coming from.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Sara,
How do you do this with your students?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
