Billie Kay,
Good way to personalize your experiences to your students. This gives them a framework within which they can see themselves being successful just like you have been.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Billie Kay,
I like your approach to working with older learners. You are helping them to build their confidence as they come back to the classroom after many years of being out of school.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Listen to them and help them find ways to address and overcome their fears. Let them know that as an instuctor you are on their side and want to help them be successful in your course because successful students are a reflection of a successful instructor.
First by realizing that each student has different learning styles. By recognizing a method that works with a particular student will enable the instructor to reinforce the knowledge that the student has from previous studies and life experiences allowing the student to incorporate these abilities into a successful outcome. Being alert to each student's strengths and challenges helps the instructor to direct and promote a focused approach to the learning experience. By remaining positive this in itself helps to direct the student toward a favorable outcome. Letting the studentt know that one lesson failure is not a measure of the ability that the student possesses. Remain confident in the student's ability, recognize the weakness and redirect the student to ensure a favorable outcome. Furthermore, let the student know that they can do it and although overcoming a challenging area or situation may seem impossible, once achieved other tasks will seem less intimitating.
Always through positive care approach and postive feedback. Getting to know them and thier learning styles would be the first order of business. A personal greeting at the door when students arrive a depart. Give students oportunities for early success.
Through positive and individual reinforcement, which also ties in with the human-factor, an instructor can motivate a student to overcome their fears.
Marilyn,
Reinforcing the fact that students are moving toward their career goals is important. Sometimes they get bogged down in the everyday activities of life and forget why they are in school in the first place. A timely reminder can be of great help.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I share my own experiences as the first person in my family to go to college and how I used my fear and insecurity to push me to academic success. I find this resonates with many of my students who are in the same boat. There are times when it is helpful for an instructor to allow himself/herself to be vulnerable and share some of their personal challenges.
I would really like to hear about the details of that exercise. Could you share it with us?
As a teacher of composition, I have often had an older student say they feel at a disadvantage to the younger students just out of high school. I can always answer them honestly that I've found older students to be better writers overall because they have had so many more experiences from which to make decisions and form ideas connected to reality. I can then share with them a few papers written by older students that reflect that insight.
Agustin,
I like your approach to inspiring and challenging your students in terms of their success opportunities. You have not only talked the walk but have walked the walk. This makes you a role model they can follow if they are willing to put forth the effort.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Jennifer,
Thanks for the inspiring comments. You are an over achiever which is to your credit and success, not to mention how your efforts demonstrate to your students that they can be successful. Keep inspiring!
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In my classroom experience positive reinforcement has worked for me. I've also engaged them in conversation to understand the root of their fear and have pointed out how well they are doing. they must understand that they are not the first to experience this fear and not the last but with patience and hard work they will see progress and lose their intial fear.
Personally, I share my own experiences of being a bad student. Some people may not agree with that, but it always works. I have no reservations in telling my students that the first year of my college career I was very lazy and was put on academic probation. This gets puzzled looks at first. Then I go on to tell them about the college instructors/professors that I met who cared about my success, and, in the end, I went on to get a terminal graduate degree with a 4.0 grade average. This goes with the lesson on building a good rapport with the students. They trust me after this. I am honest about what it takes to be successful: we just sometimes need someone to light fire under us. I tell them that I am here to do just that.
As a rule, I have found that sharing anecdotes about my failures, followed by how I turned them around from my college experience has been highly effective in promoting student success in my classes. As a matter of instruction, this is exactly one of the classes I teach, so I use these examples to connect with my students that have just begun attending my institution.
Helping ease their anxiety. I have had many students that are adults who have not been in school for many many years. They usually are a little more anxious than the younger students. They are afraid that they may not be able to keep up with everyone else or fit in with other students. I try to ease their anxiety on the first day of class. I have them do introductions and then get into groups and get to know each other. I have them ask each other 3 questions. 1) What is your full name?
2) What is your goal?
3) What are you going to do to acheive that goal?
This usually gets them to start a conversation and that just the students more comfortatble with each other.
First it is important for the student to understand in their own mind what they classifiy as being successful. If you sit with them and have them explain their idea of successful, you can walk them through their past experience and the road ahead to have them come the the conclusion that they can be successful in college.
One of the things that I have done with students that face this issue is to have the student to identify what type of learner they have been in the past. I have them to identify things that have caused them to be successful and things that have caused them to fail. Once we identify strengths and weaknesses then I help them to come up with strategies to overcome the weakness and also we come up with strategies to enhance the strengths. This allows the student to become involved in their own success, they come up with the plan, and they buy into the plan. I feel it is imperative to help them realize they have tools for success. Sometimes these tools come easy for them and sometime that have to work hard to develop them.
I'm offering help to anyone who seems to have trouble in any way. I offer my school-based email for access to me for any questions they may have that they don't want to or don't have time to address before or after class. I'm making myself available before and after class for questions. Basically watching for non-verbal cues and making myself open to them. I'm also doing everything I can to validate responses in class with praise and enthusiasm. 'Good job' or 'good response' or 'well done' are easy to say and take so little time. Also when I hear that shy voice saying the correct answer I try to respond with that's correct or 'I heard the right answer, can you say it again?' Since I'm so new to teaching but 'old' in the profession I'm instructing, the suggestions in the materials are helping me broaden what I can use. I've also shared my own test anxieties and real life experiences with them.
First you need to find out what their fears are. Talk about your owb experiences if you were an adult learner as well. assure them that you will be there every step of the way. Also,let them know you want to see them do well and are there to help.
