I love to celebrate their successes. I read and share the work of good students in class.
Dr.Meers:
I find that there are several ways to overcome their fears. From the first day of class, I assure them that this is a collaborative adventure, that I am there not to judge them, but I am a facilitator of their learning. To both the younger student, concerned about their social interactions, I try to be fully in support of them. I encourage their questions and discussions with each other in class as long as I do not compromise the learning environment. To the older student, I assure them that they have the ability to do well in the class, I try to be responsible about amount of homework to their work commitments. Finally, the first day class and discussion of the syllabus clarifies what is expected of them. As we write the essays in my English class, I disperse rubrics of how they will be scored and graded. I learned about rubrics in another course from MaxKnowledge. I grade and score their work more leniently at the beginning of course showing them examples of the different levels of work done in previous classes that I have taught.
One can help students overcome their fears by establishing a repoire w/ them. Learning about their backrounds, so as to better meet their educational goals. And above all voice your encouragement and bring to their attention when they are successful at a tasks, project and tests.
Reinforcement is the key. In my classes there is lab work that provides more individualized interactions. This lets me reinforce the class content and the abilities of the student. Some students are also fearful of interacting with the instructor so this allows me to instigate interactions and find out how to overcome any fears the student might have toward the learning process.
Providing detailed and frequent feedback. Reviewing a few problems together before they do them on their own. Providing opportunites to review drafts of assignments or projects. Clearly state and review expectations. Slowly increase difficulty of assignments and most importantly, celebrate successes.
