If you show every student to you best ability that you do care about them, it shows that they are wanted to be there and then they have a reason to show up.
Hello,
In our third week of classes, we meet with each student to provide them with feedback about how they are doing in the class. This is a chance for instructors to give the students positive feedback and to ask them how I might make the course better for them. If the student is having trouble, this is the perfect opportunity to help him/her without singling anyone out. This also gives me another opportunity to develop a rapport with them that enables me to provide activities and strategies to help them learn the material.
Hi Murali,
You are right about how it is easy to overwhelm students. Instructors need to read their students so they know how and when to introduce the course overview and syllabus. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Students can become very overwhelmed in the very first week by looking at the syllabus that includes the grading policy on the exams, quizzes and labs. This might make the students to drop this class and go for an easier one. The best way to keep the students is to help them break the syllabus step by step and let them know that it can be done if we take one step at a time week by week. Encourage them.
Hi Michael,
Way to find a balance for your students. You are integrating the difference age groups into a setting that keeps them focused on the content and skills needed for career success.
Gary
Consulting with other instructors has been a great resource for me as far as finding new ways to inspire students to put forth effort in every class. I also do my best to convey my passion about the wine and restaurant industries and just how amazing a field we work in. When students see just how much the industry means to me, I hope that it makes them feel comfortable getting just as excited about their career possibilities.
As always, maintaining a professional and conducive learning environment is another key factor in keeping students in tune with their classes and excited about school. When an instructor is lathargic or uninspired, it shows in their attitude and the students can smell it a mile away. Disinterest on the instructors part surely breeds the same in the students so avoiding this is key. Showing the students you care about them, the learning process and their future in your industry makes all the difference.
i have a very face pace class that changes topics every day, there is some over lapping but for the most part it make each day its own entity. so i talk to my students on the first day by laying out each point, each minute and each expectation that i have for them. i even ask the class as a whole about being treated like adults, the feedback i have gotten has been very positive. the younger ones like the extra feeling of empowerment and the older ones like the fact that they are being recognized as children.
Hi Bryant,
Good plan. This way all of you will be up to speed on students and can share information about strategies that will help students be successful.
Gary
Our team conducts daily meetings where we discuss these strategies in detail and measure the results on a daily basis as well.
I have experienced employers and passed students come into class to give a brief overview of what it will be like when the students go out into the working force also the passed students explain all of the different challenges they faced while in class and after graduation. I find that this stategy works to motivate present students
Hi Andy,
Good points about how instructors have to adapt and reflect the learning needs of students. A constant in teaching is change. This at times may be a bit challenging but the effort to remain current is well worth the work involved.
Gary
Hi Anne,
Thank you for sharing your perspective on how you will continue your professional development. I will look forward to hearing about your success.
Gary
Many Instructors learn from what they have seen and heard throughout their own education. However, I personally feel that an Instructor learns more through experience in the classroom. Each of us have our own teaching style and it is up to us individually to see what fits the criteria for the class which we will be teaching as well as how we will present the material.
It is fine to have a starting point, however as the class progresses and society changes, so may the student and we as instructors must change with the times as well.
By keepin g the student up to date with new ideas and theories as well as making them comfortable with the learning environment, we should be able to retain many more students.
I think the most practical ways an instructor can become aware of retention strategies for use in their classes is to take a look at what they do to engage their class and how effective it is, and to seek share these experiences with their peers. Getting feedbsck from someone removed from, but in the same situation as you can be most valuable.
I think that making a point of establishing a rapport with each of my students is something that I want to begin to focus on more. It is sometimes easy to connect with the students who sit close to the front of the class and have a ready smile and answer to the questions, usually completing their assignments well and on-time as opposed to those who sit toward the back and kind of hope that you don't notice them. Unfor-tunately, those students sometimes slip between the cracks and either don't complete assignments because they are ashamed of their efforts or don't understand them or they end up disappearing and dropping out. These are exactly the students I want to focus on more. By trying several of the mentioned strategies in Ed 102 like walking back to talk to them, bringing them into discussions every day, making eye contact with them, and praising the best points of their work, I hope to not only retain them but give them passing grades that they earn through progress. It will make alot of difference that they know that their progress means alot to me, versus something that might not make a difference.
Hi Ward,
Good quote to share with us. It is true that we can't engage all of them in the learning process but it still hurts me when I don't reach them all. Sometimes the external variables are just greater that the intrinsic motivation. I always try and leave the door open so if the students catch fire and want to come back into the class and gain the knowledge that is being offered they are welcome.
Gary
My classes are generally quite small , only about 15 max. There are those that it's easy to see are engaged and self motivated. Its the ones that do not participate or miss classes that need extra help. I try to find out their problems and see if we as a school can help. I know I cannot help them all personally but I wish I could. As Dr. Covey says " Seek first to understand and then be understood".
by knowing they're needs as an idividual students
and set and encorage they're goals to be succesfull in they're carers.
An instructor must be aware that a caring attitude along with a caring disposition is important to career college students. Often it is not just enough to present the material but one must also involve the students in active participation.
I think if the instructor shows compassion and a genuine interest in what the students have to say it becomes a very effective tool for retention.
I like to develop a 1 on 1 rapport with the student, by becoming involved in their thought process. The students open up and will discuss any and every thing with you and I try and be a sounding board for their ideas, troubles etc which may have nothing to do with school. This really motivates them to come to school as they now have somebody who cares for what they think / say .
I also keep open channels of communication by being available for informal talks / discussions and that gives me a lot of feedback which I can use to improve the classes and enhance the learning experience, there by having effective retention in the classes.
Thanks
Anupam
