Faculty must be aware of at-risk students:
1. If the student has failing grades or close to failing grades they receive a student alarm mandating tutoring.
2. Attendance is monitored daily. Students exceeding 15% absences are counseled because excess because excessive absences can lead to expulsion.
3. At risk meetings are held every week among the program directors allowing each member to offer any insightful retention issue.
4. Students are referred to a counseling agency if there are issues affecting grades or attendance beyond the scope of the instructor.
Karen,
I agree because I have taught in freezing settings as well as green house classrooms. Both of these extremes cause the students to focus on their personal comfort and not on the content. We need to make sure the class or lab is comfortable so they can focus on learning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I believe that instructors need to do regular "temperature checks" of their classes to ensure that students are engaged and feel comfortable in class. This involves getting to know the students well enough to be able to get a sense of their general mood as well as asking the right questions and really listening to the answers.
These questions can be as simple as asking how everyone is doing at the beginning of class or asking how everyone feels about a procedure they just practiced.
It is important for students to feel they are at level with everyone else. It is true that some students may have the capability and knowledge more advanced than others in a particular subject. Our job as instructors is to make everyone comfortable but still edge on their seats. Take language for instance, if you are teaching a group of bi-leveled students conjugation in another language. Apply basic techniques that you may have learned about them and apply it to their instruction. They will identify more with you as an instructor and because you have made an effort to incorporate their interest into the learning process. They will associate your teaching techniques with their ease of learning. Student feel more at ease if they associate practical everyday things to their understanding. The trick is to make it challenging enough to make them think and relate the information with out you telling them all the answers. Students are easily retained if they think the subject matter is not to hard for them to figure it out, but yet challenging enough that they will stay to find out the results.
By becoming aware of all your facitities resources. Also by becoming familiar with each student and assisting them proactively.
Marilyn,
I like your professional development plan for your new teachers. You are giving them numerous opportunities to acquire instructional strategies that will benefit them in their classrooms. As we both know it is a building process to get an instructor to the point they are effective and efficient in their teaching.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In my experience when hiring a new Instructor, I have them shadow a seasoned Instructor for a few days. We then discuss what they have learned from the Instructor and give an indirect informal evaluation. They are more often than not impressed and suprised with how they handle the class and the attentiveness of the students. I believe practice makes perfect, and understanding the goals of the course that they are teaching and knowing that the feedback they receive is the best indicator of meeting their goal. If the Instructor has not met their goal then they must try something new. Presently, my Instructors are undegoing group meetings where they share ideas and strategies with one another to improve and apply good ideas in their respective classes. It seems to be working well.
Mia,
We can always learn from others if we are willing to listen and observe. So the more we can see other professionals in their classrooms/labs plus attending professional development opportunities growth will be a constant in our lives.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Instructors can learn from each other. Open forums allow instructors at all levels from all over to share ideas and teaching methods. It great for beginning instructors to get ideas, and experienced instructors can get some fresh insight on teaching styles. In the end, tried-and-true methods work best, I think.
One of the methods we use here is to note which of the current classes has the most enthusiastic group of students at the end of a particular class day. Then in our monthly instructors' meeting, we ask that particular instructor to run us through the techniques and tactics he used to gain such a result.
We often find that the more motivated and enthusiastic a student is, the more apt the student will be interested in the class/course material.
Successful strategies can be learned through speaking to one's colleagues as well as through knowing your students.
I like to use review strategies. Occasionally I will do pop quiz or we will spend the first 10-15 minutes in class reviewing. I will ask questions and call upon different students. They find they learn what is important to retain and it helps to bring the information back to the front to review.
Listening to students needs. Exchanging experiences with other instructors.
I think instructors can become aware of such strategies by paying close attention to students reactions. If I detect that a lesson didn't quite go the way I wanted it to go, I ask students for suggestions. This helps them become a stronger participant in the classroom and requires them to take ownership. This also communicates to them that they are respected members of the class.
Continuing education classes are certainly one way to for instructors to become aware of effective retention strategies. Less formal means could be effective as well. Books and magazines may be a good source. Even if not directly addressed, a 'better' instructor should (may?) have a higher retention rate. One other method would be to discuss those issues with other instructors and administrators, to see what has been effective, or ineffective, for them in the past. Another way would be to listen to students (and observe their behavior): do student seem engaged in class; do they participate in discussions; do they complain about too much work. Perhaps not perfect, but 'customer feedback' is important in any profession.
Continuing education classes are certainly one way to for instructors to become aware of effective retention strategies. Less formal means could be effective as well. Books and magazines may be a good source. Even if not directly addressed, a 'better' instructor should (may?) have a higher retention rate. One other method would be to discuss those issues with other instructors and administrators, to see what has been effective, or ineffective, for them in the past. Another way would be to listen to students (and observe their behavior): do student seem engaged in class; do they participate in discussions; do they complain about too much work. Perhaps not perfect, but 'customer feedback' is important in any profession.
I have learned if I engage myself even more with the students by making them feel more comfortable, stress even more how concerned I am about them and them getting a great education.
I always encourage them to continue coming to class because this is where the skills can be learned. Making them feel confident about their skills as the learn them and perfect them.
The excitement I have for the field of study is what helps me keep retention.
I am always open to learning NEW STRATEGIES please anyone share with me.
Thanks,
Michelle Davis
Instructors can become aware simply by observing their students carefully on an individual basis.
Then they can go on to make decisions as to how to effectively reach out to those students with different learning abilities and needs,and proceed with what they, the instructors deem the best method to teach and assist all students.
Continuing education courses and team collaboration are excellent strategies to use when obtaining knowledge on retention strategies.
As indicated in the course, being aware the different skill sets and learning goals of our adult learners can inform the teaching strategies that are used in the classroom. Doing simple things like asking them how there weekend was can help to create a safe learning environment, facilitating more interaction and hence more learning.
