Bruce,
Well said and a good approach to how you engage your students. They all need to see that they are valued and a part of the class each time it meets.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Cynthia,
Good point about helping them to see that they are not the only ones affected by their success or failure. Those that are behind them are as well. Knowing that they want to do well for their family is often a powerful motivator.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The human factor is very important. If the student does not feel comfortable or is having personal issues then they will not focus on their classwork. It's important to talk to the student and let them know that while the instructor/school may not be able to make everything better they are there and can help the student with resources they may not have thought of. The topic of unemployment, hunger, transportation, etc. are serious enough that the student may feel their education needs to be put on hold but more often than not the school can help the student by guiding them toward assistance programs.
I would love is this were the case but with today's technology and stressful enviroment (Lack of jobs, gas, etc) it is somewhat difficult to get them to place things on the back burner. The best way I have found to make this happen is to be active about combating life outside of the classroom, no cell phones and active participation from all students not just the ones with the answers.
Students need to feel valued and respected! I feel it is extremely important to meet and greet each student at the door of the classroom. This action lets the student know that he/she is an important member of the class and would be missed if not in attendance. No one wants to disappoint people who care about them. Our students will not want to disappoint their McCann family.
The human factor is critical. Students must feel that you really care about them and their journey down their career path. It's important to be sensitive and compassionate but keep the rules! Students want that!! they need order and expect you to be the authority in the class and run a tight ship but to be a nice person too.
Deborah,
So true and so impacting. They need help in forgetting the outside influences while in class and seeing that what they are learning is going to help them create a future for themselves and their families.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
in adult students I beleive it is extrememly important. They have so many outside influences that can affect their learning and sometimes life just takes over.
Human factor in retention is very important. If someone feels any kind of disrespect they shut down and just want to walk away.
Instructor,
The human factor is critical in retention of students. I find that students respond positively to my teaching style because I treat them as staff that work for me. In a few months, these people could be my next hire. I am aware of their needs and work hard to address them in a respectful and reasonable time frame. This has been hugely successful for me.
Kelly Jo (KJ)
Margo,
Good way to let them know you are concerned about them and their success. Through the referral they get the help they need and you get to keep moving the class forward.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Pamela,
The key is to manage the environment in such a way as to keep the learning moving forward. There are many different ways of doing this and as an instructor you need to find one that works for you. Sounds like you have done that with your style.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Student are surprisingly willing to share their struggles as a way of venting and finding encouragement and support. When students share their personal struggles, I usually listen and seek to assist them by providing them with service assistance via student services department.
I feel you have to show you care for the students and remember that they are human especially in my field, cosmetology, where these students talk alot as part of their nature. If you just quiet them every time they want to talk about something going on in their life, they will shut down.
I think this the first important fctor to succeed with students specially adults
Leslie,
Good point. I have students that have never had anyone be proud of nor supportive of them. To have a person in authority, me be supportive of them and their efforts is a powerful motivator. This is not a responsibility that I take lightly.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Roger,
So true. They will have confidence in your advice and encouragement because they know you care about them and their success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
John,
Good point and the reason we need to bring our A game to the classroom/lab each time we teach. Our students deserve that from us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Instructors need to make sure all students are able to be successful in a class. If there are problems existing, instructors need to be able to find the root of the problem and point the student in the direction to get help for the situation. Instructors should push for a studnet to come to class and be able t ohelp solve their problems and point out to students that the clasees the yare currently in are helping prepare them for a career
It is very important because they may have no one else in their lives that care about their success. You want them to know that they do matter,and that will help them succeed.
