William, great example of how sharing your own experiences can really assist students in how they think about their classes and their assignments. For some students they see school as totally abstract. By sharing your own experiences and how they relate to your own classroom they become more in touch with how the designed lesson plans are setup to assist them in the overall learning process. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
Diane, very interesting case study. Please return and share your results with us and we can have some more in-depth discussions.
James Jackson
catherine, well stated. The classroom is the best place to learn from mistakes since nothing can really go critically wrong. This is not to say that mistakes do not come with negative consequences but better to learn from these mistakes in a controlled environment. Students should also be given the opportunity to recover points by demonstrating how they learned from their mistakes.
James Jackson
Paul, great exercise and for many students they never thought of math in this way. The word itself can cause feelings of anxiety and frustration in students that have not even reviewed the lesson plan for the class. By starting with the common and everyday discussions and moving those conversations into specific topics related to math, students can better realize that math is not a bad word and can actually be fun and incredibly useful.
James Jackson
Julie, students tend to respond well when they feel someone cares about them and about their future. For some students they only experience such a feeling at school as their home environment is not motivational or even supportive.
James Jackson
I teach a general education course, Professional Communications,at a technical college offering an associates degree. Applying what is deifined as constructivism, I always reassure students that I the course reviews and refines that they already know to build them into employable candidates who are a cut-above those who merely earn certifications. Nods from students indicate that they understand and feel capable of succeeding.
Working with adult students presents its own unique set of opportunities, challenges and rewards. Adult students have such diverst backgrounds and degrees of successes/failures, in order for the instructor to be sucessful, he/she has to implement an ongoing situational style of delivery and focus. While this expectation can be very challenging to the instructor, the rewards and satisfactions far exceeds the required efforts.
I teach Algebra and probably it is the subject where most students will come in with self-doubt. I help them see that this time it can be different because they are older and have used the left brain more in life and that they are invested in it this time.
I agree that students need to be facilitated in their learning to a certain degree. I can usually see it in their eyes and body language when they feel they haven't grasped the whole concept and I will over it again individually with them before they do the exercise. I never let them feel that they are inadequate in any way and assure them that it is quite normal to have doubts when something new is introduced to them. However, as students get to higher levels, it is important to let them understand that in the real world they will not be coddled and will quite likely experience being put down or have pans flying at them. Perhaps we should also teach them how to duck.
I discuss with the students that each of us have particular talents and interests and that it is very common for one person to find a course more challenging than another. I point out the revalence of the course to their field of study and how it prepares them for future employment. This explains "Why" they need the course and encourages them to succeed if they are experiencing difficulty in a course. We will discuss how to better prepare/study for the course.
This has been several years ago, but I had a nursing student who was just sure she would never get through school and that she wasn't smart enough to be there. No matter what strategy I used, she continued with that self-defeating talk. One day she had a patient that appeared to be doing well, but this student kept saying she knew something was not right and kept after the nurse on the unit to come assess him. The patient was developing a mitral valve prolapse, and the symptoms were very early. The nurse and the physician both complimented the student on her ability to pick up the symptoms so early and her persistance in asking for someone else to look at him. I was already back in my office, which faced the parking lot, as this student left for the day. I will never forget her skipping across the pavement and twirling around like a 3 year old in joy. Her whole attitude changed from that day on, and she graduated, perhaps not with honors, but with great success!
I find self-doubt related to what we recognize as either weak skill areas or concepts not understood. In coaching students who display self-doubt, we discuss the identification of specific fears and then I assist the student in coming up with ways to overcome the fear. I learned an exercise whereby we write down a specific fear on a piece of paper and then voice how we can help ourselves overcome the fear and then shoot in a trash can like playing basketball. The exercise shows we don't have to take ourselves so seriously while taking the topic seriously. I also implement practice sessions one-on-one with students to assist with confidence in their ability.
I agree with your statement. I, too, let my students know that we all have self-doubt at some time in our lives and that we all make mistakes, the important thing is what we have learned and applied and reacted to these mistakes or weaknesses that is important.
In Career Services, we are always building our students to sell the skills and personality. We are our worse critics and it is difficult to find things that we think we do really well or traits that stand out. So we do a positive group discussion within the class where we share what qualities or skills we see in eachother and I have them write what others say down. Hearing the positive side of what others think helps to secure what we believe in ourselves also.
In Career Services, we are always building our students to sell the skills and personality. We are our worse critics and it is difficult to find things that we think we do really well or traits that stand out. So we do a positive group discussion within the class where we share what qualities or skills we see in eachother and I have them write what others say down. Hearing the positive side of what others think helps to secure what we believe in ourselves also.
It is an amazing feeling to watch these students who came in and struggled at different times during the year and to watch the smile and proud looks on their faces as they cross that stage at graduation is like no other.
Sometimes, it's the only graduation and accomplishment these students may feel and achieve.
Students are constantly telling me I can't get this. I first inform them "I can't" isn't a part of our vocabulary. It's better to hear I'm going to get this.
That seems to help them be more motivated to getting ahold of something they haven't understood before.
During class lectures, I make eye contact with each of my students who display self-doubt, low esteem and confidence. Watching their non-verbal communication as we discuss information is important for the both of us. Whether talking with them after class about what they did or didn't understand or if during class, rephrasing information until they either verbally "speak up" or I see "the light bulb come on", I believe helps build esteem and confidence. "You can" is a phrase I say all the time to them.
It is also very rewarding to me as an instructor to see the look in a students face when they are able to accomplish what they thought to be and impossible for them.
Randall, several great points. Helping students understand how we define adult education is a great technique and helps students understand what will be expected from them. Self reflection can take a deeper root when they have the tools they need to understand how they are in control of their own success. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
