Retention
My experience with students over the years has taught me that in order to keep students involved, you have to let them know that you care about their success. One way of doing this is to interact with them on a personal level.
I let them know from the first day to the last day I am here for them. If they struggle with the material I will be there for them to make sure they understand.
Great note. You must enter the room as their instructor. The time you are with the students is THEIR time. While you may have all kinds of nasty things going on in your world, as long as you are a part of their world, you must devote all of your time to them. If thge students see you want to be there and want to teach them, then they will want to be in the room and part of the course also.
Sometimes it requires mentoring, and yes I agree with you it can be difficult.
Theresa,
Thanks, Theresa. What are some specific things you do to bring that sense of teamwork?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I do my best to let my students know I care. I also try to bring a sense of teamwork to the class, letting students know if they are absent it effected our entire class.
Excellent point, Frank. It can be very difficult to leave the stressors of everyday life at the door when stepping into the classroom.
Annarose ,
You are absolutely on target here. Too often, retention is "education's issue." Good schools take ownership of each departments' goals.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I agree. We need to continually show students that we care. Ask questions, follow up, and even a simple smile works. Retention is also a group effort. So when one part of the school fails to show interest in the well being of a student after the student is "signed" then it is even more important for the instructor to crank it up a notch.
charles,
Thanks, Charles. This is true in most colleges and for most students.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I have found that the more they understand that you care about their education and their future the less problems I have with retention.
Frank,
It can be difficult for folks to leave issues outside the classroom. How do you deal with students who seem to be impacted adversely by negative events outside of the classroom?
Jeffrey Schillinger
We also need to remember to leave baggage at the door. I have on more than one occasion forgotten that and it effects the whole classroom. I'm a person that wears my heart on my sleeve, and it can and has effected my students. I work everyday not to let my personal life effect my students.
Robert,
Great point, Robert. What are some of the specific things you do to in your classes to facilitate this personal interaction?
Jeffrey Schillinger
