I find that I must be careful to remain active to student needs when listening to them. It gives value to their question.

My thoughts on Customer Service and Students. ED209 Facilitator: Patricia Scales By Randall Aungst 12/5/2012 How is customer service defined in an adult setting? According to the instruction module there are some issues with customer service as it pertains to students. One of which is the notion that “the customer is always right.” This issue, from my perspective, is not an issue with customer service as it pertains to students but rather an issue of understanding, or should I say perception, of the meaning behind the saying “the customer is always right.” Further I would go so far as to say the criteria by which most people pigeonhole customers is inherently flawed. The following will discuss my thoughts regarding both of these issues. In the module the term customer is linked to monetary compensation for services or products. This notion limits, considerably, the people that fall into this category. Before we tackle that issues any further let’s discuss what we as customers of others expect when it comes to good customer service. I think that most people would agree that from a customer’s perspective there are three issues of interest. As a customer I expect to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed. All of these issues of interest are geared to one key issue and that is that as a customer I must feel that I am important. When looking at the aforementioned list of issues that a customer expects, and if we accept this to be true, this list also looks like another list of expectations; that of what might be expected from a relationship. While specific expectations might change based on the nature of the relationship you are speaking about these same issues would most likely show up on that list as well. As such there could be an argument made for changing the criteria by which a person might be considered a customer. Under this new perspective a customer is anyone that wants something from you and you want something in return from them. In a relationship you want companionship, friendship along with a variety of other desires from the other party and likewise they have a list of wants and desires from you. With the student teacher relationship the student wants the knowledge that the teacher has to offer and the teacher wants the best efforts of the student. As such, under the new perspective, the student is the customer of the teacher and the teacher is the customer of the student. Both parties expectations are the same to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed. This brings us to the issue of “the customer is always right.” Most people misunderstand this statement to mean that as a provider of customer service one must always give into the customer. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The easiest way to understand the statement is to alter it, for explanation purposes. The statement should read “the customer never should be told they are wrong.” This is a more accurate depiction of what the saying means. It also is why customer service, when done correctly, is extremely difficult. The reason for this is that under the new understanding it is incumbent upon the customer service representative to construct communication in such a way so that the customer comes to the conclusion that their position is incorrect. In this way the customer is not being told they are wrong but rather guided to the correct conclusion so that they are always right. This is not an easy thing to do. In the student teacher relationship, under this new understanding of this statement, a student as a customer does not seem as contradictory as it is an instructor’s job to guide the student to correct conclusions as a matter of course and nature of the position. Just food for thought. Randall Aungst, MBA

I have to agree with the content of this training, however I question how to apply alot of this to my institution. Being an Automotive technical institute with limited pre entry testing, I find myself often dealing with students that appear not to have the ability to perform to an industry standard and are not capable of comprehending the the technical aspects of current automotive technology. In a setting with 6 hours a day, 30 students per class, 3 week phase, rules that limit my interaction with students, How do I apply this?

This will play a vital role in any classroom setting. Undestanding student characteristics is the key to any successful instuctor.

by end of semester I am burned as many other instructors because of the unrelenting administrative duties imposed by the institution. Does anyone have any suggestions on staying focused and separating administrative duties?

What should be the steps taken if one warning does not help? Would another warning, removing from class, and then reporting to admin. be good?

In addition to not tolerating drama from younger students or disruptions, they tend to be more rigid in new learning techniques. However, they do try to be open to learning.

How do you use reinforcement with a student who do not have a good grasp of the material even after several week?

Motivation of students will result in better retention. As a teacher you should try to be an expert or knowledgeable to your field of teaching. Although there are rules and regulations to follow in school and in the classroom the teacher should understand situations that might affect student's attendance and progress. Support is necessary then,be emphatic. Motivate students by assessing their progress and acknowledge what they have accomplish by rewards like giving "A" grades and adding bonuses.

A very important way to accomplish your objectives. As soon as rapport is knewn to be established all efforts of good teaching will be successful.

Knowing your students on the very first day of your class has an awesome result. Names,I usually associate with celebrity names;work experience,I usually compare it with their new chosen career and try to match a good relationship;family, those with children I usually honor the sacrifice they are making and for singles,the good future that the are preparing for especially when they will have their own family. This day is now the beginning with my close relationship with the students -up to the end. I combined well-prepared lecture and humor to maintain our good rapport and the outcome is,guess,good retention.

Very likely every student needs a certain type of support especially from the instructor. It is very important then for the instructor to learn more about the situational needs of,preferably all students in the class. For personal help needed ,a one to one talk is probably the best method; for social relationship problems,I think talking to the class and trying to blend them together in a friendly way and to suggest to each one of trying to understand each other in their own humble way. For external problems you can open yourself to answer calls from family and friends to help ease any problem.

when does praise become too much praise?

will need to watch for signs of burn out and refocus and be excited about being a instructor. And this courwse helps with recognizing the signs of burn out.

Sometimes we have students that are highly extrinsicly motivated, because they have been taught to seek the extrinsic reward. Sometimes changing the extrinsic feedback from physical objects to rewards such as just positive feedback seems to shift from extrinsic to intrinsic. Do other people have this experience or other ideas?

I am a cheerleader everyday in every meaning of the term.....except for the skirt of course! :) I sing, clap, cheer, smile, dance, laugh..... you name it we do it! I have wiped tears, hugged, patted backs....and wouldn't change any of it for the world! I think my students really appreciate my attitude and positivity on a daily basis.I am very good at checking my problems and stresses at the door and try my best to teach my students to do the same!

I try so hard to keep things fun and refreshing so we dont ever feel like we need "reenergized", we will sit outside in the grass on warm sunny days for class discussions.I like to move seats around a lot, sometimes in a circle or a square, we do a lot of "ice breakers" when we are feeling sluggish, but it still happens occasionally. When it does I ask my class for ideas to "spruce" things up a bit and I always use one of their ideas. It really makes them feel good to give input on how our classes are conducted!

On the first day of school with each new class I assign as a Library Project, due at mid-term a "mission statement". The students must put into writing why they wanted to go to school, what their goals are and what their drive or inspiration to be there is. After I grade these I make a copy of them and put them in each students personal file.Simply so that if they lose track of this somewhere along the way I can refresh their memory as to why exactly they are doing this and hopefully put that inspiration back into their education!

When I first starting teaching and was younger than some of my students, I feel there were times I really had to work hard to prove to them that I deserved to be there. It made me a much better teacher and taught me a lot about age diversity in the classroom. We (both myself and the students) quickly learned to respect each other allowing me to provide the best education possible. With simple understanding and compassion of what each had to deal with in order to give and receive an education. Its a big step for an adult, old enough to be the parent of the teacher, to look at the teacher as a "role model" and can be very uncomfortable for the teacher as well. By showing them you have a complete understanding of the subject and treating them with respect I feel you will quickly come to a common ground and make a comfortable learning environment for the entire class.

I teach an art history course and note taking is an important part of retention for names, dates, etc. I offer bonus points at the end of the course for a complete notebook. This provides students with extra motivation to keep notes and helps reinforce the material as they're writing.