Get Your Students Hired
As a new instructors, we are subject to every "why me" story every student has to invent. How, as a new instructor, do I know when I am being feed rotten information verses someone who really geniunely does need extra help. How does condition themselves not to become complacent and jagged?
Also, when there is a student that does really required extra help, when do you know that it's time to let go and let them develop without you?
Hi Raquel,
Great set of questions that are commonly asked by instructors. One of the things I do when a students asks for extra help to decide how much help is really needed verses just wanting help to avoid work is to have the student complete a "homework" assignment about the requested help. The reason for the homework is to determine if they are serious about needing help. I ask them to put down on paper the kind of help they are requesting. The students are really in need of help will do this and the ones that are looking for the easy way out won't even go to the trouble of completing the homework.
As for when to let go this is a judgment call. I have found that if I help the students to have some form of success they will start to become independent in their learning and it becomes clear that they can do it on their own and I withdraw the supports I have been giving them.
Gary
Raquel, watch their body language, paraphrase what they are saying, have them demonstrate an application...as far as letting go, as your experience builds, you'll know; each student has a different independence threshold; we can only empower them though if we let them make safe mistakes and coach them along the way.
Jay Hollowell
MaxKnowledge/CEE