How to manage a trouble student?
When a student has many obstacles in their life and want to make the change to become a great student.
Tina,
I like the way you bring their previous experiences into the current class setting. They need to see the value of what is being taught and how through effort they can create a future for themselves. Too many times they want to go back to the behavior that caused them the problems in the first place and it is for sure that is not a good model to follow.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think motivation can be powerful for students. I like to ask them how has their past behaviors worked for them and then demonstrate what they can change. i explain that they are here for some reason whatever that may be and hopefully by keeping the goal in mind will help them correct a behavior even if they have done it all their life. But I also think making sure they remain professional as she did by noting her upsetting behavior was key in helping her realize how she must behave in her profession. Well done
I think we need to meet students where they are. Meaning, find a way to relate to that particular student's life circumstance and make your presentation relevant to them and find out what motivates them personally. I have a particular student who says she has "always" had an issue with tardiness even in her personal life. Finding ways to motivate her to arrive on time has required some creativity on my part and the support of the rest of the class.
Deborah,
Thank you for sharing this example. Change is a constant in most of our careers so we all need to be able to cope with surprises and unexpected events. In her career as we all know she will face different situations and she has to be flexible enough to survive and handle them.
Gary
I think it depends on the trouble that they are having. It could be just life. I just had a situation with a student during an assessment in a clinical class. She was so upset because she was not warned about the testing. She was actually doing a fine job but towards the end she just gave up. I had to speak with her immediately regarding the professional behavior and told her that it was not acceptable at all. I prepared a counseling form and followed up the next class meeting. She was also required to meet with our program coordinator regarding the incident. She needed to understand that as a medical assistant day to day duties will not be the same and you have to be ready for change and not get upset.
