Hard trying student
How do you handle a situation when you have a student who does his or her best but continually shows signs of extreme weaknesses in a course? What can you do or say not to hurt that student?
The first hour or so. I try to see what student has a learning disability and focus on that student and his or hers reaction. I then after class or after school hours. Have that person to stay behind and try to make them understand what we went over that day and to give the aheads up on what we our going over for the next day. I might have to do this until the 4 weeks are up, so they have a better chance of learning.
Benjamin,
Like your style. Success does belong to the student and it requires self discipline and effort. You are providing support and they are providing their investment in their future through their work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have never found a student that could not be helped, but some require a serious time dedication. I work in a tutoring lab on my campus, so I am always there to help students in need. If a student is truly dedicated, he or she can often turn things around. What I will do is offer as much help as I can, but if they cannot find the time or the dedication, then I place the blame back on the student.
Sandra,
A college student under Americans with Disabilities Act has to declare that he or she has a disability before a college can offer instructional support or curriculum adaptations. I would definitely have a private talk with the students and let her know you are concerned about her progress in the course and that you are wondering how you can be of of help to her. See if she will open up and let you know that she does in fact have a learning disability and/or what type of supports she needs to be successful in the class. If she does then together you can work out a plan for helping that student be successful. If she does not then all you can do is provide her support in the same way as you do the other students and hope that she is able to pass the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I currently have a student who is falling behind. She tends to do better in the classroom than in the lab, although her classroom/testing is not as high as I would like it to be for competency in the field of dental hygiene. I reminded all the students that I am available for tutoring, but so far this student has not chosen to avial herself of that. Is it appropriate to ask the student to come by my office and speak with me? The other instuctors say she has some type of learning disability. She is definitely not organized and I suspect a spacial orientation deficit.
Deb,
This type of student support can do much to keep students engaged and moving forward with their cognitive development. It isn't long before the students start to see results in their classes and that really increases their motivation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Tutoring has been shown to be an effective way to bring a student up to speed, if the student is willing and has the time. If not, perhaps the student is not motivated.
Finding out the motivation behind taking the class is essential for those students who might be slower, it is easier to structure a plan which will benefit the student.
I have students in my classes that are from different countries (Ghana, Romania, India, etc.)
if information comes in a different language it would be Spanish. These students come in behind the eight ball if they do have a good grip on English. I only speak and write English.
I think it is only fair to the student that they be placed in your class after proper assessment. If a student is placed in your class anyway,it is difficult to bring them up to speed without sacrificing time spent with the other students. However, if you are in this situation, the only thing I can suggest is that you always be patient and positive with student, and do the best you can with them, especially if they are trying to learn the subject matter.
Bevin,
Good way to expand the critical thinking skills of your students. You helping them to become independent in their abilities and this is critical if they are going to be successful in the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Alman,
First try to find out what that weakness is. Is it academic such as reading or math so the student needs some tutoring to shore up basic academic skills? Is it because he or she does not understand the basic concepts of the field? Is it a lack of having study skills in terms of knowing what and how to study? Knowing answers to these questions will help you create a strategy to help a student like this. Talk with the Student Services Office to see how they handle situations like this. The student may not be able to handle the work required for a course in this career area. If they the individual should be counseled into another career field. These are some of the areas I would look at first in an attempt to help the student be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I tend to ask students to answers questions one step before they actually learn it in the course material. This tests that what I am teaching previously is being built on and understood as we go forward with the class material. I always punctuate what I am asking from them with "can you guess", once they get stuck. 90% of the time the students can figure out the information one-step ahead of me. It also encourages class participation, cross-pollination of ideas and concepts between the students. The best part is that the student or students themselves are surprised they already have the answer to most hard to answer questions inside and it's great to see their amazement and progress. As for being wrong it eliminates that fear because I mention that it's okay to be wrong in order to be right. I rather you be wrong and guess, than wrong in the field. It also reaffirms a that we are in the right type of environment for learning from our mistakes rather than hiding them, which is a valuable lesson in anything you do.
