Put students at ease
By giving students the expectations and goals you can relieve a lot of the students anxiety and apprehension. It helps develop a professional relationship with the students.
I believe in a positive friendly atmosphere and also explaining clearly the criteria for assignments, tests, and class projects. I walk students through the process of writing a term paper in class and looking for the key elements in an art work.
I try to put my students at ease on the first day because some students have not attended school in years.
Absolutely! Personalization is key to student engagement. We oftentimes forget the importance of pedagogy's social aspect of learning. Students resonate best with teachers they can connect to.
I introduce myself and engage the students by taking polls on who has experience in the healthcare industry and in what capacity. For those who don't have experience I ask everyone to provide a detail of what their future career goals are. This helps to focus their attention on their future in the field and also allows me to see if I can suggest organizations or career opportunities/ specialties of interest.
Most people want to be in a friendly and positive environment, and a little effort can go a long way. I may tell a short and silly but genuinely relevant personal aside, such as how I met my wife, or note some common interest such as how a local sports team is doing or a recent movie I saw. I do insist they call me by my first name, and they generally are comfortable with that too. Obviously you can overdo any of this, but a relax and personable approach seems to work with rather than against most students.
By going over the expectations of the class & how to achive them will put most student at ease. I find that it also helps to let your student know that you are human, you where once a student like them & try to be understanding to their particular situations.
To lessen fears, lessen the divide between instructor and student, and create a relaxed rapport with the students, I think it is crucial we know the names of our students very early in the quarter and use the names often in class. That way they begin to know the names of the other students who they may see in other classes and in the hallways. It also helps them to know that they are not invisible, that they are part of the class, and that they are accountable on several levels.
Hi Julie,
That is a key point in developing rapport with students. They should see you as a person that has gone through the educational and work process to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be successful and that you are willing to share this knowledge with them.
Gary
I agree. I think it also helps students to know that you are a human and that you were once in their position. I think that the students respect you more, not as a person who is better than they are but as one who has learned the material before.
I try to go over the information that is expected from the beginning of each section and this helps the students. This shows them how to move forward.
