I tell them that I belive in them and that they can do this. I also tell them that if it were easy that someone would come along and take their chair. Not just anybody can do this job and if so they would have something to worry about at that point. I instill in them that they can and will be sucessful in the carrier change that they are going into. This is not just a job it must be what you love or you will dislike it alot. To be good at anything you must enjoy what it is to its fullest. That is a statement that I make the first day of class and that gets thier attention right away. I tell them that they are not kids they are young adults and respect is something they have to earn.
I start every day with the thoughts that....everybody will get what im saying, everybody will walk away today having learned something new. everybody will succeed!, I pass my beliefs to my students, making clear, if you dont get it, stop, ask questions, learn and understand. I don't want anyone to move forward without knowing what we learned. Thus making it a step backward, not forward.
I try to view each student on an equal basis without bias as to their learning ability or attitude. I use positive reinforcement every chance I get, and I try to never tell a student his comments, answers or observations are wrong, but instead try to lead them to a different answer. If a student performs a lab exercise incorrectly, I ask them to look over their work and identify what may not look exactly right instead of correcting the problem myself. I begin each class by informing the students that this is not a difficult class, but that they do have to put in the effort, perform the lab exercises and pay attention to be successful.
Many of the students in my class are new to being away from home and new to a new location. I feel that I have done what I need when the student leaves the class and is prepared for the field he or she is going into. Making the students feel good about themselves.
I find that a few student have very low self esteem, most of them have already failed the test before they have taken it. I really try to work hard with these students and help build up their confindence and change their attitudes, it seems to help a lot.
I never knew the correct term to describe what I have always called confidense building...giving kudo's that hi-lite the positive and useing terms like...."this is going to be fun learning this concept or theory" and reverse teaching is good to use before starting, show a result and now let's figure out why!
Hi Daniel!
I have to agree. What tools/strategies do you use in helping students build confidence and change their attitude?
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
I feel that if a student fails .I let them down its my fault . but then by talking to them i get a different picture. and a better understandind of what was the problem could be oersonal problems or some thing bothering them. talking to them helps the and myself learn from each other.
Some students have very low esteem, they have already failed the test or lab task before they have taken the test or task in lab. I try to work with those students and build up their confindence and change their attitude.
I praise my students when they do well.like rungs on a ladder,praise,and positive reinforcement are needed for every step forward you expect them take.I demand a positive attitude from all of my students,I tell them this repeatedly.A positive approach opens doors to retention of material.when students feel good about themselves they learn and retain.
I start every new course by telling my students that we are equal. The only difference is I've been on the planet longer than them. I back this statement up by reinforcing it with my actions. This works 100% of the time.
Part of both the course 4 and course 5 material has the students doing activities before we have covered this information in the lecture and by doing this I find I et much better stimulated converstion during lecture instead of a one sided you listen I speak. As the students help each other learn they in turn learn more themselves.
I start of my class by changing the view that the students have of their selves. I tell them repeatedly that they are now "technicians" not students. I refer to them as techs, and treat them as such. By doing this, they tend to hold themselves in a higher esteem, and perform at a much higher level. This tends to raise the bar. I tell them that I train technicians that I do not teach students. They are told that at some point in their near future that they will want to use what I am going to train them on, to make a living and have a successful career. These terms that I use change their points of view. They stop feeling sorry for themselves if things do not go well, and they perform like the technicians that I know they will become.
I use it starting every course, I believe in my mind every student is going to succeed and prepare them to do so I am normaly glad with the results.
I feel that you must reinforce the fact that all of your students are capable of doing well in your course. This will take some work on your part because some students feel as though what you are trying to teach them is over their heads.
Examples of what they have done right in the past is a good way to show them that they have the ability to do well in your course if they choose to. If you can make just one student realize that he can improve his potential the effect will usually rub off on others.
I usually explain to a class that the subject matter may be hard it should be fun learining experence for them. Knowing the subject may be difficult I try to keep it light.
I always say the first day of class that they can do a task. Ex. Do a brake job or program a computer.But they dont think they can. They look at me. and I say everyone in this class can do this. it is the cofendence that I have in them that I beleive motivates them to try harder to complete the task.Then I give them the task and they are suprised how well it turned out.
I usually use terms like "This will be an easy test" Also during a review of the material I point out the main points mirrors what was done in lab so you can draw on that experience on the test.
I use a lot of positive reinforcement and YOU CAN messages as well as trying to identify the student in particular who have self esteem issues and work to help them develop more confidence.
i try to start building there self cofindence in class then out in lab i ask them questions about what we covered make them answer it correct then apraise them when they fiqured out my question
