I believe that everyone has a need to feel accepted. Students sense of belonging will give the student a reason to feel able to succeed.
I believe that "everyone" has a need for acceptance. Students need to feel that they "belong" and that they play an important role in their success.
David,
The personal attention and focus you put on your students is so important. This gets everyone in the class into the learning environment, meaning even the quiet students know they are accepted and their opinions valued.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Felling accepted is about students' feeling included in the classroom process. Feeling included makes students want to participate more fully in class and leads to more success. For me this means asking lots of questions during class demonstrations and calling on not only those who raise hands to answer, but sometimes the "quiet ones." While students are working on their own, I make it a point to speak to each one individually.
I feel like the biggest risk of losing the sense of inclusion comes when a student misses class. I make sure to email the student about what they have missed and offer solutions like tutoring.
Jessica,
You have touched upon two very important parts of student engagement. Feeling accepted and comfortable in the learning environment sets the stage for student success. It is a building process from there.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Acceptance is important for students as they want to feel like they are part of a community. When they have that sense of belonging they are more likely to communicate with their peers, instructors, administration etc. Communication is key between career school students and staff as we need to know what is going on with our diverse students at all times in order to anticipate any potential challenges!
Ghaleb,
Your last sentence says it all. Every student has this right and we instructors as learning leaders need to make sure that we have a class that is comfortable and supportive for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ensure that your class is a bully-free zone. If you find yourself dealing with a situation where one student is bullying another, you must take action. All students must feel safe, secure, appreciated, and recognized.
Katherine,
These are all components of the class room structure process and the instructor as the learning leader needs to factor them in as he or she does their instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have seen that a student being ostracized and avoided by the larger group, for any reason, makes it extremely difficult for that one individual to maintain enthusiasm for attending classes.
I have also seen the larger group of students specially 'adopt' a student that was struggling. Then the group effort to encourage and coach that individual has an amazing capacity to lift and strengthen the whole group, helping to refine their skills and raise their confidence.
Beyond the students, I have also seen the devastating effect of a 'failure to connect' impact an instructor's ability to run their class.
The group loss of respect for that teacher made the rest of that term impossible and she did not continue with the program afterward.
Richard,
Good for you. Older students have so much to offer but they frequently don't know if they can be successful in the course. So the quicker we can get them to see that they in fact can be successful the quicker they will start to contribute to the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When students first start classes, especially older students who have been out of school for a time, they are apprehensive to start something new. I try to focus more on those students at first to let them know they are going to do well, to relax, and ask questions. We are here to help.
James,
I think this is so important for students. They need to see that they are accepted into the course and will be treated fairly and consistently by the instructor. Knowing this lets them focus on the course and not to worry about the dynamics of acceptance.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I feel that students benifit from a feeling of belonging in the classroom. We speak, in our program, about classroom community and how to create an internal support system within the community. On the first day of the program, we provide the opportunity for every new student to introduce themselves to the class and talk about why they have chosen our field of study, this allows the staff and faculty in attendance to learn about the individual and also the rest of their classmates.
Ren,
Your field is based upon taking risks and putting one's self out there. If they don't take risks or share then they will have nothing against which to measure their success and future opportunities. Your approach helps them to overcome some of those hesitations.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Marvin,
Good strategy to follow. The more comfortable they feel the more settled they will be in the course. As a result they will be more likely to contribute to the discussions and interactions that come with the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Lamarr,
Students need to feel accepted and comfortable in the class. If they don't there will be a big disconnect between them and the instructor. Also, there will be the lack of respect in both directions and this can lead to a very tense situation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My teaching environment is quite different from the 'norm' of book study. I teach a subject that is more talent then book smarts. My students, too, are afraid of doing something wrong. When I see this occur, I remind them that failure leads to accomplishment. No one is perfect and making mistakes is a fantastic platform to understand the mistake and finding the best solution to remove further ones.
Once a student feels accepted in the class with both their peers and the instructor that they become eager to learn and interact both during lecture and also while in lab. I have found that by spending the first few mins on the first day of class it helps to let them know how I felt and what I did to move pass that feeling while I was in the same class.
I feel It is important for students to feel accepted in class, because it helps them to feel relax and accept the material being presented. If a student feels rejected in class they can react negatively and go into a shell. They will relate their education to a negative experience and cause them to react negatively to all contents dealing with that course. With helping a student fell accepted, they also feel like they can complete the course and overall have great success.
