Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for sharing your support strategy for getting students off to a good start. Your sequence allows them to build in confidence while growing in knowledge and skill. Keep up the good work, I know your students appreciate your approach.
Gary
Providing frequent, positive feedback, even for seemingly small achievements. I know when I was a student, feeling like I was "getting" even some of the information presented helped me feel more confident. Also, emphasizing that we (I as the instructor and they as the students)are on the same team. I WANT them to do well and learn, my goal is not to make it hard or trick them on tests etc...
This is a great question that we have all dealt with at some point in our own academic career. Success in college starts (in my opinion) with efficacy. Think of the little engine that could. If the students believe (and are led to believe) that they can be successful in their studies, the likelihood of them summiting the mountain is much greater. So the question then, is how do we create/reinforce early efficacy in students?
Simple answer: allow for a high early success rate with a large (or appropriate) amount of positive praise. The early tasks should be somewhat simple allowing for broad success. (think Karate Kid, "first you learn wax-on Danielson"). If they can do well (and are reinforced for doing well) on the first task, you increase the intensity of the second task (as well as the positive reinforcment [thanks Pavlov]), and so on and so on and so on.
Important note: Criticism can destroy efficacy...criticize cloaked in praise and your point gets accross with destroying the little engines track.
That's how I do it, how about you?
Jeremy
I think it is very important to set guidelines and expectations for the course. The students have a well developed plan of what they need to work for. Also, understanding the needs and fears of the students. This will help the instructors aid in the success of their students.
Hi Lisa,
I think it is very important to relate our own experiences to those of the students. I too can relate being an adult learner going back and finishing my BS and master's degrees after turning 50. I think those types of experiences helps us to "walk a mile in their shoes".
Bill
I think one of the more important ways is to identify with their concerns. Let them know that you may have had some of the same concerns or fears that they have. The bottom line is to let the students know you care about not only how well they perform in the class but you also care about them as a person. I try and create a relationship with the student so they think I think they are special in my life. You can't accomplish this to the degree I would like with all students but you can with a vast majority of students. Some students require a slightly technique.
I also try and make sure they can succeed at a task, quiz or test early in the course and make a point of giving them directed praise.
Bill
I always "get to know" my students. Assessing and monitoring where they are academically and emotionally assists me with helping them refocus when necessary. The challenges facing many adult learners, in particular, can be as large obstacle for them. I use my own experience as a previous adult learner, with a family and a job, to motivate them to know they CAN DO IT.
I believe the most important thing is letting your students know your expectations on the first day of class. Inform them how to achieve a passing grade... without overwhelming them. I remind my students that I was once a student too. I struggled with some clasess but stayed focused.
By encouraging them and letting them know when they do well. Positive reinforcement is always good. When one does well, he or she should receive some type of reward for a job well done. This could definitely be a way to help overcome their fear.
I have a special story that I save to use in classes where people are struggling or with school. So often students will become extremely negative or thing there are "stupid" because they struggle with a task. I impress upon on them they all have special skills and that "smarts" are viewed from different perspectives. I am teaching English. I have a higher degree in English and know the works of John Steinbeck. However, when my toilet is overflowing...and I am standing in a mess up to my ankles a plumber is the smartest man I know. Every student has a special knowledge and they can use that to succeed in school.
Hi Steven,
Thank you for sharing this great story of success on the part of both the mother and daughter. The challenges the mother faced are common for non-traditional students and with your support she was able to develop the confidence to be successful. Letting her use her life experiences enabled her to see that she could be successful and that she was going to be able to earn a passing grade in the class. I agree with you that even though she earned a B she was the better student in that she had to learn so much and progress so rapidly to be successful.
Gary
Our College requires our new students to attend a course called "Strategies for Success" at the very beginning. It gives the student many tools to help them overcome barriers to their success including fear of not being successful. I look for ways to provide positive affirmations and I create a comfortable classroom environment so the student can share their concerns. I try to build relationships with my students.
My past experience has taught me that adult students, predominantly the ones that have been out of at school for a long time, have this fear factor of failure and intimidation. How I go about helping the students is best demonstrated by an example.
Most recently, I had a mother-daughter combination in one of my face-to-face classes of English composition. The daughter was approximately 20 years old, outgoing, and well-equipped for composition class. She had been taking college classes ever since her graduation from high school. She was social and had very good writing skills. The mother was not so fortunate in having those good written communication skills. She was intimidated by the situation and constantly concerned about failure with her assignments and the class.
In my first class I always give an overview of the course to the students taking the course. I suggest that everyone stay current, and give a good effort in the class. In the back of my mind, this speech normally is focused towards the younger students. Furthermore, I express the pleasure and the honor of having adult students in the class because of their rich background and world of experiences that they have to offer in conjunction with the course. This specific class was no different. I also have the students state what degree they are pursuing and how they might fit into what they are doing at present. For each student, I always ask how long they've been in that certain profession and I will comment on how that experience will be invaluable in the future. This class was no different. The daughter was a nurse’s aide working for a nursing service. Another was working at a local hospital as a nurse’s aide. They both are pursuing nursing degrees. I commented to the mother that with eight years experience working in a hospital bed she certainly has a first-hand view of what a nurse does and the good and the bad of a job.
For each assignment I always provide detailed feedback to each individual student. In the mother's case and other fearful students I will usually provide additional feedback of positive reinforcement. While skills may be lacking, their ideas and stories are rich with valuable experience. It is important to stress the positives with the students in order to develop their confidence. As for the mother's case in my example, she had much to offer and it was easy to provide positive reinforcement.
The mother seemed to be anxious to learn and was more than willing to accept constructive criticism and direction in how to improve her paper. With each class the mother became more involved in the discussion and kept improving her writing skills. Along with her participation I would positively comment on her point of view. You could see her gaining confidence with each passing class.
By the end of the course, the daughter earned A; the mother earned a B. However, the mother was the better student- -she had worked so hard and learned so much.
I try to show students they are capable of being successful. I share their entrance exam scores, and tell them, if we - as a school - did not believe them capable, we would not have admitted them to the program. Then, I do a short exercise and show them how to successfully take tests. This convinces them, they are ready to begin school in a positive way.
Thanks and looking forward to this class.
In order to encourage our students in believing in their own success in college, we must hold them accountable. Hold them accountable for their attendance, preparedness, and professionalism. When you hand out your course syllabi and course outline, it will serve as a quide to the assignments and assessments they will cover. So now you have supplied them with the minimum necessary tools needed. When the student knows that they have all the cards in their hands, it will give them a sense of control and dignity. Implementing continuous feedback will further encourage students to become and remain successful in their college career.
I foster an environment of creativity, with positive feedback and if criticism is attached i present it in a way that the student can feel better about the outcome and provide options for improvement in the future (when they repeat the skill learned) I provide chances to learn form mistakes rather than let them think they failed or did bad.
If the syllabus distributed at the beginning of a course presents all that will be required of a student in a particular course, it can serve as a road map to the conclusion. This presents an opportunity for control in planning and understand their own course progress. Our electronic gradebook which can be accessed on the student portal provides grades in real time. It also allows instructors the opportunity to give encouraging feedback regarding assignments such as "Great job on this paper" or "amazing improvement" or even, "I know this was a tough assignment, but you really worked to perfect the material". A few short comments seem to make student confidence soar.
This is true...you really have to be precise in how you deliver classroom materials and it is best to remind students as time goes on feedback on course expectations.
Hi Virginia,
Among your students what are some of the most common support needs that exist?
Thank.
Gary
Provide support for them and making yourself avilable if they hae questions.
