Feeling Accepted Helps with Success
Why is it important for students to feel accepted in classes and how does acceptance contribute to their success?
Walt,
Well put. Acceptance and support help humans to be success in their education and career.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
We, as humans have a need to be accepted by family, friends and also in the classroom environment. If we are not accepted, our performance will inevitably suffer. Same goes for our students. As an instructor, I strive to make my classroom environment as welcoming as possible for each and every student starting the first day of class. It is important for the student to feel accepted by the instructor but it is equally important for the students to accept each other. By doing so, they are building their team and are more likely to support each other when the curriculum gets a bit tough and especially when they are looking for an externship. It amazes me sometimes to just sit back and observe how supportive thay are of each other. This is directly related to the relationships they built early in their career school experience.
William,
I really like your "soft" respective way of including everyone into your course. You give value to each student and what he/she has to contribute. This includes all students just as you mention. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us. I know is will be of value to others.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Without acceptance in class they will isolate and withdraw themselves from the learning experience because they feel that everyone knows something is different. This feeling happens in all age groups. One of the ways that I allow this acceptance to prevail in my class is to allow those that have experience in an area of learning to expound upon that experince thus making them feel accepted by the younger age groups. The acceptance of the younger age groups by the the older is acheived by acknowledging their successes as they learn new ideas and concepts thus allowing the older age students to accept them as students the are contributing to the learning process...not just there because they have to be....Only one idea of acceptance.
I like to always let students know all of the skills and knowledge the course will give them and how it will apply to their newly chosen field.
Giving them examples of real world experiences and how we will work together to all gain the skills through the class puts the at ease.
David, yes, introductions are a great activity. I find that this also helps with myself as an instructor, to get to know them early on. I will ask them what field they came from, what brought them to my classroom, and where they want to go. That helps with my mental database on how to help the student succeed. As well as helping the student fit in, as they can find common ground with other students.
The importance of acceptance in the classroom is crucial to creating a successful learning enviroment. Students who have a since of belonging to their school and course work seem to strive to achieve whatever goal is placed before them because they believe or have faith that this is for them. That can only be achieved by creating and enviroment of acceptance regardless of background...
There is a saying that students don't care about what you have to say until they know that you care about them.
I think it has a lot to do with respect. If you respect the student by letting them know you care and value the time they are with you, they intern develop a respect for you. They learn to value the class and the learning that can be achieved.
We all want to belong to something as it gives us meaning and purpose when a student feels they have a purpose in the class and can contribute to the learning enviroment they are more inclined to be active participants which inturns creates greater success.
Tina,
This is so important especially for those students that have been out of school for a while or had problems while in secondary school. Knowing they have a supportive and caring instructor that wants to help them be successful is a powerful motivator.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
A student must feel accepted in class or they will not have any motivation to attend and graduate. It is the instructor's responsibility as well as the staff and other students to make them feel comfortable and accepted. Students could be distracted and uninterested without the proper atmosphere.
Tom,
Having early course success is very important for students to have as this helps them to stay engaged and focused on being successful in the course. Once they achieve some success they start to build on that success and their self confidence continues to grow.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
John,
I have found the same thing. Social interaction helps in student development and growth as it shows them how they will need to interact with others when they are in the work place.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
No one wants to be a failure. Each student begins the class with doubts and fears as to to whether they will succeed. Often it simply boils down to what grade will I get or will I pass. I have students who naturally excell and others who struggle because of poor learning disciplines. I have found that if I can help each student master an area they begin to feel they can succeed. The key is to break the skill into managable stages that move them to success. I have one student this term that has been someone disconnected but the day he mastered a particular lab exercise he got so excited that he was fully engaged for the remainder of the day.
I've noted that students who participate in group activities and social clubs have better grades. Students who work on their own often struggle in grasping new ideas, especially in the field of technology. Often, the students will not tell the instructor that they did not understand the material; however, when they feel accepted by their peers they often obtain a better grade.
Francis,
Good way to start the course off. You are giving your students good information along with opportunities to interact with each other. This helps them to form a solid learning community that will function efficiently throughout the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
At the begining of the course i hold a meet and greet with the students and I. I do this first thing, then i go over my expectations, class rules, and questions. I then put the students in groups using my assesment of the information given during meet and greet. I try to place a student with strong attributes with one that projects not so strong attributes. And use the Security and Autonomy to provide optimal challenge for the the stronger and encouragement and security for the not so strong
Mary,
This approach is so important for adult learners and their success. Small units of information that they can hear, internalize and then use greatly increases their comfort level as well as retention. These small successes quickly grow into bigger successes and their self confidence expands from there. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I feel that if a student knows that their differences do not detract from their learning they will be more successful. When we remove issues such as gender, ethnicity, religion, politics, orientation, and age from the equation and recognize them merely as parts of the person but not the person themselves we embrace the student; the learner.
Accepting each person for all their parts not just a few and having them share their experience shows them that school is for them.
Students have many pressures including financial, family and emotional and others. This can make acceptance one more pressure. As older students return to school to expand knowledge and are included with a mixture of ages and skills this can be a challenge for some over scheduled students. I find breaking the information down to small easy to understand bites increases the confidence of all concerned. Along with repetition, the new skills will soon become assimilated.
