Hi Jamie,
Good advice for your students. They really do need to seek out and create a support system for themselves. By you showing them different formats for support systems they will be able to put together one that will help them be successful while in school.
Gary
I have been an adult learner in the classroom and I know how important it is to have support systems. I think we often do not realize how much support their can be out there because so many of us have grown up in a society that puts family first. Though family is great, sometimes they are not able to give a student the support they need. I would encourage students to explore all available support, friends, neighbors, community groups, school groups and program, and other students in the classroom. Sometimes our fear if reaching out for help keeps us from making meaningful connections.
On the first day of class I introduce myself and then I have the students do so. When they talk about themselves I really watch their body language and actively listen to them. This gives me the opportunity to get some insight into the student as an individual. I then encourage each student to exchange email addresses and phone numbers with each other. why I do this is so they have a support system if they are at home and get stuck doing homework or working on a project. What I found happened was that the students also connected on a personal level and help keep each other motivated. Even with life tries to kick them in the teeth and they want to give up.
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for sharing this strategy with us. It is a good one to use in any setting. The pausing and reflecting aspect is powerful for students so they can continue to make progress in achieving their career goals.
Gary
Hi David,
Thank you for these good points on support systems for students. We all need support systems so the more we can help our students identify theirs the more successful they will be.
Gary
By offering them a soft skill program. In this program they go through a series of classes that help them figure out who their support system is and how they can be of help.
I assign a "Filling Your Bucket" project for newer students. For this project, students take a bucket and cover it with pictures of positive influences in their lives. If someone isn't positive, then that person doensn't belong on the bucket. Then, students write on small slips of paper the good memories or positive affirmations these people on their bucket have told them, and students fill their buckets with these positive statements. Students really enjoy this activity, and many of them say they look at and read from their buckets daily as constant reminders of who really supports them.
One method I have used in the past is to share my personal story of going back to school as an adult learner and single parent with no family in the city where I lived. Recognizing that I couldn't do it all on my own and developing friendships either at work or through church or other organizations. I was fortunate to have friends that lived near to me and helped me with babysitting if I had a conflict with school/work. So I would pose to the student to write down names of the folks they consider really close friends, relatives, other peers. From that list then I would ask them to list how many are aware of your returning to school and your career goals. Then how many of their friends/family/peers are supportive of their goals. This number may be few but these people may qualify as part of their support system.
Anything that reinforces their resolve to make it all the way through school in an effective manner is something definitely worth keeping around. Identifying what those support systems could be in a person is one step towards ensuring that it lasts all the way through their degree/diploma and beyond.
The (generally largest) source is family. Having a strong backing from family who constantly pushes you to make it all the way through is a huge help for any student's morale.
Another option would be peers, whether they be in the class, at their jobs or otherwise.
Hi Melanie,
The time you spend on developing a relationship with each student is well worth it as you know. The human factor is a big part of teaching success.
Gary
I start each term by getting to know the student, asking why they are in this class, what they hope to get out of the class, and finding out a little about their background. I then help them to make connections.
Hi Jennifer,
I like to use study/learning groups as well for the same reasons you do. They really help students to learn to work together just as they will in their careers.
Gary
I always suggest making a study group for outside of the classroom. This helps the learners learn to work together and utilize each others strengths. It is a good support system because their fellow classmates are going through the same course and they can relate to each other.
Hi Earnest,
I agree with your statements in relation to the value of support systems. They help make student successful more likely to be achieved.
Gary
Hi Jennifer,
Good strategies for helping students to create support systems. With these systems in place the students will have a higher retention rate as well as satisfaction with their learning opportunities.
Gary
I think that personal support is paramount to success in school. This support can add tremendously to a student's confidence and comfort level. This, in turn, creates a positive learning environment and increases chance for success.
Earnest J. Kendall,MSN, RN-BC
There are many things that you can do in order to create a personal support system for students. An instructor can create a conducive, welcoming learning environment for the students within the classroom or lab. This is physical appearance. The instructor can also relate to the students and share some of his/her own experience during class in order to tie in the information. The instructor can also make sure the students are comfortable and able to engage in the learning using their own experiences or information in order to enrich the classroom discussions. Within the classroom, there should be access to information that contains the important people within the administration and where to go when there are questions regarding specific situations and or problems. By providing a sense of community for the students and giving them individual attention, the instructor is able to create a support system within the educational facility.
This will allow students to be more comfortable and assist them in engaging in group discussions and/or study groups, as well as tutoring programs.
I think support systems are important for success of the student. It is important to know that someone cares and is there to help them when needed. Lack of support can mean the difference between passing and failing.
Earnest J. Kendall, MSN, RN-BC
In order to help students identify and create personal support systems, I often have them participate in an exercise to identify what they need to be successful. I have them list what they need from family/friends and their university/college. I also have them identify how they will go about getting the support they need. I then offer suggestions and guidance. I also encourage them to participate in a study group. I offer to help by establishing the study groups of two to three students.
Remind students of their peers. Many times students develop prejudices based on the peformance of classmates rather than seeing them as for the whole picture and as resources.
