Liza,
Good reminders that need to be shared over and over again because as the students get bogged down and tired during a course they forget how far they have come and where they are trying to go.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Remind your students that everyone has the same fears and that your job as an instructor is to see them succeed in your course. Also remind them that every roadblock can be overcome together with communication.
Rod,
You make a very good point about the value of targeted feedback to students. They cannot improve if they don't know what they have done incorrectly. They need to see their areas of needed improvement and then build on what they have learned. This is one of the great values of having an instructor help them in their learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Feedback is vital. Adult students need to know what a good job looks like in order excel. If instructors simply grade the assignment a return with a poor grade without discussion the student can be left with the feelings of giving up. If an instructor turns back that same poor grade however holds the student afterwards to provide feedback on exaclty how to fix for the next time, it turns the situation into a much more positive experience.
Samirah,
Good strategy to follow because if students don't have early success their confidence will not develop and they won't be as successful as they can be.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Encouraging students to take action, I feel is a good way to reduce fear and build confidence. Explaining to them that everything is hardest the first time around but it gets easier and better. Start off with small steps and build up your confidence levels until the fear of failure is manageable would be my recommendation.
For some, it is just of matter of your approval to be successful; others are a little more of a challenge. You need to be able to spend some time with this student before and/or after class to reinforce the lessones learned; when the student sees the progress, the fear of success will be gone. This, plus recognizing a student for the work accomplished is the best way for a student to overcome the fear.
One way of minimizing students' anxieties and fears of not being successful in college is by ensuring the students that the instructor is there for them. Reassure students that you are part of their educational journey and therefore will be there to support them in anyway possible.
Gayle,
Good caution that we all need to consider as we communicate with our students. We need to help them see how they can be successful and provide support when needed. This will result in engaged and successful students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think that sometimes I forget the power that the instructor has. What I view as being constructive feedback, they may view as a negative thing and become discouraged. escpecially is my tone is the least off(maybe I'm just having a bad day and it has nothing to do with them) I try to really watch how I present things and always add something positive they are doing well along with the corrective feedback.
MARISSA,
Early and frequent successes in the course are important for adults to have as they get settled into being students once again. Your comments about how to help them see themselves as successful students are right on target. Once they have gotten over their fear they will be able to move through the course and toward their career goals.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Robin,
Thank you for these good comments about adult learners and their success potential. Adult learners need early success in a course so they can internalize that they in fact can do well in the course. These early success points will build their confidence levels and before long they will be making progress not only in the course but in their career development as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Overcoming the fear of college is a real challenge, especially if you are an adult learner who has been out of the classroom for a period of time.One way to overcome this fear is to focus on your own accomplishments and not on the accomplishments of others. Remember, there will always be greater and lesser persons than you. Dot not compare yourself with others. We must be proud of our own accomplishments, no matter what they are. Therefore, overcoming fear will be easy if the above-mentioned advice is followed.
Excellent question. Many times adult learners are in fear success. This is the time as an instructor, it is important to encourage, use different methods of teaching such as hands on, power points, and lectures as tools of learning. Also personal experiences are the best, this gives them a picture of someone who was in their shoes and successfully made it to the point they are seeking.
Thanks
Brian,
I agree with your statement about long term pay off for students. Your course content is designed to help them with their career goals which is a part of their long term professional preparation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Offer the students your time, if you guide students through their college careers then they will be more successful. I find that if we help them now they will be stronger later
Christopher,
Good way to build confidence and show them how much they actually know. This is a good reinforcement tool.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ease their mind with self assesments, in which a grade is not taken and they see themselves answering the questions correctly.
Advise them to plan ahead,stay focused and keep up on assigned tasks and reading.I recommend setting asside 1- 2 hours per day for each hour of lecture.
Praise, and honest feedback. If we let them know when they have succeeded, they will continue that behavior. It will also allow them the courage they might need to continue. At the same time, we need to help them improve through honest feedback. I find that adult students want more feedback. They want to know exactly what they need to do to improve. This feedback also needs to be specific, as much as possible. General statements are not helpful.
