This approach works well. Asking questions about the material, their study habits, etc helps to engage the student and guide them with respect to gaining more effective study habits and a means to better understand the material.
Start out on the right foot. Explain the text book book, the syllabus and the expections that you have of the student. Allow them time to introduce themselves to one another and the instructor should also do a formal introduction. If everyone starts off on the right foot, the the class should stay together. This is an old "BAND" lesson from my high school days.
Paul,
Sometimes they think they are the only ones that have every encountered such challenges as students. By showing them that many others have trod the same path you are showing them that if they put forth the effort they can be successful.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
By offering them the support they need, let them know this path has been travelled by many and have succeeded
Terry,
Simple, forthright and correct. They have to put forth the effort if they are going to be successful.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Rommel,
Current students like to hear about previous students and the successes they have had. I bring in graduates to speak to my classes so students can see how and where their careers can take them if they are willing to put forth the effort.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
While I am supposed to come up with some clever insightful answer to this, the real answer for my students is to get them to read the material and do the homework, the rest will take care of itself.
I often cite examples of previous students who experienced the same anxiety but ended up with very good marks. I explained step by step how these students strove to be successful by utilizing many resources such as; tutoring, private consultations with myself and overall being pro-active about their learning. This approach usually gets them motivated and decreases some of their anxiety.
I always stress to students to substitute negative thoughts/talk with positive thoughts/talk in their approach to coursework. They will inevitably notice a difference in their performance.
Jasmin,
Time management is a critical element of success for students just as you mention. Often with the pressures of life they let their studies go and soon find themselves in real trouble with their schooling. They need to be shown effective study skills so they can maximize the time they do have to devote to their courses.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Possitive reinforcement. Talk to them and let them know how they are doing in class and explain why something may have been wrong on a test and show them what the best possible answer was.
Student can become successful by having open lines of communication with their instructor and blocking out time to focus on school. I know everyone is busy with work, family commitments and/or other priorities, but learning how to manage your time could be the key to your student's success.
Carrie,
Concrete feedback is important to students. Your comments reflect their feelings as you high lighted the use of more quizzes and direct feedback. The more you can reinforce their success the more they will make the effort to be successful.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It also shows relevance between the material being studied and the field.
I believe that we can help them by showing them that just wanting to get a college degree is first step in their success. Also help them see the end goal, reminding them of why they chose to come to college in the first place.
I learned how important regular feedback is to students' feeling more confident in class and may increase the number of short assignments that I give them, just to have that opportunity to calm their fears about the level of difficulty of the work. They tend to panic about my subject because they are not at our school to study political science but to learn design. I constantly reassure them that they are capable of doing the work, but some of them don't turn in it in and either fail or drop the class. On exams, I tell them that they I don't grade on the quality of their writing, but on their understanding of the materials. That really seems to help students with English as a Second Language and those who haven't taken essay exams for a while. I might also consider breaking exams up so that there are three rather than two. They'll get feedback faster. I do reassure them verbally that they can do the work, but I think I need to prove that to them through small assignments and assignment feedback.
Ian,
I like your approach. My older students are much like yours so they need some early course success so they can build their confidence. I really enjoy teaching them as they are goal oriented and focused on creating career opportunities for themselves.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Guiding them a bit in their discussions, to assist the student with relating an experience that shows their expertise in a positive light
I often reach into a students past to help them overcome fears of success. I recently had a student, who was very successfull in the construction business, indicate such a fear. I engaged him in a conversation that resulted in me pointing out that he probably had these same fears when he started in Construction and that he overcame them.
I also like to build their confidence by having them focus on "One Thing". I look at confidence like a snowball - you've got to start with a small one before you can build it bigger.
Lori,
Little things like this build up to become major areas of support for students. They really appreciate the investment you are making in them as humans and students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
