I try to understand the students needs and learning needs to be successful with thrm, Glenn
Instructors must keep focused on student retention each and every day of class. This is the challenge of being an instructor as you need to be aware of changes that occur with your students that could lead them to leaving the program. Granted there are situations external to the college that cause students to drop out. In these cases there is nothing that could be done to retain the student.
Hi Heather,
Good approach to being a support to the students in your college. You must be a good listener as they come to you even though they do not have you as as instructor. The service you are providing and the rapport you are developing with them is so valuable to their future success. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I find that my students often come to me to talk about what is going on in their lives. I have even had students who I have not had in class come to me to discuss their problems because they know that I am the Psychology teacher. I also think that sometimes students come to me to talk because on the first day of class I tell them that I realize that they all have lives outside the class room and explain to them that that is the case with instructors. I also tell them that if they do not communicate thier needs with me I cannot help them. I think that doing this on the first day of class opens the door and lets them know that I care about them as people, not just bodies in the class room.
Often they come to discuss reasons that their work is late and end up telling me more than I really need to know. I have even helped students find resources for food and housing as well as supplying them with information about Women in Transition. I very rarely ask students what is going on with them since they seem to automatically come to me. This makes it easy not to worry about privacy issues because they are volunteering the information.
Hi Jason,
You make a number of good points about how to conduct a class. You last point is a very good one. The students do feed off of positive support and encouragement. It is much like when a dog runs off the owner chases it down and then smacks it with a newspaper. The dog learns very quickly that if they get caught they are going to get hit by a newspaper so they run faster and farther. Students get like that to. Negative responses give them nothing to "feed" off of so they turn off and disconnect from the learning process.
Gary
I find that I have structred my class enviornment and student interactions to many of the ideals of this lesson. I call students by their names, reply with respect to them, and that really awakens them. Making the students comfortable makes their learning a lot easier. That leads to more involvement from them: example; where a shy person who would normally listen now starts asking questions. The students feed off of this treatment.
Hi Gary,
Often students will come up and mention that I have repeated some concept several times and why do I do that. I share with them that current statistics tend to evidence that with new material a person needs to hear something 8 times for it to stick. If something is learned incorrectly, it takes 21 attempts at the correct concept to correct the error.
I mention the styles of learning and encourage them that they have a learning style that grasps new material quickly which will help them as they progress through the course of court reporting.
Thanks, Dotti
Hi Dotti,
Thank you for the kind words about the listening approach in developing rapport with students. It is essential as you well know.
Your question is a tough one to answer as so much of the answer depends upon what the student will volunteer as you mentioned. My approach has been to have a one on one private visit with the student and talk about the class and that student's position in the class. Generally if something big is going on in their life they will be having problems in the class, with late assignments or poor test performance, etc. Talking about the problems and me asking them if there is anything I need to know about how to help them opens the door to them telling me what is going on. This way I have not invaded the privacy of the student but have expressed my concern for their success.
Gary
Hello, Dr. Meers,
I believe that each instructor develops their own style for building rapport with students. It has been proven that knowing someone's name is vitally important to each individual.
Another important part of rapport and retention is making sure that the student connects with one class member as a friend and feeling they have open access to someone on the faculty and someone in administration (their counselor). If these three points of contact are established, there is a local school-related support group for each student.
I especially liked your comment that we need to LISTEN and then guide students to proper person to help them if it is school related and suggest an action in that regard. Listening to someone often allows them to defuse themselves as they verbalize the situation, then asking what they feel would help solve the problem and then directing them to the proper person to help them. Listening is a great defuser.
I sometimes find it difficult with the Privacy Act to find out what is going on with some students as they do not share with the instructor what the problem is; however, everyone else in class knows what is happening. The students want to share with me what is going on, but I cannot open the subject with the student unless the students broaches the subject. Any suggestions on this point?
Thanks, Dotti
Hi Marina,
Right you are. Instructors need to strive to customize learning for each student in a collective way, meaning meet the needs of both the individual student as well as the overall learning needs of all students. Tough job but one that is very rewarding when students are successful and the "ah ha" moments occur.
Gary
Every student has different needs and instructors must be able to identify those needs before attempting to implement any type of strategy. There is no such thing as "one size fits all" retention method although I have found that the best way to keep students in the classroon is to fill their time with meaningfull material and activities. The best way to loose a student is to allow him or her to get bored.
By staying in touch with your students needs and concerns and realizing the difficulties in supporting a life style while going to school one can develop a strategie that will help the student on a mental level stay focus in the importance of staying in class or continuing there education.
Hi Donna,
By developing a connection with your students you are creating rapport with them and that is important to their success. They have to believe that you believe in them. You are the authority figure but you are also someone that respects them and they you. With that combination the class will go much better.
Gary
talking to students and asking if they understand before you move on. We get critiqued here and when i get a bad one from time to time i work on what the students did not like
I try to develope a connection to each one of my students. You have to let them know that you're not above them or think you are any better than they are. You still have to be the athority figure in class, but you can do that and still not make your students feel beneath you.
Dr. Meers,
I believe that there are many avenues to learn of retention strategies. Before CEE, I learned from more seasoned instructors and Intranet forums. Sometimes all it takes is to listen to students and/or talk to them away from the rest of the class. Other times it may take a second party intervention. In the past I have had few
students who were ready to leave the program. I spoke to them separatley and got not where. Later I was able to be involved in a meeting with the student and ED Manager.
Hi Barbara,
Excellent job of outlining some strategies for student retention. As you mention the reasons for leaving school are many and instructors need to keep their fingers on the pulse of the students so they can zero in on ways to help the students. Thank you for sharing I know this information will be of benefit to many people.
Gary
Hello Jeff,
In reading the first sentence of your posting, "I don't think the question is where to find retention strategies... but when to use them", I was struck with another thought. It is not only "when to use them", but each Instructor must choose to use retention strategies and implement them. Instructors have an obligation to try to meet the needs of their students. We must maintain that desire to inspire our students. Thank you for allowing me to springboard off of your thoughts.
Barbara
Instructors can become aware of effective retention strategies from many venues. Foremost, an instructor can gain the best insight from their own students. Feedback from students can be obtained in various ways such as from the use of course end surveys to something as simple as asking the students to help you become a better teacher by writing out their suggestions and ideas on how you can better meet their needs; what would they have liked for you to have done differently; how could you have reached them more effectively.
Instructors can share retention strategies with one another at inservices, training sessions or meetings. This is an invaluable learning method for beginning instructors as well as seasoned instructors.
As an instructor it is important to seek out new information on how to become a better instructor. When an instructor is passionate about what they do they exhibit a desire to become better at what they do. Good teachers never stop learning.
Always observe body language in case you have a student who is normally up beat, but now quiet. When lecturing, make eye contact with everyone and have discussions that will stimulate everyone.
