It is THE most important factor. If the student believes that you are interested in him and his learning, that student will be more invested in his learning. The student will also be more motivated.
Samuel, I had a friend who committed suicide a year ago. Talk about feeling helpless! She lived close enough that I could have run over to her house and stopped her. But, people often keep the most tortured parts of their souls to themselves. Be confident that there was nothing you could have done. If someone really wants to commit suicide, they do not always "cry for help" in advance.
The human factor is extremely important. Students will quickly lose interest in the class and even resent the instructor that cannot relate on a human level.
Through my own experience as an instructor, I have come to find out that after having a one on one conversation with a student, to find out why they didn't turn in an assignment or why they had missed so many class sessions, that the students will then try. I do not push the students, but I do tell them that I want them to be in class, that I want to see them do well. Most of the lab work is done in partners, I also mention that their classmates are counting on them to pull their weight in the tasks. Listening to a student, and letting them know you care, is very important in terms of retention.
Lee,
Good example of how a core subject and be related to personal use. The more relevancy and application that can be shared the greater the retention of content is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Hello everyone,
Ensuring that you have the human factor within your teaching style is very important. In some cases, I feel sometimes that I have to go the extra mile within an online environment because there is no face-to-face contact. Therefore, I try to have the happy and inviting voice when holding chats so that students hear that I want to be online with them and I am here to help them by greeting them by name when starting my chats and ending my sessions. In addition, the human factor can be missing when there is no actual physical contact with the instructor so the human factor is essential online and in brick and mortar settings.
Jennifer
Understanding what drives students to succeed is key to enabling that success. Adult learners of all types thrive on respect. Greeting and acknowledging each student every day will help you remember their names. If you call on them by name, it shows that you respect them as an individual and boosts their confidence.
By treating every one in the class as an equal colleague, you empower them to succeed in the course, thereby ensuring the retention of that student.
The human factor is very important in not only student retention but in the overall success of the class. As the instructor you need to do as much as possible to ewtablish an environemnt where the students are comfortable and enjoy attending. At the sametime you need to continually assess the "mood" of each student as you conduct your class. If you see a change in someone's "mood" then you can discuss with them after class.
Student retention in general is probably the most challenging aspect I have found in my 5+ years of teaching at a career school. While students may have the right intentions for pursuing a new career, unfortunately they often let their past & present problems/issues affect their future goals. This makes the "human factor" maybe the most important aspect of student retention.
Since many students bring physical, emotional, & psychological "baggage" with them to school, without empathy, encouragement, and positive reinforcement from an instructor (& the school's other support services), students are more likely to just give-in or give-up on school. I wouldn't say I go as far as being a "friend" to a student, but I do try to show that I truly care about them & their success. This entails having discussions with them about various interests & day-to-day happenings in their life, in addition to letting them know that they can (in confidence) come to me for any questions or concerns with their educational &/or personal life.
The human factor plays a tremendous role in the retention of students. Many student have grown up in poor emotional and physical environments. The human factor shows that the instructor actually cares and respects them and wants them to succeed. Sometimes this is all someone needs to achieve their goals without quitting.
The Human factor is very important for the M-generation. I find they want to know about you and want you to know about them. This produces a better understanding.
"Students don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." is a truism that's been bandied about for years... In my classes, student achievement improves when I know enough about the students to mention some personal anecdote abou them that relates to what they are learning. For example--not only will this English Class help you with your resume and thankyou letters-- it will also help you when you are trying to help your 7th grader improve his social studies report....
Heidi,
Right you are. If they can relate to their colleagues and feel included they will be much more likely to complete the course and move closer to their career goal.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Sandra,
Sad but true. Coming to class may be the only time in their lives where there is some stability. So the more support we can give them so they can continue their progress to their career goals the better.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Most of us are social creatures. If a student enjoys coming to class and feels connected to the group they will typically be comfortable enough to engage in conversation and discussions and therefore create an "emotional" attachment to the learning experience.
I have more and more students living in their cars. A kind face and some understanding goes a long way with them. Working on alternate deadlines and alternatives when applicable also helps.
A few of the human factors I like to implement in my classroom is to first immediately learn each student's name so they know they are each recoginized individually and second during each break and at the end of each class period I like to ask one student to stay for a minute to chat. During this discussion I try to find something to compliment the student on: make note of their participation, tell student you missed him/her if absent, etc. Based upon the atmosphere an Instructor creates, students will decide if they want to remain in the classroom/program.
Very important. assessing the area or areas from which the student population stems helps with identifying pros, cons, positive and negative issues, deficiencies and areas of excellence.
I agree, many of the students that I teach, I have taught before in other classes. This allows me to hold them more accountable as they know what I expect and I have an idea of what their motivation and capabilites are. I will sometimes say, "you did so well in the previous class, I know that you are capable of excelling" and it is often effective.
I agree many of my students also fit this profile. I let them know that many of the people in my profession came from similar circumstances but with hard work and preserverance they also can attain success.
