Yes always start the first day of school with a positive, energetic start and never let up throughout the semester; suggest to students the goals are obtainable; suggest attendance and participation is important and also use of the college portal is important and also communication is important-use e-mail and phone and other technology to communicate.
Many students have self doubt-as we listen to their stories and explanations; that are sometimes negative-educators should put a positive in their stories and this will enable the student to come along and a light switch will go on and they will say Yes I can do that task it is in reach.
Self-doubt is normal and expected. I would be as concerned if a student showed no self-doubt at all. The key is to provide an atmosphere where the student knows that it is okay to make mistakes and that you will be there to help them overcome any obstacles.
In SE2 expose the students to the dyno. 99% of students have never seen a dyno, let alone have the opportunity to run a Harley on one. At the begging of the rotation there is a lot of anxiety, fear, self doubt, and excitement.
We work with each student individually to build their confidence in their ability to use the equipment correctly and safely. It's always thrilling to see the students attitude change from being timid to confident in a mere 3 weeks time.
I have had several students that have come through my program that didn't have a support system. They either didn't have families, were single parents with no support, or their support system didn't support their choice to come back to school. Motivation is the only thing that brought them to their graduation. I, personally, feel that intrinsic motivation (or igniting intrinsic motivation) in students is ultimately what gets them through.
Students often work themselves up before they step into clinic, where they apply the practices they've absorbed so far. A great way of combating this, is to ask them to name 3 things they feel they do very well. These 3 things can be drawn from personal reflection, or from feedback received from other students, instructors, etc. Just to give them a reminder of positive feedback from the past.
When teaching Cuisine students Baking and Pastry, the students lack of confidence is evident from day 1. Seeing them progress throughout the course from baking bread to icing a cake, most are happy with their performance and you can see a significant change in their confidence.
I always like to explain, to students, that I understand what they are going through. I, too, am a mother, wife, student, full-time worker. I find that they find it easier to understand what you are asking them to relate to if they know you also have experience in the same area.
Samiya, well stated. Students do tend to fear the unknown and this is one reason that day 1 of any classroom is so critical. This critical day is our chance as instructors to help students understand the focus of the course and we expect them to be confused and even concerned. This is actually expected and good. We use this expectation to heighten the students awareness and level of attention. As students hear from their instructor that their feelings are normal and even expected, they immediately begin to calm down and realize there is a plan in place and other students have been in their shoes and have had great success.
James Jackson
Alison, fair but firm definitely works. At the end of the day it is all about the students and their success. If your methods produce successful students then this would be where I would focus my attention with regard to what you what students to know. Nothing wrong with having a reputation for being "tough" but you also do not want students to be in fear before they even get to know you and your course. I would also recommend you talk with your champion students and get them to assist you in spreading the word that you are tough but you also get results and your students are highly successful.
James Jackson
Every term I have several students that doubt themselves from the very beginning. Even before I can start teaching them anything. They take one look at the syllabus and the self-doubt starts immediately. But I have found that after some time has passed and we get into the class the doubt starts to fade away. So with that being said I believe it's the fear of the unknown.
I taught first-term students recently. I think many of them self-doubt because they are afraid to make a mistake in front of other students and, in turn, second guess themselves for answers to questions. At the beginning of each term, I let the students know what I expect from them and how I have my classes structured. I currently teach some classes and one of my classes are sixth-term students getting ready to go out on externship for their seventh and final term. We are reviewing information in a certification review class, which is preparing the to take their certification exam. I provide students with worksheets and they take those worksheets home, complete them, and then we review them the next day. I have several students are are self-doubting. When this happens, I address the class and remind them to ease up on self-doubt. I encourage them to think through their responses and be more confident when they are providing answers.
Tamara, so true. For some students the ONLY positive influence in their lives is the positive energy they receive from school. This is why it is so critical to find positive methods of feedback versus methods that further tear down at the student's self worth. Keep up the great work and thanks for all that you do.
James Jackson
Diana, thanks for your comments and bring forward a critical point. Student success is directly related to how any institution can work together as a team. Instructors cannot do the work alone and the best institutions are those that understand the importance of teamwork and how student success is everyone's goal and not just that of the instructor. Your institution is lucky to have you and I am certain you are a vital part of the overall success of your institution. Keep up the great work.
James Jackson
Sarah, what an awesome case study and thanks for sharing. The attention you describe here is what makes good instructors like you truly GREAT! Thanks for all that you do and I hope others will follow your leadership.
James Jackson
I am an instructor at a culinary school, and for most of my time here, I taught the third class that they would take, which was meat fabrication and cooking. It is the first real class where complete dishes begin to come together, so there is a high level of excitement. When I get them at first, they are still trying to find their way in the kitchen, and at the end of the six week class session, by and large, there is a huge leap in the confidence levels in a majority of the students. It becomes very satisfying to me when they are able to take raw product and create something with it. Some better than others.
By midterm you can usually tell who is going to pass the class and who is really struggling. For them to pass the class they have to pass the lab portion with an eighty-five percent. I had one student who got a 77 on her midterm evaluation. She was full of self doubt! She was questioning if she had choosen the right program and even the right school. I knew that she could do this and so we spent extra time in the lab and she came in extra times to work and really gained confidence and was able to score a 98 on the final and pass the class! It was great to see her find her groove and improve in the process!
I am an English instructor, and often students enter into my class with a great deal of fear. In one particular case a student walked into my class on the first day and said, "I've heard about you and your class; I hate you." While I was taken aback, I understood that this was likely the student's fear of the subject rather than a personal dislike of me, as I had never met the student before. I used this as an opportunity to address the class' fear as a whole. I told them that while my reputation for being tough preceded me, I was tough because I wanted them to be successful, and while they might have heard I was tough, they probably hadn't heard that I was fair. I went on to explain my level of dedication to seeing students succeed. I told them that if they were struggling I would work with them one-on-one or adjust the course accordingly; they simply had to bring problems to my attention. The bold student ended up seeking out my help and giving me feedback often, and by the end of the course, admitted that she now liked English.
James,
In your response to Mark. I teach Verbal Communications. I had a student that was so afraid of public speaking that she would hyperventilate. Luckily she told me this is what she did the first day. I thanked her for this information and told her privately that she could take baby steps. At any time she felt she was going to feel she was loosing control of the situation, we could modify the lesson. (Actually, I do a series of exercises that seem non-sensical, but help me access those students who might have difficulty with presenting.)
In one of the lessons we do on proxemics in which we gauge "our bubble," everyone observed that her bubble was really big in front of her. She explained it was not just in front but behind her as well. She articulated without going into too much detail, that things happened to her that left her in need of controlling who she "lets in." With her permission, I experimented with her in front of the class, how she could modify her body stance to allow people to come up to her without her giving off so many signals that "IT WAS NOT OKAY." I asked her to approach me from the front and as she got closer to me I turned to the side and started a conversation with her. I then had her do the same thing. I walked to her and as I got closer she adjusted herself by turning to the side to start a conversation with me. She still had a little difficulty but said it was easier. She told me about a week later that this was helping her when people approached her.
When she got ready to do her first speech, again she was afraid to be in front of the class. The first speech is about yourself and she felt too exposed to talk about herself (many people are) I suggested she talk about something or someone else that relates to her. I also told her if she felt she could not present in front of class we would renegotiate how we would fulfill the requirement. Turned out she talked about her son and focused on his autism. She wanted to let people know about the seriousness of autism and the need outweighed her desire to "not be in front of the class." After the speech, she found several class members were also dealing with siblings or children that were autistic. She learned that day that the world was smaller and indeed connected. They formed a little group outside of the classroom and shared best practices for working with autism.
I teach Verbal Communications and many of my students are filled with self doubt. Some of the things I hear range from "I get physically ill when I have to speak in front of others," to "I will never be good at a job interview." The first day, I tell them we will learn the art of communication and that the first week will be filled with lots of activity both in and outside the classroom as we look at what verbal communication means. I let them know about the four presentations we will be doing and why they are important. I tell them to look at themselves as professionals taking a seminar to improve their communication in the workplace. Then I set about "taming them." All the exercises in that first week are designed to form a bond with other students and get them to start thinking about themselves as a team. The very first day, I get them on their feet and do some exercises, that to the outsider look pretty silly, but they are warm up activities that get the mind in a different place: a place of intention where you don't second guess. After warm-ups, the first or second day, I have them sit with the least person they know in the room and they have to do an exercise that breaks down barriers. Two people sit facing each other with no barrier in between. One person sits and listens (does not respond with words) while the other person shares all their fears, anxiety, difficult challenges that keep that get in the way of being at school. Then they switch roles and repeat. After that exchange the original person is asked to talk about all the things they look forward to, what excites them, what positive challenges are they looking forward to while they are here at school. Again, the other person just listens and when done they repeat the section. Lastly, they are both allowed to talk and I ask them share anything else they would like to say or get clarification on what they heard. The first two sections are a minute per person and discussing together is a minute.
This course talks about waiting a few seconds for response and that is one of the most valuable tools I use in my course. After my students engage in this exercise, I ask "what are your observations of this exercise?" I wait a few seconds (it will seem like an eternity for people who are not used to this method) and suddenly hands shoot up: "It was weird, I couldn't think of things to say, We have the same problems, We both want to work in fine dining, we were both scared when we came to school because...." We end up having a conversation about how we are more similar than we think and even in our differences we are similar by the very fact we share something in our differences: sort of same story, different set of circumstances. This is just one exercise of many that first week to bond the class and get them aware of the people around them. When they are all in the same boat, the self doubt shifts. To me, it is all about how to get someone to divert their energy to their true desire: self actualization of their perceived goal.
