To enhance security during questioning, all responses are accepted in a positive way--even if the students is not on target--it is a learning process as well as the student feeling better about him/herself after the questioning process.
There's the corollary, too--instructor self-doubt. Occasionally I feel like I've tried everything I know, given it my all, gone the extra several miles, and still have not achieved the results I hoped for.
Then a student smiles at me.
Simple, show positivity. Show encouragement.
I deal with this on a regular basis with the subjet matter that i teach. i once struggled at the same things my students struggle with because i doubted that i was preforming the task properly, when all along myself and now the students are doing it correctly. they just have to believe in them selves and have the confidence they are doing it properly.
Rae Lynne, what an awesome story and thanks for sharing. Taking students out of their comfort zones is part of the teaching and learning process. Always playing it safe rarely yields quality results.
James Jackson
Helping students realize their potential is definitely one of the GREATEST rewards of teaching -- strongly agreed. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity of teaching students within my program in their first term of enrollment and again in their final term of enrollment to measure the personal and professional growth they have experienced throughout their educational endeavor. It is even more rewarding when the student realizes how much he/she has grown throughout their enrollment. I once had a student whom was a victim of domestic violence prior to her enrollment, so needless to say, her self-esteem was incredibly low. During the first day of class, when I asked her to introduce herself (stand where she was sitting and introduce herself to the class), she could barely speak in front of the class -- almost had a panic attack by being the center of attention. Throughout the course through discussions, activities, and general class structure, she became more and more active within the class and began to verbally participate (raise her hand, take the "stage" during an activity and speak to the entire class, etc.). The final course project required a presentation. She did a GREAT job when she stood at the front of the room, faced all of her peers and myself as the instructor, and gave her presentation. When she finished you could literally see how proud of herself she was by facing this fear and overcoming/conquering the task of presenting in front of the class. By the middle of her program, she was VERY active/verbally outspoken in the classroom. The most rewarding part of the experience was when she came to my office right before graduation and spoke to me about how much she had grown throughout her program, how much better she felt about herself, and knew she could be a success in the career world because of the confidence we had helped her gain throughout her education. She told me that she had strongly disliked me the first day of class because of the discomfort she had felt and how fearful she was, but THANKED me for making her realize her potential and force her to face her fears. Certainly made my day!!
Liset , what techniques do you use to assist your students that experience self-doubt? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
I always tell my students that study and knowledge are the greatest achievements you can have in life, that there will be hard times but we have to look foward to achieve our goals.
Glenn, thanks for the update. Looks like you have things well in hand. :-)
James Jackson
Gerald, labels aside there is an alarming growth of students in college that would not pass an 8th grade literacy course. Be it a result of a failed K-12 system in their hometown or a learning disorder, we as concerned instructors need to make sure we can tell the difference between being lazy and true barriers to learning. Not advocating labels but I am advocating instructors knowing how to move ALL students forward regardless of their initial skills in the classroom.
James Jackson
Blanche, what resources do you have for those rare students that lack some of the basic skills to be successful in your course?
James Jackson
James
When I cover a particular topic, I at first will do a lot of “hand holding†by walking them through the labs. I will then tend to back off and let students try and work on the labs more and more on their own. I will also at times through a challenge at them towards the end of a particular subject in order to have them use their problem solving skills. My students also know that I encourage teamwork in the lab and they will readily work together on challenging lab assignments.
-Glenn
In my experience the self doubt that a student experiences can be paralyzing. those are always my favortie students. it is gratifying to see them blossom and grow before my eyes when all i have to do is encourage and bring their strengths and talents to the surface so they can see them as i see them
Purposely being the devils advocate, how about not classifying a student as having a learning disability? Once read that "labels are for soup cans."
It is specifically common to try to label many things. Should we seek to classify students? Once labeled, if the person accepts the label, there is just another obstacle. Certainly not ignoring science and technology. Yet, we are constantly creating more names for diseases. Also not to ignore the facts, I am part of a learning idealogy. Simply believe that too many children get labeled and spend so much effort to grow over labels.
Is there anything more evident that a lack of confidence is a major block to learning. I cannot agree more that doubt or low self esteem is a hurdle to learning.
-specifically, a past littered with what is termed mistakes can be considered a hurdle. Acutally, mis-take is just that a dress rehearsal. Considering everything a learning opportunity rephrases the term. This can be now, the past or the future. We are here to learn.
-Philosphically, there is much literature on looking at many things as learning opportunities. In a way, it is a healing of the mind that has been litered with poor experiences. Contrary to prevailing opinion, the past or experience can be a very poor teacher. Starting each day fresh is a wonderful way of letting the past go. Admittedly, much of this literature may be called religion or human growth potential.
-Finally addmitting that I had so much to overcome, it is simply a personal testimonial from what I once considered an experienced teachder. My students were then wonderful opportunities to grow myself. In a way the classroom is a wonderful laboratory.
adult students are doers and thinkers and most of them will rise to the right challenges and right opportunities if they have that belief within themselves that they can succeed on the path that they took/career they have chosen,then learning will be intrinsically motivated and easy.
Glenn, great topic and one worth exploring in depth. What are some of the techniques you use to teach your students the skills of problem solving or teamwork? Do you engage in any case studies or exercises or are there other methods you have found useful? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Deborah, what are some of the techniques you use to better understand self-doubt in your students? On that same subject, how then do you help them overcome their own self-doubt? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
I deal with this all the time especially in the IT field. I have students that want to learn about computers because them like them, but become overwhelmed by the amount of material they must learn. In an effort to help them I often explian to them my personal experience that I went through the same thing when I first started learning about computers. I also will praise their accomplishments when they do well and provide assistance when they struggle with specific material. When they start seeing that they are accutally learning something that they thought they couldn't possible learn, that motivates them even more.
One of the biggest contributors and a subsequent threat to student security is when the student feels the assignment is too tough. As a computer technology instructor, I feel I need to challenge my students by giving them the opportunity to try things on their own and have to problem-solve. I feel it can be a delicate balancing act between enhancing the learning process and maintaining student security. However, I do encourage collaboration on some assignments or teamwork as one way to maintain security. I feel problem solving and teamwork are two important skills my students will need for their chosen career field.
