Scheduling 1:1 with each student is key. This is the time to review with the student what is working and what has opportunity for improvement - and to ask the student their ideas on how they can impact this improvement.
The section in this course that really hit the spot for me was in giving students overviews, summaries - give them the tools to succeed.
Students can see their progress on the class portal daily/weekly, so there should be no surprises as to performance. All assignments, handouts, presentations, class outline, and grades are posted there.
Self-doubt for massage therapy students can be so difficult to handle that it can become debilitating. Every student wants their touch to feel good to the person receiving it. When students feel that their work is not good or that someone gave them harsh feedback, I give them many ways to re-frame and learn from that experience by reminding them that as massage therapists we are lifelong learners; that we will get better with practice; that we will get worse with practice and then better again; and that that person who did not enjoy their massage may not be a good fit for them...that that person is not "your" ideal client; that their ideal clients will come as a part of their practice building. It takes many reminders of perseverence and confidence to help with self-doubt.
I find that building confidence by helping the student realize his/her potential is a huge motivater. Also, making them feel I believe in them.
Joseph, great use of building blocks to teach higher level thinking and problem solving. Very important concept and critical skills for students.
James Jackson
Patricia, success can be a learned skill and one that needs formal attention within the curriculum. What actions do you take within your own lesson plans to ensure your students experience some early success while learning the skills they will need to solve more complicated problems later? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Shelly, you are an expert simply through your experiences so never sell yourself short. No one knows it all so do not confuse the two. You can be an expert and still continually learn. This is what you want your students to eventually realize. Learning is life long and being an expert at anything implies you know the importance of learning more and more about your subject area.
James Jackson
yingwei, nothing wrong being the "tough" teacher as long as your students respect you and not fear you. Students tend to like structure and enforcement of rules even though they may not always show their appreciation in any given moment.
James Jackson
I have had many students that have self doubt and low self esteem. Our environment is a lot of hands on and lab work. I usually try to take them aside or give them extra encouragement during labs when they are showing effort. But I don't let anyone slack off either - everyone has to pitch in for the teamwork. I am known as a tough teacher. But I have had so many students return after leaving my class, especially the ones who had self doubt when they started, to tell me that having the encouragement and strict standards helped them with other classes but more importantly in their real world work outside of school. That is very rewarding and always means a lot to me.
I think self-doubt is a big issue with many of the adult learners that I interact with. I have found that by setting the stage right from the beginning of the course that we are all in this together really helps. I am pretty honest that I am not an expert on anything and that my role is to help facilitate learning and conversation about the course content. I encourage everyone to share there own experiences in assignments as well as during class time. I have found that just through being sensitive and understanding of that fact that many of these students have been out of school for a long time and just need some support to get back into the swing of things has really been a huge help. Students often thank me for being supportive and offering constructive feedback and making them feel as though they have something to contribute.
I have had student's with so much self doubt that they are afraid to attempt anything. I have also seen those same students have some successes and come out of their shell.
I teach welding and this is a practice I use often. If I have a student that is doing very well I will tell the other students to watch him and see what he his doing. Sometimes it just takes another point of view.
Through the original bread creation assignment, in which students have a blank sheet of paper and a few guidelines then build a recipe from basically nothing, I have seen many students understand thier own abilities and how well they grasp the concepts of the course. Through this they got over any self doubts about thier performance and became more involved students.
Diane, what are some of the techniques you have used to strengthen their performance? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Typically much of the self-doubt is related to their performance on exams, homework assignments, and quizzes. If you can strengthen their performance overall, they often have an improvement in their self-confidence and tend to believe more in themselves.
Richard, too many students start out thinking they cannot be successful. For many their do not have strong support structures and to fail is much easier than to be successful. Providing a safe environment where they receive continual support and thoughtful care is provided in strengthening their skills sets is how resource deprived students become success stories in our sector of higher education. Thanks for being a great champion in a much needed area of higher learning.
James Jackson
Ralph, well done and totally on point. This is a key area that separates good instructors from GREAT educators. Through a knowledge of your students and an understanding of different teaching and learning methodologies you can provide more opportunities for your students to become successful.
James Jackson
Ralph, great technique. Start small and build early wins for students and then as the more complex problem solving situations come up your students will have the base skills to take on the more challenging tasks. Thanks for sharing.
James Jackson
I can appreciate this on on an instructor level watching student who watch a demo, begin to practice, and then decide that this course work is not for them or they feel that they will never "get it". for me developing their confidence and showing them that they can if they try is why i do what i do. going back over the highlights then showing the student and then allowing them to explore why they had a negative result allows for true understanding when they repeat the process. thats what it is truly about yes.
Bravo! All of us have strong and weak points.
I try to build a bridge between their strong
and weak points. For example a strong English
student may excel on Math word problems due
to the verbal component.
Many students doubt their ability to complete
Math problems. I try to build their confidence
by allowing them to complete simple problems
and then work their way up to more complicated
problems.
