I teach sketching. Which can be very scary for the non creative types. I can usually calm them and with my own energy, ice breakers, laughter, and a promise that I have short cutes if they bare with me.
Some student's have been doing this for years, while other have not. The student's that have not, sometimes get a little frustrated at the gap in levels. How would you present that? I try the pull out where you began and see how far you have come, but it doesn't always work. I remind them that the other student has been drawing for years, but that doesn't always help either.
Any suggestions
I teach engine repair. I see students second guess themselves everyday. One of our biggest jobs is to change this doubt into self confidence.
We have them realize in a real world situation
it is self confidence that helps them earn the reputation as a GREAT technician
One of my favorite teaching experiences is when my students have their "Ah-ha" moments when learing a new topic of skill. It is interesting to see the expressions when they go from confusion and frustration to elation upon clear understanding of the topic or skill.
There is no greater reward than to watch an unsure student find their inner voice or inner motivation and confidence. I call it "watching a student find their wings" . Most the time it comes from simply showing them that their ability was there all along, you simply showed them how to find it.
Teaching an advanced level diagnostics class self doubt is an issue I'm familiar with. Students come into class on day 1 unsure of what is expected of them and afraid to ask questions. I spend a fairly long time going over what they will be required to accomplish each day and what the end result will be if they stay on track and stay motivated. This never fails to set them at ease and make the rest of the time we spend together much more enjoyable.
I find that my students respond well to when I tell them stories of when I was in school and how I handeled challenges and difficulties. This validates their feelings, as well as encourages them that they can succeed.
I have recently started teaching the Sanitation class. This is the very first class the students have at culinary school. The first day of class in particular it is very clear which students have self doubt. You can see it in their eyes, in their body language, and in how they do or don't participate in classroom discussions.
Teaching students long range shooting is a course that requires students to read the environment and adjust accordingly. As students get better at long range shooting their self doubt turns into confidence which ultimately leads to boldness.
I used to teach Baking to Culinary students. This was not a subject that many embraced. Many were scared of baking because they heard that in baking we use "formulas" not recipes!Students also heard that baking "is a science" and that we have to be exact in all of our measurements.
There was a lot of self-doubt on the first day of every block. It was my job to make baking approachable by showing them the reason behind why we are so precise but that it can be fun and exciting to see all the exactness pay off when your prodcut comes out perfect!
I teach nursing and because nursing requires knowledge and skill, I find that students move in and out of self-doubt continually. With each new subject students start the doubting. Is there a way to intercept the doubting process in one subject before the student moves on to the next subject?
Since I have been through the same classroom and practical training experiences that my students go through, it is easy for me to relate to their self-doubts and give them the encouragement they need. I have always remembered how my instructors coached me through the training and now I provide the same type of coaching to my students. I keep in mind that one day my students and I may be co-workers on a project where we depend on each other or the student could be the lead on the project. I believe in high standards in the classroom as well as high standards of coaching in order for the student to achieve their goals.
I had one student in particular who was very shy and timid and lacking self confidence. But she had tremendous potential. The best way I found to give her confidence was to to let her know that I was always there to answer questions and help in any way that I could. Once she got used to my questions and got comfortable in class, she became my best student. I also try to let my students decide certain things like quiz days and some of their projects. I've found this to work well also. When it's something they want to do, they are properly motivated as opposed to something they "have" to do. I think a lot of that depends on the age of the student as well. My opinion and experience is that older students look at an education and something they want to do. While younger students look at education as something they have to do, even though they are paying for it. And also, my better students are usually the older ones. Again, that is just my opinion and observation, but this is not always the case. And no matter what, I teach the same way for all.
Cassandra, thanks for sharing such a heart felt story. I think the majority of our instructors have had similar experiences and this is what keeps them in the industry of teaching and learning. This is also a deep rooted focal point of understanding the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. The more we can assist your students in understanding the importance of intrinsic motivation and more successful they will become. The majority of individuals work to be compensated and to have the ability to support their families. Those that are able to be compensated doing something they truly love are truly fortunate and finding your passion is more rewarding than any amount of monetary gain. If the amount of money you make is the only objective then take classes to be an investment banker. Just be prepared to work 80 to 100 hours a week in a very hostile work environment.
James Jackson
Amy, you answered your perceived question within your response. What do you tell your students do to when they do not know something? You should be working to make them feel comfortable to ask questions. Why do we as instructors feel we need to follow any different methodology? We do not! If you want to know how your students feel about how you are teaching or how you are doing as an instructor, ASK! You may be surprised how well the conversation goes. I have an assignment for you - Get a dialog going with your students and ask them how they like your methodology and what they would like to see change in the classroom to assist them in a better understanding and appreciation for the materials you are presenting to them. Report back to this forum and let us know what you discover and if you plan to make any changes based on the student feedback you receive. Thanks and we all will look forward to your feedback.
James Jackson
Karen, great post and you are 100% on the money. The importance of what takes place during the first encounter of any new grouping of students or the introduction into a new major topic cannot be overly emphasized. Setting the stage and building a proper road map to success is essential in the learning environments of today. Students have too many distractions and can taken on too many tangents. The role the instructor plays in building the blue print to success is essential and critical.
James Jackson
Angel, your post reminds me of the importance and application of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Instructors need to be familiar with how their lesson plans map to the areas of Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analysing, Evaluating, and Creating. By knowing to what level your students need to have mastery of the subject matter you can more appropriately map out the analogies and examples that are most appropriate for students. Too often you will see an instructor applying their own sense of master of what a student needs and focusing on an Analysis level lesson plan when a more appropriate level of Blooms would have been to a level of Understanding. Instructors need to be mindful of what desired outcomes are needed from their time with students to prepare them for the next level of learning versus taking on the burden of attempting to prepare them for their career when they are still several quarters away from graduation.
James Jackson
I teach all of the Math classes at my school. At the start of every new Term I ask all the students to tell their impression of their past Math experiences. Virtually every student states he or she is really poor in Math. We then start the class, using an on-line Math learning tool (examples, homework, quizzes and tests). Almost every student starts out struggling.
I encourage students to bring to class problems that they think they can’t do. After going over some of these issues, I find most students can actually do the work, they just think they can’t.
Most students with the right encouragement and help, can do just find in my math classes. I love seeing the students impression change over time.
There is one student in particular who I will never forget. This student had a very hard time grasping concepts. He was always a few steps behind his classmates and it was really starting to wear on his confidence. I stuck by him and kept pushing him to focus on his goal and not anyone else. He ended up finally passing some very difficult competencies. When he passed I told him how proud I was of him and he cried. He said no one had ever had any faith in him but me. It made my career.
Teaching adult military Special Operators who have been at war for the last decade is very rewarding. The majority of these students have been out of the educational environment for a very long time and doubt is definetly there. Watching the stduents grow in confidence is a great thing and I'm honored to be involved with their education.
I often work with new students with different levels of experience on introductory courses.The use of a pretest seems to work well. The experienced students that do well on the test usually don't doubt their ability. The students that don't do well you can talk to one on one to make sure they are committed to going over material and tutoring to gain confidence. Advise them that they don't have to know all the information coming in to a class but have to study to gain it.Applying the information to their experiences and interests will improve their confidence greatly.
