Hi Linda,
I wonder truly how much of a disservice this private school teacher did to these two ladies. The real world is not geared for your supervisor to sit between to employees and guide them along the way....not happening.
Patricia
Hi Leonard,
I've found that you don't have older folks as being unfocused in the classroom. Older folks are a lot more wiser and mature. They fully understand the importance of a higher education.
Patricia
Some of my best students have been retirees. generally the older the student is the more focused they are likely to be. If I have an older student in class who seems unfocused, I net them in by making them a sounding board. I ask their opinion about activities, coursework, other generalities of the class. Older students have a lifetime of experiences respecting this in a demostrable way shows that you respect them and their opinion. It also means that they have to step up their game and know what is going on.
I have found the younger (just out of high school) students are more likely to be unfocused. Often they have learned this response in the classroom where the teacher will hand feed material rather than challange the students to reach for high goals. I will never forget one student who had come from a private school where the teacher sat between her "two" students and gave one-on-one instructions in a self-paced setting. We had a meeting where I reinforced my expectations and stressed that we were operating on a set schedule in this school and that all work must be completed in the specified time frame in order to succeed. Fortunately she realized that it would be necessary to concentrate and complete her work in a timely manner to finish the class.
Hi Leonard,
Have you had any older students that appeared unfocused, and if so how did you handle them?
Patricia
These "young bucks" as mentioned, can be the most frustrating and time consuming students of all. The most successful strategy I have found is imparting a sense of ownership. Make them OWN IT. If they are succesful let them bask in the glory, if they fall short help them identify the skills and information they needed to be succesful. Pride is a double edged sword, but you tap into a young mans pride and you find a wellspring of energy. Focusing this energy on schoolwork, helping them have pride in their work, is the best way to channel that energy I have found.
Hi Jennifer,
Normally, that is the case where students simply want to skip everything else,and they want to jump right into their major. Believe it or not, I have medical assisting students that want to jump right into clinincals and labs. You have to make them understand there are courses that you must take that will lead up to the ending courses.
Patricia
I am a culinary educator. My most challenging students are those who just want to cook and had no idea that they would be required to read, write papers, do research and hand in projects. I find that if I assign them a research paper for example on their favorite chef or a chef who inspired them to attend culinary school they are more inspired to do the assignment and while doing the assignment they are learning how to prepare for assignments in the future. They become excited to know what they will get to learn next.
Hello Deborah,
What tactics do you use to get your quiet students to be more talkative in class?
Patricia
The students I find most challenging are the ones that are quiet and they feel like there voice doesn't count, so i encourage them to speak
Hi Peter,
Nothing aggravates me more being an educator is for a student not to work to his or her fullest level of potential. I have zero tolerance for people who simply want to do only the bear minimum to get by.
Patricia
Some of the challenging students seem to be the quiet ones who seem to lack confidence. Most seem to be younger men, around 18-20 who seem to have not had any male role models in their lives. A little attention, more individual conversation in the kitchen, and they come out a little.
Some students are very hard to motivate as they know the limits they can go to be successful with doing the least amount of work as possible. They know they will usually be given another chance and most often take advantage of it..
Hi John,
Welcome to my world! What a challenge with students right out of high school! As educators, we must continue to try to mold these students to become productive citizens. Yes, we have our work cut out for us, but we can not give up.
Patriciia
My most challenging students are the young bucks fresh out of H.S. that have had no real sense of responsability. I try to make them accountable for thier own work & try to make them see how it pays off in the end. If they take pride in thier work & produce a salable product they can become an asset to thier employer & have a successful career. J.P.
Hi Anthony,
Students really and truly want to hear about your experiences. Hands-on is an excellent way to teach, and it holds students' attention.
Patricia
Hi Thomas,
Are you referring to a particular subject or is this a generality?
Patricia
Hi Eileen,
What an awesome strategy to use for these challenging students. Does the strategy work for the majority of students?
Patricia
I try to use my field experiance to get intrest also use the tool of the trade to get hands on
Most challenging: Students with multiple outside pressures - work, family, health issues... Strategy: Provide well structured class every time so there is real value in attending/participating, then support completion of outside assignments with clear overview and details, plenty of notice for final due date, and staged components that can be completed within flexible timetable that will support successful completion of overall assignment/project.
Most of the time I get real questions not excuses and the answer seems to be directed to the format. The answer is usually to go back to the basics and format because they are trying to hard to be original.
