Hello John,
It is nothing like having to deal with a student who is unprepared. It is very frustrating to the instructor, however, as the instructor we must still try to reach the unprepared student as well, which makes it extremely challenging. I always have a private conversation with the unprepared student, emphasizing the point of the importance of being prepared. You are on point, the students who do not attend are a serious problem as well. I understand the importance of being in class for such subjects as accounting. You must come to your accounting class to grasp the material. I teach Microsoft Access, and Access is a lot like accounting also, you will not understand it if you do not attend, thus creating a retention problem as well. As instructors, we are naturally empathetic and sympathetic people, and we try to do all we can so that the student succeeds, however, the student has to carry his or her weight too.
Patricia
My most challenging students fall into two categories:
1 -Those not prepared
2 -Those who don’t attend.
Students who are unprepared I address with the strategies listed in this course especially collecting homework and grading for content as often as I can. Sometime the pace of the class only allows grading daily work to see if it is done. Grading content as often as possible lets me see issues to elaborate upon and tends to keep students prepared.
Students who don't attend are a serious problem; the subject I teach requires attendance because it is very difficult to grasp accounting just reading a text. I work with students and encourage them one on one and let them attend classes for which they are not normally scheduled.
For all situations I try to be fair and sympathetic to student’s special situations.
Hi Samuel,
I certainly understand how the inattentive student could be the most challenging. How do you feel the group strategy keeps the inattentive student focused? I generally will have a private conversation once I notice a student is not attentive. I also will move the inattentive student to the front of the room, and I like to have interaction in class with the inattentive student. My inattentive student is the student I will call on to read, answer questions, give examples based on the lesson, etc. Before long the inattentive student turns into a very attentive student because he or she never knows when I will call upon them.
Patricia
The inattentive student is my most challenging student. I utilize the group strategy and other methods that were discussed in this module.
Hi Judy,
You are not helping this student any. In the professional work world, she will have deadlines, and if she does not meet those deadlines, she will be reprimanded. You need to establish some class rules and print the rules on your syllabus. Do not tolerate this type of treatment from students. Students will do what they are allowed. You are allowing the late assignments. I am very strict when it comes to late assigments. I take off 10 points off the bat if the assignment is late. I also have a very strict late policy for tests and actually the policy has been adopted institution wide. The policy is as follows:
1st Day (Minus 10 Points)
2nd Day(Minus an additional 5 Points)
3rd Day (Minus an additional 5 Points)
4th Day (Minus an additional 5 Points)
Ater the 4th Day a "0" is issued
You have very few students taking tests late with this strict policy. You are right, the student will have more time to study for the test and this is not fair to other students because they did not get an additional day. Stop letting her take advantage of you! Put your foot down!
Patricia
Hi Vonia,
I like that tatic. What a way to open an unfocused student's eyes. I have instructors that have tried a similar tatic as well. The tatic seems to work.
Patricia
Usually I deal with my unfocused students by giving an quiz on each chapter the next day after lecture and after I have went over everything on the quiz in class right at the end of the lecture. My unfocused students will come to the next class and make comments like " I did not have time to study for the quiz" or " I don't know what is going to be on the quiz". One of the more focused students usally say Ms. Seay went over the exact quiz questions and answers in class; that tacted usually make them more focused during lecture at the end.
I currently have a challenging student. She is challenging, because she is often late to class or not in class at all. She turns her assignments in late. She wants me to make constant exceptions and allow her to take her tests at a later date ("..when she has had more time to study..."). This student is very blameful. For instance, she blames me, because she doesn't know the course content.
What I am doing:
I spend extra time with her each day in class. I sit beside her and walk her through each assignment. I have found that she seems to appreciate this extra attention and time.
I am very firm on her assignment due dates. On late work, we come to a mutual agreement on when this late work must be submitted. She has tried to back out of her commitment with a list of excuses. I remind her that she should honor her commitments.
I think this student will always be a challenge, but I am working to make her an EASIER challenge.
Hello Karla,
It is imperative to make sure you keep your students interested in the subject matter. Whenever interest is lost, a student may possibly withdraw from school. As insructors, we have to be the best salespeople in the building to keep the students coming back every day. As instructors, we do experience an assortment of learning abilities, therefore it is important to know each of your student so that you can spark their interest.
Patricia
I think the most important thing is that the students are kept interested. I take into consideration the different learning abilities of my students and work with that to keep them all interested.
Hello Steve,
I too have experienced those students who think they know it all as being very challenging. I use alot of the tatics that you use with these type of students. I always give these students added responsibilities. In addition, I tend to pair an inexprience student in the area with one of the challenging students so that the challenging student can act as a mentor for the inexperience student. I've seen when the challenging student does not do extremely well on an assignment, project, test, etc. this tends to humble the student quite a bit. I've learned with the "Know it Alls" you must always be ready because they thrive off of trying to show the class they know just as much or more than you.
Patricia
I have found that in the classes I have taught my most challenging students are typically the ones that naturally gifted or are already working in the field and know (or think they know) a lot (or everything) about the subject material. These students tend to get bored with the speed at which the rest of the class is moving. This gives them time to think about ways to get the class off track, be disruptive or try to sharp shoot myself and the class. Until identified they can be the largest hurdle to overcome to maintain class control and steady progress completing the requirements.
I try to identify the students early on, sometimes by simply asking on the first day who is working in the field currently and where or briefly what they know about the subject material. I then use them as a resource during the lessons, asking if they or someone they work with have seen certain situations and how they addressed them. I also give additional responsibilities, task and projects to those accelerated individuals and have them explain their results. I also try to always show them alternatives to their processes and comment on how well they did but ask how they could be more effective still. This allows the entire class to benefit from their knowledge and also brings to bear a certain amount of peer pressure, being in their position they want to be seen as an authority and not as a nuisance.
Hello Tim,
Reinforcement from instructors is very important. Your unfocused students generally need reinforcement to increase their knowledge base. I will let the unfocused student know that I as a student was ALWAYS focused, and I would have private meetings with the unfocused students to tell them my reasons for ALWAYS being a focused student, and perhaps the conversations will help the student become focused. I will then find a colleague that had an opposite experience than mine so that the colleague could present the presentation based on what the unfocused student was going through.
Patricia
Students that are not truly interested in the course. These students need reinforcement from Instructors to gain as much knowledge as possible from every course. The Instructor can reflect on his past experiences where he may have not planned on a certain skill, but was glad that he had the training in the past.
The most challenging students are the cheaters. Most of the time I sit down with the student privately and discuss what cheating is doing for their future in completing their education. I also explain what consequences are involved when cheating. I also talk to them about the cost of their education and how they are only cheating themselves.
Agreed. In the classes I teach, the most difficult form of unfocused student behavior are the students who believe that the material is of no importance to them - they don't need it - and would rather be elsewhere. My most successful technique, thus far, has been to draw them into coversations about my personal experiences with the subject matter - by connecting them with students who have made the course content work for them in a highly successful manner. The combination of personal contact and an obvious caring connection, works well.
The most difficult students I have encountered are those fresh out of high school. I find that some of them are still immature and are not focused; they are still interested in the social atmosphere instead of an academic one. The strategies I found to be most effective is to make them the "observer" of the classroom and have them help me out in any way I deem necessary. I also have them sit close to my desk, away from their friends in the class.
When a student wants to get the class off-track, I find it often is motivated by a desire of the student to be recognized. I usually suggest that the off-topic question is too important to try to rush through in class and suggest that if the student will catch me on break, we can visit privately about it a length. That seems to satisfy the student's ego and allows me to keep the class on-track.
We have found that those students "fresh out of high school" are challenging in that they are developing a sense of freedom at a faster pace than learning responsibility. Through the reinforcement of deadlines and schedules, we hope to assist them in understanding their responsibility.
As for the student returning to school after an extended period of time, our challenge is to re-train them in studying methods and techniques. This is accomplished through handouts and advising sessions.
Hello Joseph,
I can agree for most people the transition from high school to career college is extremely tough. Students fully understand the concept from high school of being "spoon fed." Occassionally, I have to remind some of my students you are in college now, this is not high school. You must begin to study so that you can learn the information. Most students want to be told verbatim what they will be tested on, here again, they want to be spoon fed.
Patricia
