its important because each student needs to know that they are a part of the class. they need to know that they matter...
You get to know them on a personal basis, and then you can get into their head and find out what they enjoy, and apply it to their learning.
I make it a point to get to know the names of each student. It demonstrates to students that I care about their success in the classroom and that I am interested in them as individuals.
Learning student names and chatting with them promotes a positive learning environment and helps to motivate the students. Getting to know students as individuals enables the instructor to become aware of difficulties the student might be having and what their individual learning needs are. Positive interaction with students is a great way to keep students focused not only on classroom activities but also can help keep their attention directed towards their career goals.
Why is it important to interact with the students? The professor in the video said that the one question every student asks is, “Am I in the club, or not?†Appropriately interacting with the student would seem to answer this question in the affirmative. The student then feels more involved in the class, and, hence, is more likely to learn. Or so the theory goes…
Why is it important to interact with the students? This question presupposes that it is important to interact with the students. Is it really? Many colleges certainly seem willing to give up a lot of that interaction in order to put their classes online. Is effective instructor-student interaction even possible in an online environment? If so, what are the specific characteristics needed to make it effective?
I feel that it is important to interact with every student so they feel like they are a part of the class. Having a good rapport with each student makes everything go more smoothly, and we can concentrate on learning instead of having to deal with unnecessary drama.
Hi Lori,
Very big of you to evaluate yourself and want to make the necessary change to have better interaction with all students. As instructors, we have to take it upon ourselves to make a point to interact with EVERY student.
Patricia Scales
It is important to have interaction with every student for many reasons. When I interact with a student I try to make them feel valued. I try to empower my students by truly listening to them and considering their thoughts and answers. I answer them as a colleague in the medical profession. I stress the positives to their correct answers and tell them that I can understand why they might have answered incorrectly while correcting them.
Feeling empowered in a learning environment is, for me, a great thing that I can do for my students.
Interacting with every student gives them value, keeps you aware of student activities, and gives you the start to fixing potential problems before they get out of hand.
I taught a group of very diverse students and found that when I did not interact with the quiet one, the one who sat in the farthest corner of the room from me, they often would not show to class or do their work. They were constantly reminded to contact me about absenses, and placed in work groups to enhance their contact, but they dismissed it. Finally, over the course the student failed. I failed them for not pushing contact, and they failed themselves for not finishing the course. This student was unlike other students, who did not shy away from contacts.
Other students told me when issues were interupting their ability to get the work done. Other students stayed after class to tell me life stories, other students moaned over excessive work. My silent student did none of these.
I tried mind you, to engage them, to meet them one on one, to talk directly and indirectly to them, but ultimately, they shyd away and drifted out the door.
Going forward, this student will be my first contact, my first interaction, my never let them fade person. I will respect their space, time and energy, but not their communication, that must be priority one.
Thank you,
Lori
As a teacher I would feel satisfaction in knowing that desired learning objectives were being met.
I constantly interact with students to be able to determine what level of learning they are in and how I can help/assist to reach their goals.
It is important to interact with every student so you dont leave the preception that you are playing favorites with any one student. Also it helps the student feel acknowledged when you interact with each of them. It also keeps you aware of student difficulties that may be present.
Hi Gisele,
I concur! Students love the one-on-one attention. Each student is important, and they should be made to feel that way.
Patricia Scales
To build rapport with them and encourage them to effectively communicate. Interaction also serves as a guidance tool for instructor to monitor what student is learning/retaining. It also gives the student attention and confidence they are not being overlooked or lost in the crowd. Individual attention is always appreciated.
The students know that they are an integral part of the class and everyone gets to have a "voice." This sytem lets everyone participate and they have equal importance to setting.
It is important to interact with every student so you can connect with them and they feel more connected to you.
Having a professional relationship that lets you understand them and how they want to learn makes it easier for them to succeed and easier for you to be able to teach them.
It can also make them feel like they are part of the group, that they are an insider in the class and not an outsider just looking in.
It also helps you to assess their levels of understanding of the materials presented. By interacting with every student regularly the teacher gets more timely assessments of the student’s progress and understanding compared to formal tests given less frequently.
As a professional instructor, having interaction with every student can also reveal challenges the students feel and give you an opportunity to demonstrate how a professional would manage those challenges and still achieve the initial objectives.
Having a personal professional relationship with each student can also make the entire learning experience much more fun for everyone and put the student in a more positive state of mind. This is a much more conducive environment to learning and is also more motivational.
Hi Paul,
They really do appreciate our firmness, fairness, strictness, etc., even if it is after they graduate. We can hold our heads up high, knowing that we produced a quality graduate.
Patricia Scales
Without interaction, the communication is one way and non-personal; cold and uncaring. In a 400 seat lecture hall this may be okay but in a small classroom, the student and instructor need to be engaged. The interaction may take different forms from student to student. It may be simple eye contact and recognizing non-verbal queues or it may be more direct - soliciting responses from students during lecture or discussing an issue (positive or negative) with an individual student on the side.
I love your analogy. My beginners must learn about some unfamilar concepts, and a ton of terminology, in a very short time. I have learned how to cram the information down their throats and make it seem like I'm spoon feeding them. When I see them again in their final class, any attempt to crack the whip, is met with disbelief. They cannot understand how I could change my approach to teaching so drastically. First they see me as the greatest instructor ever, only to think of me as their arch-enemy, until graduation day.
Hi Paul,
I fully understand the mixture here. I too begin with students at the beginning and end of their program. I am a lot more gentle with my beginners, not that I cut them any slack, but my whole approach to them is softer. I crack the whip on my soon-to-be graduates because they know the ropes and should know professional behavior, yet I love them too. It is an analogy of the baby and the older sibling.
Patricia Scales
I have a special situation, in that I am now teaching the first class, as well as the last class, all of our students must take. Much to my surprise, student interaction is quite different in each class.
My first phase students need personal attention to calm their minds. They seem to mostly be overwhelmed by the material. However, I have found that they really need, help developing good study habits, help to become excited about the choice to return to school, and their future in the field.
The last phase students are very different in their needs for personal interaction. As a whole, they have a good understanding of the information required to graduate. Here my challenge seems to be, mostly building their confidence, and self-esteem.
So, I'm going to say that, as personal interaction with every student applies to me, it gives me the opportunity to build them up, and get them excited, as well as calming them down, and reassuring them.
