Personal attention
I find that students who are disruptive, quiet, pushy, or just downright don't participate really need just a little personal attention. I usually send them a quick, terse email on what I think about their participation and what it means to the class. I then ask them to rejoin with a different attitude and end on a positive note about their work thus far. What other techniques have you used?
Valerie,
The attention needs are important to address in the classroom. Yet it should be accomplished in a manner so we appropriately 'ween' the adult learners from dependency on the instructor to being self-directed learners. - - - - This is much easier said than done, but highly valuable to our students and the employers who hire them.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
I agree. Students display their attention needs in different ways. The disruptive student needs as much attention as the clingy, insecure student does.
Ward,
Thank you for your participation in all 4 forums. The checklist is a very useful tool for emphasizing student success. Good way to individualize. Any other ideas to share?
Personal attention and getting involved great. Checklists helps show how the student is progressing and can be a great way to show success.
Hi Julie, one of the things we have tried to do is include worksheets and templates to help dependent learners complete assignments. We also have created checklists to help them complete all of the activities within a unit. Tina
I have had situations with negative students where they continually complain the assignments and how they do not understand the assignments. I attemtpt to steer them in the right direction to understand the assignments. Sometimes I find these students very challenging. How do you handle these students?
Hi Jenni, I agree. You can alleviate the issue by paying attention to them and making sure they have been heard. A phone call can also alleviate the problem in a timely manner. Tina
As much as it seems not the likely reaction, I do give those students more attention, because although they are acting out, indeed they do want more attention and need more validation.
Hi Zane, I encourage my faculty to pick up the phone and talk to learners. Many times they can probe the learner in a phone conversation to get to the root of the issue and resolve it more quickly. Tina
