Academic Erosion
I have had students in my class that started out with low grades, & they would say,"I don't understand it, I got student of the course in my electrical class. I just can't seem to get these transmissions!" It would appear that they would start to slip into a very reserved mindset, becoming almost withdrawn.
I would take them to the side & encourage them by letting them know that certain people do better in certain subjects, but they are more than capable in this one, it may just take more effort.
Usually, they would pick up & start to excell, then become more out going & sociable.
I have the same issues in the courses that I teach. When a student is struggling I encourage his peers in class to help out. We also have peer tutors.
I find that students that seem start down the path of academic erosion are intimadeted by the perception that because i am male that learning about automobiles should come to them naturaly. i find reasuring the student that this is not so and everyone who has is in this business faces challenges in learning new concepts as they go along.
I have had a very similar experience. Often a student may think that success in one class will mean continued success in others.Most students will accept that they have more ability ( find it easier to score higher on tests )in some subjects, but not all, if we encourage their strengths and assure them that they should not view finding a subject difficult as a failure.
