Humanizing yourself as an instructor.
I have found that a funny "mess-up" story about something I have done helps the students see that I am human and therefore, not scary.
During the program break out session with my students, both the assistant director and myself will tell students our journey through the ranks of the nursing profession and how we were/are adult learners, so we understand what they are feeling and can sympathize with them. I feel that us sharing our personal experience is a positive reinforcement that they are not alone in this.
Terry--
That is quite an amazing story! I am sure it provides some valuable inspriration to your students.
Susan
This is the only time I feel fortunate to have flunked out of four colleges before finishing my BA and MFA. I tell my classes that I failed college English four times, and that it was only class I failed in high school. Now I teach college English. I can point out that it was my attitude that changed and put it back on them--that their attitude will make the difference between whether they pass or not.
This type of thing would work well in a discussion area of an online class. I often provide my own answers to the questions to include information about past experiences and watch for comments in their postings that I can relate to in my replies.
I believe in tis as well, In the Hospitality industry it is often that there aer major screw-ups, What we encourage in the student is not to dwell on the mistake made but focus on what the soulution was.
I have found that if for some reason the instructor has a confrontation about anything like dress code or a disruptive student, they will not like your stories and get sympathy from some of the other classmates.
As a result, no matter what you do, your evaluations will be trashed.
I have a reputation for real life stories in the automotive field of 50 years. New students from other classes usually ask about them.
We have some good laughs but keeping in mind they have a valid point concerning safety issues or angry customers.
Showing the students that you make mistakes and that mistakes are o.k. as log as you learn from them, it shows the student that things happen,even to the instructor.
I absolutely agree! Students respond with great attention to almost all "stories from the trenches" in the industry, but when they hear an incident from the instructor's past where she/he messed up, they realize that even the most accomplished person has made lots of mistakes. I sometimes tell the class when I am demonstrating a difficult culinary procedure about how long it took me to get it right when I was first learning it--I can convince them that it looks easy when I do it because I made every mistake I could make while perfecting it!
Yes i agree i have let my students know about funny mishaps i have done in the field. I also remind them to learn from my mistake.
Brian-
That is a great point. Telling them about our professional experiencce is a good thing. Telling them actual stories about some of the exciting or interesting things we have done on those jobs is even better.
Susan
Another thing that I found works well is to tell them some things that you have done in the field that they can picture themselves doing, it can be something funny or exciting but they need to be able to visualize themselves doing it also. It works pretty well.
I have found this not only helps show that i am human but also that the students will relax a little bit and be more inclined to come to you when something goes wrong and ask questions more openly.
Robert--
That is a great story and sets a realistic expectation that students will not start out as a CEO immediately after graduation. Having worked in career services, this is a very common misconception.
Susan
I always tell the story of my start in the business as a floor sweeper and very slowly I was promoted to higher levels because I didn't have the formal training that they are getting here, and that it took 5 years for me to get where they will be when they graduate..
James, The stories you tell should be related to the subject and objectives of the lesson being presented. These stories help break up the lectures and give the students a point of reference of what is being taught. By telling stories off topic the students could be distracted from the true goal of the lesson and become bored because they do not see the relavence of the story to what is needed to be learned. These distractions could cause bordom to set in or be determined by the students as too much information to process - especially if it becomes excessive.
Michael--
Great point. I don't think anyone had brought up the idea of discussing prior mistakes. We can learn much from what others have gone through!
Susan
Sometimes the best way for adult students to learn is through others mistakes. If a student truely listens to their instructors tales of mistakes-of-old then they know what pitfalls to look out for on their own.
Rick--
Sincerity is always the best. If we speak from the heart, it comes across and people respect that.
Susan
Thomas--
This sounds like an excellent 'speech' to make students feel comfortable. Good for you!
Susan
