Rentention
I have said since day one if taking my new position and making sure that my students are coming to school and doing as they should that you have to be personable with your students.
When the students know that you truly care abou them and their children or other family members you;ve won them over and they will trust you. You have to make sure though that you don;t break that trust.
Atul,
Thank you for this post. A positive environment and the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them while maintain self esteem is a real key to successful teaching.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I believe if we create positive learning environment in the class room without fear, stress or anxiety, the learning outcome will be better, let the students ask the questions and make them more comfortable. If students believe that they are learning and passing exams then they will least likely to drop from the program.
Lauri,
Proactive efforts sincerely centered upon the students' needs are a real key to retention.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Retention is essential to running the school/business. If we don't have students, we don't have jobs. Our campus monitors every class and if a student has not made contact with the instructor we have a system in place where faculty and administration reach out and notify the student. We have weekly meetings to discuss any issues with students who are missing any class time so we can be proactive and address any concerns/issues early on before it becomes a bigger issue.
I believe making the students comfortable and showing that you care is a big accomplishment.
Melvin,
This is a great example of "attention equals retention" in action. Thanks for sharing this.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I see this in my classes. Students will open up to me because I have made them feel very comfortable to discuss or reveal information not previously shared. I have a student now, who is always moody. I picked up on this in class. In asking how she was doing on a daily basis, she realized I cared and was interested in her as an individual. She then revealed to me that she had been diagnosed as having a Bi-polar personality. Since opening up to me, she seems to be more engaged in lectures, participation and test taking.
Matthew,
Constructive feedback when things don't go well for a student, delivered from a place of genuine concern, can have as much of an impact as recognizing positive performance.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Rosa,
Helping remove the "rocks in the road" or at least finding a reasonable detour around them for student makes a big difference.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Retention is very important at my school. We make sure to continue to monitor students and make sure they are coming to class. I always try to make sure that students know they can come to me if there is an issue or if they have to miss a day or two for personal issues. Along with this, I make sure to give feedback to all projects and work the students do so they know that even if they need to work on certain issues, I say it in a positive manner and focus on areas they are well at.
We have the typical reasons: child care issues,transportation, no support system at home and financial issues seem to be the biggest issues. I have found that if these issues are addressed, even in a small way, it makes a huge difference for my students.
Bill,
What are the most common "rocks in the road" that keep students from reaching their academic potential?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Once a student is struggling with grades or attendance I always sit down one on one with them using informal counseling.
Luciana,
Establishing rapport and trust are keys to excellent retention.
Jeffrey Schillinger
