I would also add that I have encountered many students that would be described as being the "first" in the family to attend college, married with children, and working. I encounter the HABES every new term with at least two students that have a lot of self-confidence issues. I always am realistic and encourage them to establish a "study time" at home and solicit family to support them. I tell them they must be persistent,consistent and also be realistic with the family members. Successful students have adopted and taken this advice too.
The succesful students that I've observed are those that are able to establish new habits, be flexible by making adjustments to normal everyday schedules, ask questions about upcoming assignments (looking ahead)for clarification purposes and they set suspense dates for themselves.
Thanks you for this post, Sarah. Helping students to identify the HABEs needed to be successful is well worth the time in class.
Thanks, Deidra!
Habits usually refer to behaviors. What are some of the specific behaviors you see in your successful students?
At the beginning of every new class our campus has a policy that all instructors must complete the HABEs activity. In my classroon the students that expect a class to be hard, believe that it will not be fun to learn, have a negative attitude, and poor study habits tend to struggle or not make it through the class. The students who expect to get a good grade, beleive that the class will be fun, have a positive attitude, and great study habits do exceptionally well. It is our job to change the negative attitudes and help the students with low expectations find ways to believe that they can acheive anything they put their mind to.
Students who come to us for help in areas outside of school are demonstrating that a bond has been built and that they trust us. We need to be sure to have ready access to outside resources of which students may avail themselves in times of need. We can give advise, but sometimes they need professional assistance.
Thank you, William. I believe sharing the concepts TPI teaches can go a long way in helping students achieve their goals. It is nice to hear that you bring those concepts to your classroom.
The inner belief that they can succeed. They have a better support sytsem.
Expectations: They expect to do well, to get an "A"
Beliefs: They believe they have the aptitude, stamina, and drive to do whatever is necessary to succeed
Attitude: Their attitude is one of optimism and determination
Habits: They show up for class, on time and prepared. Complete all assignments on time. Ask questions.
I presented this backwards because I conduct the HABES Exercise everytime I start a new class. I went through the Pacific Instutute training We were taught to start with the students' expectations, then work up through the other elements.
Christopher,
What are some of the observable behaviors of the students with well-developed HABEs?
I too notice students who have stressful home lives such as boyfriends who dump them, cars that do not work, can not afford gas for their cars. It is at times like a counseling center.
determination and loyalty and a bit of vision can be found in the students who are successful.
Students who fail loose interest quickly and dont have the will to "go On"
I deal with quite a few career changers who have worked and are looking to go in a new direction. I have noticed that these students generally are more focused on the end goal. They have a clear picture as to what they want to get out of their education experience and how it will help them acheive their goals.
Some of the HABE's I see in successful students in the ability to multi-task and manage a number of items at the same time including school, work, family, friends and finances. They also expect to succeed and do well in all their classes.
Kevin,
What are some of the specific things that students do to demonstrate persistence and self-efficacy?
Their is a clear attitude of persistance and self-efficacy in their own self awareness.
Catharine,
Test anxiety is not uncommon. Students with severe cases may need to be referred to a mental health professional. Your campus should work to idenify local professionals who can help these students.
Most of the time, practicing taking tests is an effective way to address this situation. It may help if you develop practice tests so that students can get a feel for how they will be evaluated. If it is a content mastery issue, students may benefit from well-designed study guides and extra review sessions.
These are many sites on the net that you can look at for study tips you can provide to your students.
I have seen some students drop out of school because they feel they can not take test well. It is so imbedded in their heads that no amount of counseling has helped. I then feel very discouraged for them. What else can I do to help them?
Thank you, Karl.
What are some of the specific things you do to help students develop the attitudes they need to be successful?
I see many of the unsuccesful students lack in maturaty and have to figure out that it requies personal effort and that an education can't be bought. Information can be offered but the student has to work to retain and apply the knowlage they have been offerd.
