Coddling
Is there such thing as too much attention? Coddling?
Where's the fine line between coddling and the right amount of student attention.
In my experience, some students are very needy, like a dog that can't get enough petting.
Dan.
I agree w/Dan...I am very tough in my class. I expect the absolute best they can give me all day, every day. There is no such thing as slack in my class. These are people who are about to embark on a new career...they have to know the realities from the first day. Does that mean that I am not fair? Absolutely not! My students respond from the first day because they know they have to perform...and I get results.We have more fun in my class than you can imagine, but they also know I expect 100% participaition. They always know that there are no stupid questions, Only stupid people who don't ask.
Mac
Hi Dan,
To answer your question directly, yes there can be too much coddling. The key is to find a balance where you can encourage the student but not enable them. They are training for a career area that demands that they perform certain tasks and have a certain knowledge base. If we coddle them too much they will fail when they get out on the job site because no one is there to "hold their hand" as they work through the situation.
A slow withdrawal of support is the best method to follow as they grow in confidence and knowledge.
Gary
Thanks.
Many (perhaps most) of my students (especially the younger ones) have been "coddled" all through high school to the point that every move ans decision must directed.
I like the idea of "slow withdrawal of support".
Dan.
I try to spread it around and pick a new person to pet so that everybody gets a turn.
I would say that it is possible to provide students with too much attention. I think that some instructors may set the stage for failure by not giving the tools necessary for survival in the workforce. In the workforce, an employer will not give chance after change without some consequences; which is why it is necessary to assess late work penalties, etc.
Hi Amber,
Well stated. Career colleges are training individuals to be successful in their career area. To that end, the students have to meet the requirements of their area.
Instructors can provide much support that will help the students with their education. They can't coddle them to the extent they pass the course but fail the career.
Gary
I agree with your assessment, but I wonder if the same principles apply to us GenEd instructors. I find myseld faced with students who are difficult to engage in classes like basic English and speech, course which are required for the assicuates degrees. I find I spend more "coddling" time, per student, than my peers in program courses, mostly because I have to work a little harder to create the value for these students. Pharmacy Technicians have trouble understanding why the need basic English. So do Criminal Justice students, Paralegal students, medical assisting students, netowrk administration stuednts ... yoiu get my point. These students didn't signup to re-learn basic English; they signed up to learn a new career. So is it coddling to spend extra time creating that value? I think not ... it's just a more personal approach to instruction that's necessary.
Another thought, is it coddling if you treat every student the same way? My understanding of coddling is based on perferential treatment for certain students who refuse to meet the deadlines and demands of a class (extending deadlines, accepting partially completed work, etc.) ... Working hard to make sure your students are successful is not coddling them; it's good teaching.
John
Hi John,
Thank you for your well reasoned comments. The key term that needs understanding is "coddling". That cannot happen in a career college classroom. What can happen is support and encouragement just as you mentioned. Also, the setting is important. Basic or General Education is always a challenge for instructors. You offered several very good comments on how to work with these students.
Thank you.
Gary
Mr. Bryan's comments make me realize that there is such a basic difference between the skills classes that I teach (keyboarding, Word, transcription) and the lecture class (English). Encouragement has to come in small doses for a skills class--a written comment on a medical transcription paper or an e-mail congratulating a student on achieving better accuracy in keyboarding. English, however, demands eye contact, facial expressions, and engagement by both the instructor and the student. Is it "coddling" to help an ESL student more in the class with advanced students? Can tutorials with class mentors be considered "coddling" if both the mentor and the affected student are learning?
Nancy, I am of the mind that most any method is acceptable as long as the student is learning. I think we teachers need to be more bottom-line oriented; as long as the students learn what they are supposed to learn by the end of the class it shouldn't matter that we may have to spend extra time with a few (or slow the whole class down so none are left behind), or modify the playing field to help some achieve success. Personally, I feel like I have failed my student if he or she doesn't understand the material. If it takes spending extra time or letting a student retake a quiz to build their confidence, so be it.
Thanks for your comments.
John
Yes Dan, I think there can be too much attention. I try to give attention in an instructional manner, but turn it down when I feel the student is becoming too needy. It is a real judgement call.
Bill
Some students require more "coddling" than others. That is why it is important to get to know our students so we will know which ones need a little extra help to get the job done -- "coddling" if you want to call it that. I call it meeting the needs of individual students.
Viorel Florescu
I believe it all comes down to the student feeling they are valued. That their opinion adds to the class and that their presence is missed if they don't attend and participate in class.
I don't feel a need to coddle them but to express an interest in them and make them feel included.
Hi Nancy,
Tutorials are not in my opinion coddling. They are beneficial to both the mentor and mentee. They help to create a relationship plus give students the opportunity to share what they have learned.
Coddling is when an instructor reduces the requirements and expectations or gives unfair advantage to students. This will spell the doom of an instructor.
Gary
It definitely depends on the student and their needs. I believe that the more interest and attention that you show the more results that you can achieve. Some students definitely will stay in their shell if you can't find the right combination to make them feel comfortable in the classroom enviroment.
It definitely depends on the student and their needs. I believe that the more interest and attention that you show the more results that you can achieve. Some students definitely will stay in their shell if you can't find the right combination to make them feel comfortable in the classroom enviroment.
Hmmm... I guess I might be having a problem understanding, after reading the disparate replies. So... I want to try to reformulate to see if I am understanding...
"Coddling"... to me bring to mind a pampered and spoiled child. One that is hamstrung in the future by getting everything handed to them NOW. So... I guess "spoiling"... "pampering"?
Any road... yes, I have seen this happen in classrooms of new instructors faced with the "retain at all costs" business acumen that can SEEM to be the driving force.
I generally follow two simple rules in working with students...
1) Would this opportunity be available to another student?
2) IS this a CLASS expectation ((as opposed to workforce))?
Generally, if the answer to either of these is no... then I don't give ground on it.
Perhaps it is cold and heartless... but I feel that if it is NOT an option available to other students... or if it is a reflection of real world expectations, then to dismiss it sets the student up for failure later on when it matters.
Like it or not, if we fail in a CLASS or on a TEST, the sun does still come up tomorrow and birds will still sing, and flowers will still bloom and life as we know it DOES continue. But... failure in the workforce CAN mean a much more drastic consequence. And a false preparation for that tauted "Real World" can be much more devastating than NO preparation.
Don't know if I addressed the inherent issue in the question or if I missed the point all together, but there's my two cents worth... where's my change?
I have used this slow withdrawal of support. During the first six to eight weeks of every term I am ALWAYS available for questions, demonstrations and more. If they need me to repeat a lesson or a demonstration a number of times I will do so. However, as we near the completion of every term I start backing off as I expect the students by that time to be able to do the work. Most everything I teach builds upon itself and the students also need to build the confidence at the same time.
Also, this is what an employer is going to do once they get out into the field.
-Chris
Hi Christopher,
You make a good point about slowly getting the students to think for themselves and developing independence with they skills they are acquiring.
Gary
