Get Your Students Hired
Todd, great post and gets to the heart of the difference between a good instructor and a great instructor. Great instructors understand their role in the overall process of learning and it is more than just lecturing to a lesson plan. Great instructors get to know their students and use this knowledge to build bridges that bring together the gaps of knowledge within our students.
James Jackson
Carmen, well stated and this is a critical role for our institutions. Some students do not have any safe learning environments outside of their classrooms and therefore need these safe havens to nurture their interest in learning and learning now to learn.
James Jackson
I think when students are answering questions in class and you can hear it in their voice and see it in their body language that they have self doubt.....by telling them that is a great questions, posing it to the class and discussing you can see they feel better about themselves almost immediately.
When I was a student I had self doubt when it came to learning however since I became a instructor. I began to see different ways to motivate and incourage my students.
I spend a significant portion of time in the early weeks of the quarter discussing the course expectations and making sure everyone is clear on how they can perform well in the course. Additionally, I use active learning techniques like think, pair, share to engage the students and help them feel confident that have knowledge that can add to our in-class discussions.
It is definitely a rewarding career. Knowing that we make a difference in so many lives is a great feeling. Too often we may assume that our students know these simple things already, but it is important that we remind them. Sometimes a few words of encouragement or reminding them of their own reasons for pursuing their chosen field of study go a long way.
As an educator cultivating student potential is a top priority. Throughout the years I have worked with students who are eager to learn while others are overtaken by their self-doubt. In particular, when working with students on writing assignments many begin to express how they have always struggled with putting their ideas down on paper. Even a short writing assignment can cause students to block out learning because they are clearly overwhelmed. I have seen that students have a perception about writing an essay which takes them outside of their comfort zone because they have labeled it as too difficult or confusing. Assisting students in changing their mind set is important; this will allow them to see that qualities can be developed. Keeping students engaged and motivated in the classroom and about writing allows them to begin developing better writing skills. I have found that breaking down the assignments in parts helps them overcome that self-doubt. For example, asking students to select a topic and submit an outline of their ideas, then working on the introduction and taking it from there seems to help versus you will write a five page paper on this topic and it is due the last day of class. Students begin to see that it’s not confusing if the proper planning and research is done. Students gain interest in learning because their mindset is changed from I can’t do this to I can’t do this yet. Once a student displays this mindset I can see the self-doubt fade away.
Many students I teach did not do well in high school. They find learning difficult. Self doubt can be eliminated by finding a special skill that can set them apart from another and build on it. It slowly lets them feel special and important.
One student had bad past experiences that negatively impacted his self confidence. Supporting him and guiding him towards success helped him eventually believe in himself and excel.
I work as a Clincial Coordinator in a career education school in healthcare. I have a limited amount of time with students in preparation for them to make the transition from classroom to externship, so I have to make the most of that time with them. Most of the students at this point, express that they are nervous about going out in the field. I offer them encouragement and support but until they actually begin working with the medical providers and patients they do not believe that they will be successful. When they have a good preceptor at their facility who also support them and encourage them, they begin to relax and gain confidence. Then when the compliments from the patients themselves come, they truly feel accomplished. We require that the students submit a weekly journal of their learning experiences while on externship and it gives me an opportunity to see when they get to a level of self-confidence and accomplishment! I find it to be a process that must be worked through.
That is why on the first day of class I like to ask questions to try to get to know what type students I am dealing with.
I think a lot of times students try to cover self doubt with strong but narrow opinions of what their own interests and strengths are. With a little proper encouragement and direction I have seen career paths, interests and options open up for students and when you see the excitement grow for them I find that very rewarding for me as well.
In y field of study, I too have seen students who do not necessarily know the information, but also have no support system to aid them in their learning process. I have also seen a deep desire in these same students to actually want to learn and make a better life for themselves. All they need is a support system and someone to believe in them, so that they may overcome their self-doubt.
As an Chef instructor in a culinary college there is a lot of self-doubt in the students. of course this is in the start of the class. By the end of the class they have conquerd that self doubt by following the class outline and class objectives. They have been assesed by hands on cooking along with various quiz's and projects. There is not a better feeling when that "light bulb" goes off with the student and a huge smile comes across that face! Great Job!
I recall student in particular that was actually quite intelligent but I could tell by the look on his face prior to every test that he was telling himself that he would fail and he would find a way to do it on every test. He was constantly changing answers on tests that he knew the answer because he had no faith in himself. He had been told all his life and up to the present that he was slower than the others and that he should not even try to come to our campus as he was just going to waste money. After several conversations with him it was abundantly clear that he did not trust himself so he would actually change it to an answer that he did not think it was because he could not possibly be correct. Just by showing him that he had the information inside and to trust what he knew to be true the turn around was amazing to see and the transformation that he went through was externally visible.
I teach code and when the students display frustration I always try to reinforce how much the students have learn by reminding them that when they started the course had not created anything using code and that now they have. I tell them of my own journey and how long it took me to understand these concepts and that every step is worth celebrating.
I had a student return to school after 40 years. She barely passed high school and had learning disabilities. Through hard work and determination, lots of tutoring and structure she was able to graduate with a bachelor's degree and a 3.34 GPA. This was an immense challenge for her but the most notable comment I remember was something like this.
"when I was 16 I was raped by a white man who reminded me a lot of you. The first day of class I saw you and wanted to run away. However, you never treated me as if I was something terrible even when I was rude to you. Thank you for sticking by me for two the last three years"
I feel it is the instructors job to encourage the student who have self-doubt. If a student come into class and is not confident in their learning, then as an instructor it is my duty to change that behavior. When student gain knowledge and feel confident it reinsures me that my teaching method was effective.
Many students entering into the automotive field suffer from self esteem and self confidence. Not recognizing this early on can be the demise of the student and failure of the course. In our program we start with basic information and hands on training allowing the students to complete simple task and evaluating and rewarding as the task are completed.
The biggest motivator to students is when they accomplish a goal. I encourage students to start small, and work their way up to the bigger and more challenging projects. Make sure to congratulate them for a job well done when they complete their projects, this encourages them to not only work harder and accomplish more, but also it makes them feel good about what they have done, and feel like they can accomplish more.