Get Your Students Hired
Janet, very interesting. Students from school systems outside the US tend to do very well within the US system. There are any number of articles that demonstrate how the US has consistently been trending downward with regard to their world ranking in both K-12 and Higher Education. You may find some value in speaking with your students from other school environments and see if there are some gems of wisdom worth cultivating from their past experiences. Would be interesting to hear from others with regard to how well their ESL students perform within their US classrooms.
James Jackson
Kelvin, are students aware of the statistics before beginning with this track? Could be valuable to them to know going in that confusion and self-doubt is part of the curriculum and the more they trust the process the better their outcomes.
James Jackson
Most of the time when I have a student that has self doubt concerning his abilities, I will have a discussion with him about his previous career, hobbies, and things he loves to do. Out of this I will relate the new concept he is trying to learn back to something he has experience with. One example is throwing a football, the very first time he picked it up it may have been hard to hold, much less throw. But with some guidance and practice, the task not only became easier, but also fun.
In my field of expertise, we see many students come in with little or no knowledge or mechanical skills associated with motorcycle repair. I have seen many students improve in both areas as they successfully complete classroom activities and projects. As their self doubt decreases, they become more secure and their skills improve.
I had a student that wanted to drop after the third day, she didn't think she could "get" medical coding. I talked to her, showed her that she had a knowledge of patient conditions from her care giving work and showed her how to translate that knowledge to the coding process. she started having fun with it and along the way, she relaxed and finished the whole program. At graduation, her parents hugged me, had tears in their eyes, and said that no one had gone out of their way like that to help her before. That's my combo intrinsic/extrinsic reasons for teaching!!
Building community outreach activities into our program has consistently brought students suffering from self-doubt to a much better self-concept. They realize that they are competent with their newly acquired skills while helping others. It is a joy to witness the transformation take place.
I have students who are English as a second language and who have had very different high school experiences ,in a different country and culture.
In my class they do a project that they must present to their class mates, this produces lots of angst, but I encourage them to meet this challenge and they come through, After the presentations they share that they are confident that they can share their ideas. I always have them present in a safe environment where their classmates are supportive and respectfully ask questions. I think this helps them to become confident in their skills.
My best example of a student having self-doubt, is a former student who was self-conscience of the "G.E.D. stigma" which is attached to those who do not finish High school in the traditional way. This student had self-doubt about his writing skills and his ability to do well in general, he felt inferior to the other students; this was partially shown through his poor attitude and participation in the beginning of the term. I grading a couple of his essay assignments (he was a Freshman) and discovered that this student not only performed very well on the content of his essays, his writing skills were that of an upperclass or graduate student. I took this student out in the class and told him about his excellent writing skills and that he was at the top of his class. Needless to say this totally changed this student's future performance in the classroom.
I teach an advanced culinary class that has a series of black box cooking practicals. These are very scary for the students because they need to draw on their repertoire in order to accomplish 3 courses in the timeframe allowed. Most students go in very nervous but by the third black box they are seeing marked improvement in time management and discovering that they have developed throughout the curriculum. It's a hard time for the students but it's also a time for them to realize what they are capable of.
Ayanna, great post and all too common of a story. Dr. Joe Pace from The Pacific Institute talks about how it takes 11 positives to make up for 1 negative due to how powerful negative influence can be on the human brain. It is for this reason we as instructors need to do all we can to surround our students with as much positive energy as possible. The more positive methodologies we can explore in delivering our lesson plans the more we can assist our students in counteracting against all the negativity in their lives.
James Jackson
Dana, do you share these statistics with your students at the beginning of class? For some students, just knowing that many before them had the same concerns and same fears went on to earn great grades can defuse some of their fears early. The more students can associate their own situation with their peers the more relaxed they become.
James Jackson
I have been a teacher for a while and I see potential in so many students and they are doubting themselves. I have seen them answer questions and apply all the skills but still doubt they are capable of accomplishing their goals. This also occurs when I have asked question and they are afraid to answer. I have supported my students and assure them if they have put in the work they will be rewarded and the use of constructivism works well to help build confidence.
Ayanna Streete
Teaching math to adults that "didn't get it" in high school is difficult. Many times I start my class with most students saying that math is their worst subject and there's no way they'll pass. I teach it as simply as possible and answer any questions they have. Once they start to "get it", their self doubt goes away and they do very well in the course. Often times, the students that are expecting to fail the course earn an A or a B.
Donna, outstanding post and you have demonstrated the true concept of what Dr. Joe Pace from The Pacific Institute calls Intelligent Heart. We as instructors cannot afford to become personal with our students and it is not in the best interest of our students to allow our emotions to get in the way of proper academic rigor. However there is nothing that says we cannot be empathetic to the needs of our students and be critical thinkers, creative thinkers and problem solvers to continually find new and innovative ways to connect and engage our students which you have obviously been able to do within your Math class. Thanks for all that you do and keep up the great work. Your students and your institution are very fortunate to have you as an educator.
James Jackson
Many of our students come from backgrounds that have prevented them from making their own place in the world. Their self esteem in as low as it can be. Just to make the effort to try to come back to school should be applauded. One of the classes I teach is math. More than half the class usually has below average math skills. When I teach, I take it from very basic and slowly bring them up so their self esteem isn't at risk. I try to make it as entertaining as possible even to the point of singing or doing a little dance for them as we go along learning basic math skills. It works!! By the time they take the final, they are ready and are very pleased with their accomplishments.
Murry, great topic. I also teach computer classes and ask everyone of my students if they can use a microwave to warm up food. If they can use a microwave they can learn how to use a computer. In fact I also associate the microwave to the intelligence of a computer to break through the myth that computers are smart so my students understand that without their knowledge and use of the computer it is more more than an expensive paper weight. Once they realize that computers need them as users to take control they tend to no longer fear technology. Building confidence take small steps but each step progresses them along to a level of mastery.
James Jackson
Dale, great post and critical topic for all instructors. ALL college level materials are hard to some students while others are easier for some students to understand. The focus here is the same techniques work in ALL classrooms and that is to have open and honest conversations and even discourse with your students. If it were easy everyone would do it. The fact that they have taken time and energy to focus on college shows they have the ability to learn any topic if they are willing to ask questions and learn from their mistakes. Every instructor should have similar conversations with their students and help students understand college is not intended to be easy but it also does not have to be as hard as many think.
James Jackson
Richard, what a great example of scaffolding! The more we as instructors know about our students and their current knowledge, the more we can make use of their existing knowledge to build upon and take their learning to newer heights. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work.
James Jackson
Jennifer, take some credit and take lots of credit for taking the time and effort to reach out to your students and assist them in the learning process. You have provided one of the better examples of one of my favorite learning moments from Dr. Joe Pace from The Pacific Institute - The teacher will appear when the student is ready. By building such a welcoming and inviting learning environment you were able to allow students to be completely ready and willing to receive what you are able to offer. When a student is ready to learn and they actually want the knowledge they retain at such higher levels versus forced learning. Thanks for sharing and job well done!
James Jackson