The most challenging students are the ones that don't care or have the "I am only here because I have to be here" attitude. After I have assessed my lectures/lesson plans and determined that others are engaged, I meet with the student and try to find out why he/she is acting this way. Meeting with the student one on one is effective because it allows the student to voice concerns but more importantly it shows the student that the instructor cares and is willing to listen.
Hi Samuel,
Students feel cared for when we welcome them into our space.
Patricia Scales
The most challenging students I encounter are those who want to debate about the accuracy of a skill he/she has demonstrated in the skills lab. The most effective strategies I use include review the Mosby skills video with the student and getting feedback from another instructor in the skill lab.
Hi Monica,
Let them know that this area is not debateable. You are the expert, and you will let them know if they are competent in the area or not.
Patricia Scales
I find inattentive students to be most challenging. I teach a science course and it is a prerequisite to be admitted to the medical program. Although I specify how important the area of science (particularly, chemistry) for a medical field there will always be students not showing any interest in the subject hoping just to get by. They are usually checking their cell phone waiting for the class to be over.
I often emphasize in front of the whole class the importance and relevance of each topic discussed. If that doesn't help I refer them to the syllabus where it is stated that professionalism is a part of their grade (and playing on the phone during the class is not professional). Finally, I'll the student aside and discuss this issue in private. If a student is serious about his future career talking one on one with a student helps.
Some of my students already have english as a second language so to then teach them medical terminology can be a real challenge. I encourage them to sign up for tutoring with me so I can have the one on one time with them. I try to impress on my entire class the importance of flash cards. With these other students I will have them write what the word means in english and what it means in their language. I feel this leaves no room for doubt as to what the word means. I encourage them to keep a list in class of words I have used that they didn't understand or didn't know the meaning and at breaktime we can go over them. It doesn't do me much good to lecture if they aren't understanding what I'm saying.
Hi Nastassia,
You really do your due diligence to ensure the challenging students try to stay focused. The rest of the effort is really left up to the student.
Patricia Scales
Hi Linda,
You are right! I have known some Medical Terminology instructors to have students listen to CD's to gain a better understanding/pronounciation.
Patricia Scales
My most challenging students are the ones who don't want to participate in class. These students do not take notes and do not work on their assignments. They sometimes hope that their friends will help them out so they can squeak by while doing the absolute minimum.
During lecture, I like to walk by students who show no participation or who are distracted. I do find that it helps change their behavior.
I remind students who are not working on their assignments of their due dates. I inform them about the pace in which they are working, and how that is going to effect completing the assignment on time.
Sometimes these things work, and sometimes they do not. Every student is an individual, so they all have their own cases.
Much of the work in my class involves following written directions. I have a female student who hails from a foreign country. Her spoken English is very good, but her reading skills appear to be lacking at times. She acts as though she is entitled to do less work than others in her cohort, because of her English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) status. Since I have seen her get work done in the past, when I stand right next to her, I suspect that she is using reading as an excuse to slack off. Other than encourage her to get busy, how can I motivate her with out embarrassing her?
Hi Dan,
Have a private firm conversation with her to let her know that you have discovered her potential, and you want to see her use her potential to the fullest level. Document the conversation and let her know it will be placed in her file so that she knows how serious you are.
Patricia Scales
I find the student who is physically present in the classroom but not mentally present to be the most challenging. If I have looked at my own presentation and the rest of the class appear to be receptive and engaged, then I tend to take a hard line with the student. I will even ask them if being in class is something that they want for themselves or are they doing it for someone elses idea of what they should be doing. This, of course, comes after I've addressed any issues relating to illness or trsumstic experiences, etc.
Students who love to take over Live Chats for online classes have been the biggest detriment to student learning in the past. Now, I use the "Observer" method and it generally keeps them less overbearing. If that fails, I have had to talk to them privately about the needs of the class outweighing the needs of the single person.
I've had about 2,000 students in my academic career and I have never had a serious problem student. Maybe I'm lucky; maybe it's me - I don't know.
I just completed the module about this, heard about the attention-grabbers, apple polishers, etc., but have not had such in my experience.
I'm an old salesman, so I always treat students as clients. When I sense any kind of problem with a student, I speak to that person immediately - ask questions about what's going on in his/her life, etc., and work out a mini-plan to catch up or do whatever's necessary.
Thankfully, that is as bad a problem as I've had. Once, I had to tell a kid to drop. He was not seeing reality, and so I sat there with him and convinced him that my recommendation was for his good. I think students who "act-out" are signaling that they need some attention. Often, it's all they need. This is hard at large state schools, but at small private schools - it's our point-of-difference.
Hi Wendy,
I agree! Students who are not there mentally can be a real big challenge. They are simply going to the motions, and they can really care less. A firm conversation some times does the magic trick.
Patricia Scales
My most challenging students have been the inattentive students. I love what I teach and I become really frustrated when my students don't display the same enthusiam. The startegies that were give in section 2 of this course was very helpful and in my experiences of teaching I have found that small groups with each student having a role worked best.
Hi Erica,
Students tend to do well in group work, especially when each student is held accountable for a certain part.
Patricia Scales
Something my Director and I do with the class on a weekly basis is have a "circle". This is where the students can share openly any challenges they are experiencing, etc. To address some of our challenging students' behavior, we recently chose a theme of "professionalism" for the discussion. We asked them to explain whether or not they would trust the person they see in the mirror to be someone they love's therapist and if not, what behavior would they change.
My most challenging student at this time does not ssem to comprehend any subject material. She has consistently passed each class by a matter of a point or two. When reviewing any material, whether recent or past, she demonstrates no retention of any information. My fellow instructors and I have discussed this at length and cannot seem to find a way to get through to her. I feel like she is spending alot of money for a career she may never be able work in. Very frustrating.
I do not just have one challenging student, I have a whole class of challenging students. This current ten weeks has been exhausting. I am a new instructor. The class has all the student categories. In this course, I did like the use of cards for speaking. I may have to try that for my over talkative students.
