Just not getting it student
I have a student who is just not getting the material. I've asked her if should would like a tutor outside of class or even an in class tutor to help with routines. I 've offered to help her inbetween classes to get some extra practice. And she declined. Other students have tried to help in between classes and she still isn't getting it. Any other suggestions??
Find out if she really wants to be in the course. Help her realize her motivation for completing the course. What's her learning style: visual, auditory or kinesthetic? Provide her with resources that fit.
That is one of the first questions I ask when I have a student the is "Just not getting it". Alot of my students see Food Network and want to be a chef. Some just don't know how hard they are going to have to work getting there.
Hi Alicia,
Have an instructor talk with her who has a good rapport with her. Sometimes students will listen to someone who they have a good rapport with. You may even want to get the DOE involved.
Patricia
I have students that don't seem to understand the assignments or realize the importance of addressing the specific issue raised in an assignment. For these students I first make them reread the assignments to try to understand the task. I ask them questions and discuss the assignments. I also prepare written clarifications of the assignments, outlining the steps to answer in a concise and complete manner. Some students are directed to other sources such as tutors and learning labs.
Have you just asked this student if she/he really wants this education? Sometimes they are there because mommy and daddy are paying the bill and they nothing else they can do. Sometimes they just needa reality check---"why are you here?? What work are you willing to do to get it done? is that enough??"
Hi Virginia,
These are certainly great questions to ask the student. Some of them simply do not want to be there. You don't want to ever give up on a student, but there is not much you can do with someone if the desire is not there.
Patricia
If she knows that she needs extra assistance, and it was offered, then it sounds like maybe a short talk might be in order. If she's not serious about passing courses, that's an awful waste of $$$
If she declined the offer of extra help when she knows she needs it, then maybe it would be a good idea if someone she felt comfortable with had a little talk with her. It's an awful waste of $$$ to not make every effort to pass courses.
Hi Chris,
Great suggestion of getting someone else involved. Sometimes when one instructor is unable to reach a student, another instructor can. We need to exhaust all resources as an avenue to not give up on the student.
Patricia
the student that is not getting it, needs of course extra attention such as tutoring. But Myself as an instructor, I look at myself and my teaching style, so I totally agree with learning the students learning style. This is imperative in teaching that student. Even when I cant quite figure out the students style, I start changing up my teaching methods to include various ways to learn and see what is being taught.
Hi Gwen,
Google learning styles. There are excellent free learning style tests on the internet. You can determine your students learning style from the test so that you will know how this student learns best. Every brand new student that enrolls at my institution has to take the learning style test so that the instructors knows how each student learns best.
Patricia
I totally agree with
gwen.Changing your teaching methods does help with the various learning styles in any classroom.
Hi Joyce,
As educators we must be creative with our teaching. What works for one student may not work for another. Try incorporating a way to teach that will cater to all three learning styles.
Pa
I work in an LRC and we regularly tutor students that are having issues with the material. One thing that I have learnt over time is that unless you are proactive in getting your student to actually visit the LRC then most will find every excuse in the book not to go. We have a policy at our college that if you are close to failing the mod then a visit to the LRC is mandatory before completion of that module. That does not mean that all students show up but it does increase LRC attendance quite a bit. Once the students get here they quite often realize that they may have some problems studying, knowledge retention, internet search skills, grammar problems etc. These are issues that can be resolved and then the student can apply these skills to all of their other courses.
i try to find some common ground with the student for instance i had a student that could not understand the concept of concentration as it pertains to medication strengths until i saw her putting a crystal light packet into her bottle of water...at which time i asked what the difference would be if she poured two packets into a different bottle the same size. she knew immediately that one would be sweeter and we were off and running!
The first step in a student "getting it" is them wanting it.They must understand that you pepared the meal;set them a place at the table;and furnished utinsels.They have to partake of it themselves to make use of it.My student's often seem to be waiting for a "download" but you have to help them find the button;that can require a host of different approaches.
I agree! You can even use a learning style inventory as a first-class activity to get students thinking for themselves about how they learn best and where they need to "stretch" to build skills in other learning methods.
Hi Thomas,
I like your response! We set up our students for success, but it is up to them to go after it. Everything is in place for them to succeed.
Patricia
